Butterfly Season

I spotted a lot of big butterflies this week. Like this monarch.

This eastern tiger swallowtail.

A couple of spicebush swallowtails. Click to enlarge.

And a variegated fritillary -- a name I like to say out loud.

We focus on the beauty of butterfly wings, of course, but their bodies are often lovely, too. Check out the polka dots on the monarch.

And this!

Wishing For Butterflies

Maybe it's the unreasonably warm January day. It was 67F in Philadelphia today. Maybe it's the accumulation of gray days so far this winter. Something is making me wish I could take my camera and go out stalking butterflies. Of course there are none. They're dormant or gone, so I'm settling for looking at pictures. This is the cabbage white, Pieris rapae.     Click to enlarge.

An American snout, Libytheana carinenta.

An American lady, Vanessa virginiensis.

A variegated fritillary, Euptoieta claudia.

A monarch, Danaus plexippus.

Carl Sagan once said: "We are like butterflies who flitter for a day and think it is forever."

I miss the moths, too.

The rosy maple moth,  Dryocampa rubicunda,

The yellow-collared scape moth, Cisseps fulvicollis.

.... and the caterpillars. 

Monarch.

Stinging rose moth caterpillar, Parasa indetermina.

Io moth caterpillar, Automeris io.

And the gregarious milkweed tussock moth caterpillars,
Euchaetes egle. Just another few months and they'll all be back.

Peach Season

I went peach picking this week in southern New Jersey. It was cool in the shade and hot in the sun with a light refreshing breeze. A perfect day for picking peaches. Click to enlarge.

The orchard was full of lovely twisted trees covered with ripe easy-to-reach fruit. 

I learned that picking peaches is much easier than picking blueberries. Click here to read about my blueberry adventure in July.

I came home with about 20 pounds of peaches.

I made peach jam that tastes like summer in a jar.

It's delicious.

And I saw this lovely orange variegated fritillary butterfly, Euptoieta claudia

... and an orange flower that looks like a harbinger of autumn.