Sulphur Butterflies

The softer side of our desert is quite lovely. During the time of this shoot, Sulphur butterflies owned the airwaves:)

Attracted to Salvia, these butterflies floated from one flower to the next.

Fragile.  Soft.

Really....just perfection.

"We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever." ~Carl Sagan

The Pipevine Butterfly

As you've seen this past month, the butterfly show has kicked into full gear and I won't be done for awhile with the finds.

Another rare treat to our desert is the Pipevine Butterfly.  It's large blackish blue with dazzling dots.

Last year I hadn't seen many of them but this year, they've been everywhere!  In fact, this butterfly stopped by El Presidio one day and had the residents oooing and ahhing.  I was shocked.  Why?

This particular butterfly is threatened or endangered in some areas, but I don't think it is here as it has a large range to flutter about.

This butterfly loves all kinds of plants like the infamous butterfly bush, vincas, lantanas, verbena, and milkweed.  But there are certainly many more plants that it will visit.   It's tricky here in Arizona because in spring, we love our wildflower gardens but we can also pick millions of other themes for our places.....like the Butterfly Garden!!!  My Butterfly Garden hasn't begun yet because the fountain hasn't gone into the space....but when it does, these colorful and magnificent plants will go into that spot. 

September is the month of the butterfly here.  An explosion really.  And if you set your garden up right , your guests will feel like they're walking in one of those cheesy Disney movies. Plus you'll be the talk of the neighborhood. Today's photo shoot was taken at the Ash Canyon B & B.  And the garden is by Mary Jo.  

Stay tuned for more....

Sara's Orangetip Butterfly

Continuing on with our Redington Pass adventure, I snapped several shots of this tiny beautiful butterfly.

This was a tricky little butterfly to follow, but eventually I was able to get several shots of this dainty and beautiful little bug. The insect is commonly seen around the Tucson area and especially on the outskirts of town which include our riparian areas.

Here's some information on this butterfly that you may see fluttering around your yard this time of year as the wildflowers pop up.

"The Sara's Orangetip butterfly, also know as the Pacific Orangetip is a striking butterfly.
Field identification is very easy. It's a variation on the white butterfly theme, with bright orange spots on the tips of the wings. Female color is more pale than the male color. The underside of the wings are marbled, making it easy for them to hide when they close their wings and sit on an oak tree branch. They are abundant up and down the West Coast, making their home in fields, deserts and other areas. They are one of the first butterflies to appear in early spring and their bright colors add a touch of sparkle to their newly emerging green environment. Butterflies are generally categorized as one of two types, patroller or percher, depending on mating strategies. Sara's Orangetips fall in the patroller category of butterflies. Males patrol, or fly up and down a particular territory, in search of female butterflies. As it relates to butterfly photography, the patrollers are sometimes difficult subjects because you can follow them for up to an hour without their settling down on a flower long enough for a decent picture."
Source: http://greennature.com/article2313.html