Yesterday afternoon, I went outside to water the plants on our front porch and noticed blue butterflies. I have not seen these often, so I grabbed my camera to try to photograph them. They move very quickly! It is difficult to see the blue on the Pipevine Swallowtail from this angle, but there is a better shot further down.
I took over 70 photos and ended up with about 7 that were clear. It was extremely difficult to take a shot when a butterfly was still because they were constantly fluttering their wings and flitting from plant to plant.
The butterflies love this lantana. I have heard that lantana can be considered an invasive species, but we have three plants—one each of three varieties. We keep them trimmed and have not had problems with them propagating elsewhere.
The Gulf Frittilary does not move nearly as much or as quickly as the swallowtails, so it was easier to photograph.
Butterfly wings fascinate me. They are so thin that they are almost translucent, yet the top has a completely different pattern and coloring than the underside.
You can finally see the amazing blue color on the wings and tail of this butterfly. I hope to see more of these beautiful Pipevine Swallowtails.
Today, I just looked out the window and noticed several butterflies all over the lantana, so I took my good camera out again. There were at least five Giant Swallowtails at one point.
Again, I am amazed by the different colors and patterns on the opposite sides of their wings. These have some blue markings as well.
The butterfly in the foreground is a female. The black spot on the third yellow oval from the wingtip is an identifying characteristic.
Can we also appreciate the variety in these lantana blooms? This is all one plant, but some of the flowers are only red while others are red and yellow-orange.
Another black spot on the third yellow oval from the wingtip means this is another female, or it could be the same one. They were moving around so quickly that I have no way of knowing which ones I photographed multiple times.
This is probably my favorite shot. It is one of the clearest and shows so much detail.
See the orange and black eyespots on the inner edges of the hindwings? I wonder if they scare away predators. These butterflies move so quickly that I have a hard time believing anything could catch them.
Chronicling Chaos 