Nature Crafts

Watching Butterflies

This pretty admiral butterfly came mudding at my new house yesterday, setting down several times in the mud puddles left on our gravel driveway after a rain storm.

I think it’s a Black Admiral butterfly, but if someone knows for sure, please let me know. Digital cameras make it so easy to get nice photos like this; the macro feature, in particular, is great for bugs and insects.

I think I might start a collection of butterfly photos, then use the internet to help me identify each one. The Butterfly Website has a great butterfly photo album, and there are quite a few university extension sites that are very helpful too. Butterflies and Moths of North America has occurrence maps, species accounts, checklists, and photographs.

You can even collect real butterflies and moths, without harming endangered species, as discussed in this article on Butterfly Art.

If you’re interested in attracting butterflies to your garden, read our two-part series on Butterfly Gardening. The first section deals with How to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden with suggestions for planting a garden full of flowers that butterflies love. The second section shows you How to Make Butterfly Food and Feeders.