I always try to stay aware of the wildlife around me because the boys and I love to observe whatever we happen to find. Today as I was going to the mailbox, I happened to see a Buckeye Butterfly (Junonia coenia). It is absolutely beautiful! Notice the eye spots it uses to frighten any predators. Butterflies really enjoy my marigolds! Most of the flowers and plants I have in my yard I chose because they attract butterflies, hummingbirds, or wildlife. Some they like for nectar or seeds and others butterflies and moths use for host plants to lay their eggs on so the caterpillars hatch out onto the right kind of plant they like to eat. Most butterflies are very specific in their host plants. For example, Monarchs only lay eggs on milkweed plants.

In this picture, it’s wings are closed.

In this one, you can see the inside and outside of the wings.

Isn’t it beautiful!

I also have a picture of a male Eastern Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis). I have been trying for a long time to get a good picture of one, but I can’t do it. I have several pairs of these birds and they love to eat seeds from my coreopsis, bee balm, and blanket flowers. I really enjoy watching them because they are so beautiful!

This entry was posted on Monday, July 14th, 2008 at 12:11 pm and is filed under Nature Study. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.