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Gorgeous! I just love those LTSs, Maryann!
They lay their eggs on desmodium around here, you know, those weeds that make the seeds that stick to your socks, hence the common name "sticktights" - congrats!
MissSherry

Maryann,

What a beautiful BF and a great picture. I've never encountered one of those. It's such an upper to see a new BF that you've only seen in pictures before. Congratulation!

Sandy

Thanks, I was surely surprised...

Usually by now here in CT we're flirting with our first frost. Today was 85 will a stiff SW wind. The warm weather has brought me great butterflying.

Are these butterflies common in the south?

Maryann

You lucky dawg!!! I would dearly love to have some come visit me. Congrats!

They're pretty common here, Maryann. I usually see quite a few cats each year, but I leave them on the host plant to raise themselves, because when I tried to raise LTSs and silver spotted skippers, both types died on me. Here's a picture I got of a cat - it's hard to catch them out of their leaf shelter -
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And here's an old picture I made with a borrowed 35MM camera of an adult -
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MissSherry

OMG - I just LOVE the LTS's! I wish I'd see some, too, Linda, but aren't we out of their range? It would be an uncommon sight probably.

Is that Verbena it is sitting on, Maryann? Sandy mentioned to me the other day that we are seeing a lot of butterflies that are not normally in our range due to the tropical storms and hurricanes that blew them up towards Oklahoma mid-summer. Perhaps that is why you are seeing the LTS there in Connecticut as well???

Susan

Susan, the LTS is on heliotrope. At the old mansion at this state park, Harkness, they have a whole sunken garden of heirloom heliotrope...It smells so good. The LTS was nectaring on that and annual blue salvia farenacea. Strangely, the one in my yard was on impatiens!

Misssherry, that skipper cat is so cute. I once tried to raise a silver spotted skipper from an egg and it too died. They must have special needs.

There was a very stiff SW wind yesterday and all of our hot humid weather has come up from the south so I think the LTS just came in on the breeze.

Maryann

I was so excited I nearly dropped my coffee and camera...

Boy, isn't that a great feeling!