Fortunate enough to have spent May in the US, with enough time to search for "local" ( within 100 miles or so) butterflies of Virginia and Maryland.
Unusual sort of place! Very suitable looking habitats from a Europeans perspective being bereft of butterflies, whilst open but shady woodland trails harbouring the odd one or two. The Appalachian Shales and coastal Pine Barrens provided the best and rarest sights.
I seemed to catch the end of the Spring crop, but fall short of the Summer emergences.
Skippers are the predominant species and I may cover those later, but for now....
Swallowtails...
Zebra Swallowtail, settled in the understory of Appalachian woodland, on ?Bearberry.
Pipevine Swallowtail, puddling, again in the Appalachians.
Spicebush Swallowtail, seen in a New Jersey Arbouretum. (Pipevine mimic)
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, common but very restless and easily spooked, found, but not photographed, pretty well everywhere we went.
The Harvester.... a wooly aphid eating larva, this one seen on the road, in the shade, again high in the Appalachian Shales region...
The Eastern Tailed Blue, a tiny common jewel, this one fresh and well behaved....
I really wanted to see Elfins, Callophrys species like our Green Hairstreak but brown..... managed 2 out of possible 4 species, one common, one very rare....
Brown Elfin, common
Frosted Elfin, rare and specialised.
Buckeye.... only saw one, tho supposedly common, at least it was fresh, and accommodating....
American Painted Lady... saw quite a lot of these, larger than usual numbers moving northwards, with Red Admirals.... I can now vouch that
virginiensis is not easily confused with our own version.....
Finally, one we all love, and rarely see, the "Mourning Cloak"..... most pristine one I ever saw.....
May get round to Skippers later.
My only real true Appalachian photo possibility was this.....
