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Butterflies

Saw something on the ground yesterday. At least half of them flew off before I realized what they were. The most Swallowtails I've ever seen at once.
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Those butterflies were likely "puddling". Swallowtails do it a lot (as do many other butterflies). They are getting minerals and nutrients, so they commonly do it on carrion, feces, a place where an animal urinated, etc. Males often wrap up their sperm in big nutrient rich packages that the female can digest and use for eggs, so these may have been males getting supplies for "nuptial gifts" used in mating. This story linked below is a fascinating read...


 
When I was a kid growing up I would always go exploring in the cedar and elm woods by our house. I was full of monarchs in the mid to late summer. I mean thousands upon thousands. They were all over, now there are hardly a few there at this same time. I saw they were thinking of listing them as endangered. I don't see how they could be any less than that. On a drive a week ago from MN to NE I saw 5 alive on the drive and 4 of those didn't make it past my truck. I don't see how they may it to MX. By the way it take either 4 to 5 generations to make it to MX. The human footprint stomps their existence into the ground.

I have a lot of ground planted to pollinator mix but I fear it is for naught. Seeing a lot of swallowtails this year though.
 
When I was a kid growing up I would always go exploring in the cedar and elm woods by our house. I was full of monarchs in the mid to late summer. I mean thousands upon thousands. They were all over, now there are hardly a few there at this same time. I saw they were thinking of listing them as endangered. I don't see how they could be any less than that. On a drive a week ago from MN to NE I saw 5 alive on the drive and 4 of those didn't make it past my truck. I don't see how they may it to MX. By the way it take either 4 to 5 generations to make it to MX. The human footprint stomps their existence into the ground.

I have a lot of ground planted to pollinator mix but I fear it is for naught. Seeing a lot of swallowtails this year though.
I believe they were listed on the endangered species list just a couple weeks ago in July.
 
What seems to be the most common butterfly: the tiger swallowtail
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The second most common in our flower garden is the: black swallowtail
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And from my last trip to the Nantahala National Forest: Red spotted admiral
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There used to be a ton of zebra swallowtails when I was a kid but I might see one a year now. Never really been a hotspot for monarchs but have seen a few this year which is more than average for me.
 
What seems to be the most common butterfly: the tiger swallowtail
View attachment 285912

The second most common in our flower garden is the: black swallowtail
View attachment 285911
And from my last trip to the Nantahala National Forest: Red spotted admiral
View attachment 285910


There used to be a ton of zebra swallowtails when I was a kid but I might see one a year now. Never really been a hotspot for monarchs but have seen a few this year which is more than average for me.

I have seen two of the three in our garden and I have also seen a lot when out hiking recently.

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