A Zebra Swallowtail butterfly (Eurytides marcellus, Protographium marcellus) was spotted near a small pond at an undisclosed location in Prince William County, Virginia USA.
17 JUN 2021 | Prince William County | Zebra Swallowtail
Notice the Zebra Swallowtail lost part of one of its tails, possibly the result of a close encounter with predator.
Copyright © 2021 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Although there’s nothing common about the palette of colors for Common Buckeye butterflies (Junonia coenia), somehow it just works. I think their coloration seems to shout “fall.”
15 SEP 2020 | OBNWR | Common Buckeye butterfly
The preceding photo shows a Common Buckeye spotted during a photowalk with Michael Powell at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge (OBNWR), Prince William County, Virginia USA.
Most of the Common Buckeye that Mike and I spotted seemed to be especially skittish — they flew away as soon as I moved into position to take some shots. This one was a little more cooperative, albeit poorly posed for a perfect photo. Oh well!
Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
The following gallery shows my “Top Pix of 2019.” (See what I did there?) 28 photos are presented in chronological order beginning in February 2019 and ending in December 2019.
As you will see, I declare 2019 is/was unofficially “Year of the Gray Petaltail (T. thoreyi).”
01 FEB 2019 | Cordulegaster sp. larva (preserved specimen) | face
04 FEB 2019 | Common Sanddragon (P. obscurus) | exuvia (face)
18 FEB 2019 | “Generic Baskettail” larva (preserved specimen) | face
28 FEB 2019 | BoG Photo Studio | Valentines Day rose
16 APR 2019 | Northern Virginia | Uhler’s Sundragon (male)
22 APR 2019 | Patuxent Research Refuge | Harlequin Darner (female)
21 MAY 2019 | PNC. William County, VA | Arrowhead Spiketail (female)
21 MAY 2019 | PNC. William County, VA | Painted Skimmer (female)
21 MAY 2019 | PNC. William County, VA | Gray Petaltail (male)
21 MAY 2019 | PNC. William County, VA | Gray Petaltail (female)
29 MAY 2019 | PNC. William County, VA | Gray Petaltail (male)
14 JUN 2019 | PNC. William County, VA | Arrowhead Spiketail (female)
14 JUN 2019 | PNC. William County, VA | Gray Petaltail (male)
21 JUN 2019 | PNC. Wm. County, VA | Black-shouldered Spinyleg (female)
21 JUN 2019 | PNC. William County, VA | Common Sanddragon (male)
18 SEP 2019 | PNC. Wm. County | Fine-lined Emerald (male)
09 DEC 2019 | BoG Photo Studio | Common Green Darner | exuvia (face)
13 DEC 2019 | BoG PS | Common Green Darner | exuvia (anterior)
16 DEC 2019 | Richmond, VA | Spot-winged Glider | exuvia (face)
18 DEC 2019 | Richmond, VA | Spot-winged Glider | exuvia (dorsal)
20 DEC 2019 | Richmond, VA | Genus Celithemis | exuvia (face)
27 DEC 2019 | Richmond, VA | Genus Celithemis | exuvia (dorsal)
Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
(Common) Buckeye butterflies (Junonia coenia) are relatively common at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Prince William County, Virginia USA. I notice them when I’m hunting for dragonflies and damselflies. They’re skittish usually, but if they cooperate I always stop for a few shots, especially when they pose against a background of complementary colors.
18 SEP 2019 | Occoquan Bay NWR | (Common) Buckeye butterfly
The Common Buckeye color palette is unusual, yet it just works. Who knew brown butterflies could be so beautiful? Definitely one of my favorites.
Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
A Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) was spotted during a photowalk at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Prince William County, Virginia USA.
18 SEP 2019 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Viceroy butterfly
Viceroy butterflies look similar to Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus).
It can be distinguished from the Monarch by its smaller size and the post-median black line that runs across the veins on the hindwing. Source Credit: Viceroy (butterfly), Wikipedia.
The Backstory
I noticed the Viceroy butterfly as I was searching intensively for Fine-lined Emerald dragonflies (S. filosa). The juxtaposition of complementary colors was too perfect to pass up, so I stopped to shoot a couple of photos. The photo “feels like” a harbinger of fall, despite the persistence of late-summer in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States of America.
Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
There’s a butterfly on your hat. A Red-spotted Purple butterfly (Limenitis arthemis astyanax).
16 AUG 2019 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Red-spotted Purple butterfly
This comical butterfly-man union was observed during a photowalk with Michael Powell at Painted Turtle Pond, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Prince William County, Virginia USA.
16 AUG 2019 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Red-spotted Purple butterfly
The weather was extremely hot and humid. (Notice the Cumulus congestus clouds building in the background.) Both Mike and I were soaked with sweat as soon as we started our photowalk earlier the same day at another site. The butterfly was feeding upon mineral salts on Mike’s “Duck Dynasty” hat.
Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
A Smeared Dagger Moth caterpillar (Acronicta oblinita), a type of stinging caterpillar, was spotted on 15 September 2016 during a photowalk along the boardwalk that goes through the central wetland area at Huntley Meadows Park (HMP).
Stinging caterpillars use poison-filled bristles to defend themselves from predators. If you touch a stinging caterpillar, you’ll know it by the burning, itching… Source Credit: 13 Stinging Caterpillars. [Smeared Dagger is No. 10.]
15 SEP 2016 | HMP | Smeared Dagger Moth caterpillar
Thanks to Mike Powell, fellow wildlife photographer and blogger, for identifying this unusual caterpillar way back when both of us were less experienced amateur naturalists.
Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens) flowers were photographed on 06 and 10 June 2016 near a large vernal pool at Huntley Meadows Park in Fairfax County, Virginia USA.
Kevin Munroe, former park manager at Huntley Meadows, designated Purple Milkweed as a “plant of interest” due to the fact that it is officially a rare plant species in the state of Virginia (S2).
Part 3
These plants are covered with ants, lots of ants!
06 JUN 2016 | Huntley Meadows Park | Purple Milkweed
Later, a single Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly (Speyeria cybele) was feeding on the same milkweed plant, along with lots of ants.
06 JUN 2016 | Huntley Meadows Park | Purple Milkweed
Part 4
Lots of Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies (Speyeria cybele) were observed feeding on the milkweed. The next two photos show the same individual in two poses.
10 JUN 2016 | Huntley Meadows Park | Purple Milkweed
The proboscis, a specialized structure that enables butterflies to siphon liquids from flowers, is shown clearly in the next two photos.
10 JUN 2016 | Huntley Meadows Park | Purple Milkweed
An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus) was feeding on another cluster of milkweed flowers. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is the State Insect of Virginia. Really, who knew there are official state insects?
10 JUN 2016 | Huntley Meadows Park | Purple Milkweed
The last photo is my favorite in both galleries.
Related Resources
Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
The following gallery shows 18 finalists for my “Top 10 Photos of 2018.” The photos are presented in reverse-chronological order beginning in September 2018 and ending in February 2018.
As you will see, I declare 2018 is/was unofficially “Year of the Sable Clubtail (S. rogersi).”
No. 1
20 SEP 2018 | Fairfax County, VA | Pandora Sphinx moth
No. 2
23 AUG 2018 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Osprey (male, plus prey)
No. 3
10 AUG 2018 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Calico Pennant (female)
No. 4
19 JUL 2018 | Fairfax County, VA | Black-shouldered Spinyleg (female)
No. 5
No. 6
05 JUL 2018 | Fairfax County, VA | Sable Clubtail (female)
No. 7
No. 8
No. 9
12 JUN 2018 | Fairfax County, VA | Sable Clubtail (male)
No. 10
08 JUN 2018 | Fairfax County, VA | Sable Clubtail (male)
No. 11
06 JUN 2018 | Northern Virginia | Gray Petaltail (male)
No. 12
23 APR 2018 | Hemlock Overlook Regional Park | Virginia Bluebells
No. 13
23 APR 2017 | HORP | Springtime Darner (male)
No. 14
23 APR 2018 | Hemlock Overlook Regional Park | Horseshoe Trail
No. 15
29 MAR 2018 | Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (face-head)
No. 16
06 MAR 2018 | Fawn Darner (Boyeria vinosa) | exuvia (face-head)
No. 17
13 FEB 2018 | Gray Petaltail (Tachopteryx thoreyi) | exuvia (face-head)
No. 18
03 FEB 2018 | Tiger Spiketail (Cordulegaster erronea) | exuvia (face-head)
Editor’s Note: The following location codes are used in some photo captions, shown above.
Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
As 2018 is coming to a close quickly, it’s time to indulge in a little retrospection. This blog post features a few new non-odonates that I spotted for the first time in 2018.
Editor’s Note: Photos are presented in reverse-chronological order, based upon the date of the spotting.
Pandora Sphinx moth
This beauty was my reward after a long, mostly unproductive photowalk at Huntley Meadows Park. Posted on 24 September 2018.
20 SEP 2018 | Fairfax County, VA | Pandora Sphinx moth
Wild Turkey
Although I have seen signs of Wild Turkey at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, 10 August 2018 is the first time I’ve seen actual birds at OBNWR. Posted on 19 August 2018 and 10 September 2018.
23 AUG 2018 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Wild Turkey
Northern Black Racer (mating pair)
Look closely — both heads are shown in the following photo. Posted on 30 September 2018.
21 APR 2018 | Huntley Meadows Park | black snakes (mating pair)
Next post: New odonate exuviae in 2018 (by family).
Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
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