Oooh Look!

I made that joke about ADD people and said Oooh look a butterfly! and my son just wrinkled his nose and said that is you, mom. I suppose so. I can't concentrate on much else if there are butterflies and moths about. Here are some things I saw in the lovely mountains of North Carolina, where I decided I shall live if the world gets any scarier. It's easier to feel safe up a hill with a stream trickling by, where you can't be bothered with the news or the papers or the world, just some NPR music or Garrison Keilor, or how far or where I want to walk today. You just never know what you'll see, something beautiful, something sobering, something sad.

I didn't see any big moths, just the leftovers from where the birds ate them. The circle of life, I know. I just hope their eggs were laid first. All told, I saw 5 or 6 kinds of butterflies and over a dozen different moths, many who patiently sat for my camera. The leaf is just because it caught my eye.







This moth is called the one that looks like bird poop, or the Beautiful Wood Nymph. I love the fuzzy legs, and the bright golden yellow underwings, which were impossible to photograph.


I believe this is a Great Spangled Fritillary, just like Ms. Moon's.

These Pipe Vine Swallowtails fluttered around in pairs, and stopped often at mud puddles and dirt piles to eat or drink. They would land with their wings upright, but as I got closer, they would flash this brilliant blue display to try to startle me, so I got a great photo after several tries.

I saw but couldn't catch Eastern Black and Yellow Swallowtails and Clearwing Sphinx Moths and a handful of bark colored small moths. This year I couldn't find the Rosy Maple or the Virgin Tiger Moth or the Clymene Moths which I have seen in past years. They seem to come and go in cycles, in nature's mysterious way.