Great Spangled Fritillary in July

This has been a frustrating butterfly summer so far. My backyard seems quiet whenever I am out in my garden with only the fluttering of the small... more

by Karen Adams

Title

Great Spangled Fritillary in July

Artist

Karen Adams

Medium

Photograph - Fine Art Digital Prints - Photography

Description

This has been a frustrating butterfly summer so far. My backyard seems quiet whenever I am out in my garden with only the fluttering of the small Cabbage Whites to draw my attention. Yet when I take my puppy for her walks, I have seen several Comma, Fritillary and Red Admiral butterflies. Since I am walking my dog though, I do not have my camera and must just be content with observing them and watching until they fly away.

Well, it happened again today. . . but this time we were just two houses away from home. My poor puppy did not understand why we turned and made a beeline back home. I put her inside, grabbed my camera and ran back. Luckily, this beauty waited for me! It was enjoying a purple coneflower plant that was quite close to the sidewalk. Also fortunately, my neighbor has a nice tall clump of perennial grass right behind the Echinacea which provided a really nice backdrop. And I went to work.

Both neighbors were outside working in their yards and looked at me with puzzlement. One actually has one of my butterfly images hanging in their living room, so he understood. I took several shots. . . Thrilled to finally be photographing a butterfly again!

I finally forced myself to head back home. Sunny was laying by the door, patiently waiting for her crazy owner to get back to the important duties of the day . . . and we went on our walk!

This is a Great Spangled Fritillary, (Speyeria cybele) a large butterfly seen in all 88 counties of Ohio from June to September. Like the Monarch, it is a big fan of Milkweed. Females lay their eggs on or near various species of violets. The larvae feed at night, but by the time females lay eggs, many of the common host plants have died off, causing a number of species of Fritillaries to be on the endangered species list in the US. I am so happy my parents gave me wild violets to plant years ago, so I can feel that I am giving them a little helping hand.

I really appreciate you taking time to look at my artwork. Thank you so much!

I am very concerned with our environment and have decided to donate any money I make from any sales of this image to the ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND.....because the Earth needs a good lawyer! We all need to speak up and support efforts to protect our environment. We will not get a second chance!


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Uploaded

July 2nd, 2017