I took my first hike of the season yesterday, making a preliminary
assessment of an area that was destroyed in a wildfire that was started by some
drunk kids firing incendiary 12ga rounds into dry forest litter. Thanks to
them, a pristine chaparral riparian area was destroyed and I doubt that anyone
alive now will ever get to see it restored.
While making this tour, I came into an open area that used to be forested
with Aligator Juniper and Sycamore. Some late summer and early fall flowers
had attracted a number of butterflies, and I counted at least five species.
None of them would stay put for very long, probably in a feeding frenzy. So,
out of almost three dozen photos only five were worth keeping. One of these is
of a Queen (Danaus gilippus):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64004640@N03/8076958412/in/photostream
And then there was this Mystery Butterfly:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64004640@N03/8076965478/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64004640@N03/8076965522/in/photostream
The closest I can come to with my field guides is Theona Checkerspot
(Thessalia theona), which is exact except for the dark spots in the outermost
row of checkers. Since we have a few butterfly enthusiasts here I was hoping
someone could properly identify it.
Chris
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