Massachusetts Butterflies

I stopped at Mass Horticultural Society this afternoon.  I was hoping I might see a Giant Swallowtail.  No luck with that, but I enjoyed all the beautiful flowers, butterflies and one very happy dragonfly!

 Painted Lady

 Not certain about this identification.  I think it's a Blue Dasher an Eastern Pondhawk....

Monarch

Fiery Skipper

Great Blue Heron

I stopped at the Broadmoor tonight, just before 5 since we were let out early for the holiday weekend.  I'm always hopeful that there'll be a good water bird of some sort close to the boardwalk since there are fewer people this time of day.  Tonight there was a great blue heron, and it wasn't shy until another person started down the trail.....

Outta here!

Great Spangled Fritillary

The butterflies around my own yard are looking raggedy and not very photogenic, so at lunch I knew I'd have to head out to search for them somewhere else.  I stopped at Weston Nurseries in Hopkinton, MA to check out their butterfly bushes.  Bingo!  Their butterflies were fresh and beautiful, and I had a nice view of a Great Spangled Fritillary!  I haven't seen too many of them this year compared to last year.  I do have one hanging around my yard that is tattered and torn, so I will show you both for comparison purposes!

  Great Spangled Fritillary

"pageant winner"

Great Spangled Fritillary

"rough around the edges"

 Red Admiral

 Monarch

 Painted Lady

 Monarch

 Painted Lady

 Painted Lady

 Monarch

 Great Spangled Fritillary

Monarch

 

Great Spangled Fritillary

Painted Lady

Enough!!!  I had trouble selecting which ones to post!  (You knew that already if you scrolled down this far!)

Evening at Tower Hill Botanic Garden

Since the local irruption (population explosion) of Painted Lady butterflies, I have become less enthusiastic at seeing them.  Seeing 10-20 at a time, every day, for over a week made me somewhat immune to their charm.  Also, they are not as fresh as when the irruption first started.  Most are starting to show wear, with nicks or bites out of their wings.

Tonight, after work, I headed over to Tower Hill Botanic Garden.  They are open late on Wednesdays through September.  In the Secret Garden, there was one Painted Lady on Autumn Sedum.  Something about the soft color combination of this fall flower with the butterfly really appealed to me.

I enjoyed the play of the evening light on the gardens.

 Raven

Massachusetts Butterflies

Last night, George and I had dinner at Romaine's Wood Grill & Bar in Northborough, Massachusetts.  It's a great restaurant, and we both thought our dinners were scrumptious!

As an added bonus, I noticed 6 butterfly bushes in the parking lot, as well as lantana, daisies, black-eyed Susans, and more:  It was a very nice butterfly garden lining both sides of the entry drive into the parking area!!  Last night, at about 7PM, I still managed to find a lone Painted Lady on one of the butterfly bushes.  Of course, I was already planning when I could come back during the best part of a sunny day and wondering if I could make it there and back within a lunch hour.  Today, I tried it.  The traffic gods were with me, and I made it -- with time for photos -- in exactly an hour.  Thank you, 299 West Main Street, for taking the time and effort to create a little spot of beauty in your parking lot!

 Painted Ladies were abundant here, too.

 I like how this photo shows the proboscis unfurling from its stored position.  The butterfly uses the proboscis (sharp, pointed tongue) like a straw, to drink the nectar from the flower.  When the butterfly is not feeding, it keeps its proboscis curled up in a spiral.

 An American Lady, thrown in for good measure.  American Lady butterflies have two large eye spots; while Painted Lady butterflies have 4 small eye spots.

 Black Swallowtail