Halloween Colors

For the past few weeks, butterflies have been migrating through my neck of the woods.  It's been a spectacular show, and I've had a great time observing them and getting some pictures.  It seems that orange and black is a common theme among these butterflies- almost as if Nature is putting out her Halloween decorations for us to appreciate.  Unlike snakes or spiders, it's hard to find someone who doesn't at least like butterflies.

The other day, a lone monarch found its way to our front yard.  My son ran in the house to find me, wanting to show me "our" butterfly.  We went back outside and watched it as it clung to a leaf for awhile. He took a picture of it with his iPad.  Eventually it flew off. I was excited to see that he was excited about his butterfly observation.

You might notice that most of the butterflies are on a purple plant called marsh fleabane.  This year, there were large patches of it near one of my favorite trails, and the butterflies were going crazy for it.  For a couple of weeks in early to mid October, I could just stand in that spot and watch the monarchs, Gulf fritillaries, and queen butterflies fly from plant to plant. The monarchs moved on, but the red admirals are coming through, and the Gulf fritillaries, variegated fritillaries, and viceroys are still around.

I enjoy Halloween, especially the spooky decorated houses and the Trick or Treaters coming through on Halloween night to acquire their loot, but I have a special appreciation for these lovely butterflies.   

Fiery skipper

Gulf fritillary



Viceroy

Monarch

Phaon Crescent

Queen butterfly



Red admiral

Happy Halloween! May you have a spooky, fantastic day!