Pearls in the Timber

This pretty little gem is the Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos). They are a rather small butterfly with a wingspan of about 1-1 3/4 inches. They are one of the most common species of butterflies in the Eastern portion of the United States. They are found in a variety of habitats, including timber edges, roadsides, backyards, gardens, meadows, etc. This one was found near some timber dividing our crop ground. I spotted it near the ground, it was hard to miss with those bright orange wings. I approached it and found that it was very tame. It allowed me to place it on my finger. I placed it back on the vegetation and it spread its wings and posed for the second photo. Very cooperative I must say. The adults of this butterfly nectar at various flowers including aster, milkweed, dogbane and wintercress. The caterpillars host plant are asters. Their coloration can vary a little. Spring and fall broods have a mottled grayish-brown underwings. Some will have black spots on the hindwings near the margin.

Monarch Mimic

These orange striped butterflies so closely resemble the Monarch that they are often mistaken for them. They aren't even that closely related to the the monarch. This mimic is called the Viceroy(Limenitis archippus) in the family Nymphalidae. The Monarch (Danaus plexippus) is in the family Danaidae. The Monarch is usually larger than the Viceroy, and the Viceroy has a couple of distinguishing characteristics, one is the curved line on the hindwings, it looks very much like a smile. On the forewings is a black triangular shaped cell that contains two white spots. The caterpillar of the Viceroy looks entirely different from Monarch caterpillar. It is a marbled gray and brown with "horns" on its head. Whereas the monarch is recongnized by everyone as the yellow, black and white banded caterpiller found on milkweed. Viceroys were long thought of as non poisonous mimics of the Monarch and therefore were avoided by predators who also avoided the Monarch. New research indicates that the Viceroy may in fact be poisonous too or at least distasteful to would be predators. Viceroys are found throughout all of the Eastern United States. They will be seen in many types of habitats, including meadows, gardens, prairies, backyards, and open fields. Early adults that first appear in the spring will feed on aphid honeydew, carrion, dung, and decaying fungi. Later generations will feed on nectar from flowers as they begin to bloom. Caterpillars feed on plants in the willow family as well as cottonwoods and poplar.