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Friday 22 September 2017

Painted ladies

You see them along the shoreline of the island now, butterflies preparing to migrate. This year we’ve see lots of whites but painted ladies are in abundance. Islanders are surprised with the numbers of the lovely creatures.




My husband and I didn’t set out to find butterflies. Our success with photographs of the small winged creatures this year has not been the greatest. This day, we merely wanted to walk a longer section of the trail than we usually do. Cameras at the ready, we always see something different, especially if we haven’t been in an area for a time. We weren’t disappointed.


The border between the boardwalk and the beach is full of wildflowers, some of which are past their summer glory. 




However, there were enough blooms to attract butterflies, especially the painted ladies. A few even stopped feeding long enough to allow for photos. We are happy with the results.



The underside of these beauties is as intricate in design as the top.




The head and antennae are wonders in themselves but the straw-like probosis, which unfurls to suck up the nectar, is visible too. Nature never fails to amaze if we but stop and stare.

















29 comments:

Anvilcloud said...

Glad they're doing well. It's not easy to get good photos.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

You hit the butterfly jackpot alright!

DJan said...

So lovely! I like your moniker of "painted ladies" for these beauties. :-)

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Beautiful shots Marie.. it's not often that butterfly wings are double sided fabulous 😀

Ginnie said...

You may have been a butterfly in a past life ... they seem to interact with you in an almost personal way. Great photos.

Debbie said...

beautiful captures, it is their "moving" time of year!! that's a very pretty lighthouse!!

Elephant's Child said...

Ephemeral magic at its very best. I am always amazed that something so short-lived migrates.
And am in awe at your photo of the underside.

jenny_o said...

What beautiful shots! Amazing.

Found you through EC's blog. Good to meet a fellow Maritimer! (I live in NS.)

Marie Smith said...

It is not, AC.

Marie Smith said...

We did indeed, Debra.

Marie Smith said...

Painted lady is their name Jan. There is a similar one called American Lady.

Marie Smith said...

This type is a double sided beauty for sure, PDP.

Marie Smith said...

Lol. There are much worse things I could have been, Ginnie!

Marie Smith said...

That is one of two range lights along the shoreline, working with the main lighthouse to give safe passage to mariners.

Your photos of butterflies are what I aspire to, Debbie!

Marie Smith said...

Thank you, EC. I too am amazed by the migration of the butterflies. They are one of the wonders of nature.

Marie Smith said...

Hi Jenny. Thank you for visiting. I enjoyed your latest blog post too!

Catarina said...

Marie, these are the most beautiful pictures of butterflies that I have ever seen! :) absolutely gorgeous.
I believe I am repeating myself.

Tabor said...

I saw one of these in my yard yesterday on my asters. Not many butterflies left, but the few are rewarding.

Jenn said...

That boardwalk area looks very nice!
We love butterflies, my son and I had a painted lady butterfly kit this summer and raised them from caterpillar to releasing them, it was very cool to see. They loved orange slices, we watched them feeding up close and it was fascinating.

Rick (Ratty) said...

Wonderful pictures of these butterflies. I love taking pictures of butterflies and I have lots of painted lady butterflies around here, but I'm still terribly out of practice taking their pictures.

Bill said...

Great butterfly shots Marie. Mine usually come out blurry :(

Marie Smith said...

Catarina, the most beautiful butterfly pictures are captured by Debbie at

http://itsallaboutpurple-debbie.blogspot.ca/ Check her out. She is a butterfly whisperer.

Thank you for the compliment however.

Marie Smith said...

There are lots around here yet, Tabor, preparing for the long flight.

Marie Smith said...

Check out Debbie, a fellow blogger at

http://itsallaboutpurple-debbie.blogspot.ca/

She is a butterfly whisperer!

Marie Smith said...

Try taking some photos, Ratty. You may get a good one out of hundreds. That's part of the fun!

Marie Smith said...

Our have not been great either, Bill. These are the best so far out of hundreds.

Anonymous said...

Sunday blessings to you. These are gorgeous pictures. I love butterflies and your shots are truly magnificent. I appreciate your visit this morning.

Marie Smith said...

Good to see you again, Mildred. Hope you had a great summer.

The Furry Gnome said...

I've heard of a lot of bloggers seeing them. Must be a good year for them. But none here this year.