The first one is a Red Admiral I think.

You've inspired me Glenda. : ) I put an assortment of fruit in a platform bird feeder and hung it in a little crabapple tree. I had trouble finding a spot to hang it that would still be in the sun, but my crabapple is almost leafless from being eaten by Japanese Beetles so that will do.
I hoping the fruit will last more than one day since it's up off the ground.

Oh my goodness!! Your photos are just fantastic! I love them! I wish I had better luck attracting them with fruit. You have inspired me to try yet again. The first and second pics are of the Red Admiral as Christie said. The third pic is of the Red Spotted Purple. The fourth pic shows us the RSP and a Question Mark butterfly. The last one looks to be a Tawny Emperor to me, but I may be wrong. So, I see 4 different butterflies. Wow. What a bonanza! Lucky you!

Tawny Emperor is correct, Bandzmom! Good job!

Glenda, your photos are amazing! I sure wish I got the Red Spotted Purples here in the city, but they don't hang around much here at all. Everything else I get.

Do you grow any of the larval host plants? Nettles for the Red Admiral (I grow False Nettle, without the "sting" in them); Hackberry for the Tawny and Hackberry Emperors, Hackberry, Elm, and False Nettle will get you Question Marks. The Red Spotted Purples like Wild Cherry, Willows.

They love that fruit and they do act like they get drunk on it. Wonder if it has something to do with the "fermenting" process?

Don't be surprised to get some of the day-flowering sphinx, like the little Snowberry Clearwing and the Nessus sphinx. The Snowberry looks like a very large bumble bee in case you haven't seen one. The Nessus is a deep reddish brown with two white or yellow stripes on the lower abdomen, a bit larger than the Snowberry. They, too, are fascinating and are often referred to as Hummingbird moths because they hover like the hummers.

Susan

I've taken rotting bananas, molasses, and dark rum and made that for them to nectar. Yes they are getting drunk. I noted that my figs are getting ripe, but I'm usually out eating them before anyone can steal them.

Nectarines and pears, they love those. I've even just used snack cups of applesauce. Those go over well, too.

Ooooh, I want some! I want some! (Not the rotting fruit - the butterflies)

:-)

Deanna

Susan, I live on a farm out in the country so a lot of the host plants grow naturally. I know we have hackberry and wild cherry trees and a type of willow that grows by the creeks, probably native spice bush too since I have seen the caterpillar of the Spicebush butterfly crossing the road (a neighbor brought it to me for id).

I grow fennel and had only one cat on it this year.

I need to research what I need to do to attract more Monarchs and Swallowtails.

I see this year in the drought Joe Pye Weed didn't make it.
When sorting the tomatoes for canning, I left the bad ones in the garden cart and my husband said they were swarming over them. I need to pay attention to what kind they were.(the butterflies, not the tomatoes).

Well, I'm interested in knowing what kind of tomatoes, too! Heehee!

You're so lucky. Your location (Ozarks or close to), your rural habitat, lots of native plants, woodlands, water, etc., are all conducive to having lots of butterflies that we city folk don't get. I have worked on my butterfly garden for 10 years, and just in the last 3 or 4, have gotten what I consider to be a good population of species here. My neighbors may yet condemn my property because it is rather untidy, but intentionally so, cuz my garden is a haven and a nursery for the adults and their offspring. That's why I also attract lots of other things like birds, especially hummingbirds, and I intend to get back into the birding in the winter because it is great to have something to do during that time.

Oddly enough, I get lots of dragonflies and damselflies, too, which aren't often seen in the city. Maybe it's because I water so often. I have a very small space limited to my front yard, so water doesn't usually become a financial issue. A small yard filled with butterfly hosts and nectar plants is also why I have to grow my tomatos in containers, LOL! I line them up on the side of my driveway which is the only available place for them.

When the tomatoes and such are doing badly in this heat, my butterflies, hummingbirds, and other things, are really faring well. Keeps me busy and entertained.

Keep sharing your beautiful images with us. We are certainly enjoying your contributions to the forum.

Susan

Excellent job, Glenda!...first in attracting the butterflies and then in perpetuating them in pictures.

Bob

Glenda, you probably have milkweed growing wild around you, too. Some of the species you may find locally are Asclepias viridis, or Green Milkweed; Asclepias incarnata, or Swamp Milkweed, probably growing near water; A. sullivanti, A. speciosa, A. viridiflora, A. tuberosa (not often used as a larval host, but great nectar plant), to name just a few.

An identifying feature this time of year are the ubiquitous orange oleander aphids that coat the flowers, stems, and leaves. I just wash them off with water in my garden, but when you're looking for milkweed in the wild, this will be a sure way to ID them.

If you have Sassafras growing wild around you, you're likely to find the Spicebush Swallowtail on it. Tulip trees and Wild Cherries are hosts for the Tiger Swallowtails. Pipevines are hosts for the Pipevine Swallowtail. Aristolochia tomentosa and A. macrophylla are Missouri natives that they use. Giant Swallowtails use Ptelea trifoliata, or Hop Tree, Rue (Black Swallowtails also use this herb), and Prickly Ash.

Hope this helps you out.

Susan