Listing Through Life

vanessa virginiensis

Sunday, July 25, 1999 — 10:15 am

Conway, Arkansas — Happy Valley

Flying around a very colorful flower garden in the backyard. It landed on a flower, and I got a good look. I wasn’t sure how to tell the difference between the American Lady and the Painted Lady. It flew off, but I kept my eyes open.

About half an hour later, I saw it again. It landed and I got within inches, clearly seeing the two large spots on the hind wing underside. The forewing was patterned black and gray. I got a brief look at the orange and black upperwings. It was a little larger than a Cabbage White.

polygonia interrogationis

Friday, July 9, 1999 — 11:36 am

McHenry, Illinois — Moraine Hills State Park

I was walking the Lake Defiance Trail near Junction A west of the lake. The Question Marks were landing on the gravel path and flying over the marsh grasses along the trail. I was able to get within three feet or so.

They were larger than the Eastern Comma, but not quite as large as a Monarch. The uppersides were beautiful — this may be my favorite butterfly so far. The forewing was brilliant orange with black spots. The hindwing was mostly black. The undersides were brown, patterned like a leaf much like the Eastern Comma. It had a silver curve on the hindwing, but it was thicker than the curve on the Comma. Near the base of the curve, there was a small silver dot.

vanessa atalanta

Friday, July 9, 1999 — 11:25 am

McHenry, Illinois — Moraine Hills State Park

I was walking the Lake Defiance Trail near Junction A on the west side of the lake. I saw the Red Admiral fly into marsh grass along the trail and land on a blade near the ground in a small opening.

polygonia comma

Friday, July 9, 1999 — 10:50 am

McHenry, Illinois — Moraine Hills State Park

I was taking a walk around the McHenry Dam trail. As I walked down the steps to the blind, a butterfly flew up from the steps and disappeared into the woods. I only saw that it was orange and black. When I left the blind a few minutes later, I saw it again flitting along the trail. After a few brief stops on the trail, it landed on the side of a tall tree at eye-height.

I looked at it through my binoculars, then went around the other side of the tree and slowly looked around the edge, getting within six inches. It had its wings folded most of the time, but occasionally opened them wide.

It was smaller than I expected, but not as small as a Cabbage White. The upperside was orange with black spots on the forewing and mostly black on the hindwing. The underside was brown, patterned like a leaf. It had a tiny silver hook on the hindwing.

papilio polyxenes

Friday, June 25, 1999 — 8:23 am

Grundy County, Illinois — Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area

I was well out into the center of the prairie, near a wet pothole. In the knee-high prairie grasses along the path, there was a plant with softball-size pink flower clusters. This Black Swallowtail was on the flower, wings wide open. It occasionally fluttered around the area or moved to another flower on the same plant.

It was very pretty, velvet black with a bold yellow stripe along the rear edge of its hindwing. There was a small red/orange spot on the inner back corner with a tiny black dot in the center. There was also some faint blue iridescence near the trailing edge. The black body had two parallel rows of small yellow spots. It was near the size of a Monarch.

Another butterfly, some kind of fritillary, I think, and a pretty white moth with a gold lacework pattern on its wings, were also on the same plant and often on the same flower.