A Butterfly Morning

Writer Robert Heinlein once said that "Butterflies are self propelled flowers." If the curmudgeonly Heinlein could appreciate the beauty of Lepidoptera, how could the rest of us resist?

I went walking at Highbanks Metro Park, on US Rte. 23 just north of Worthington, Ohio this morning. I spend a lot of time at Highbanks. My favorite season there is winter, when the structure of the woods is stark and the birds and other inhabitants are more easily seen (you can see my photos of Highbanks in all seasons at http://www.flickr.com/photos/44801031@N03/sets/). As a photographer, I find the summer woods overwhelming and difficult to photograph when everything is disguised under leaf cover!

That said, this morning's walk was enlivened by summer butterflies. The open areas at Highbanks support a variety of attractive wildflowers, and even in the shade of the woods the butterflies come to look for water. They are quick and elusive, but I managed to take recognizable photos of three varieties.

Great Spangled Fritillary

(Speyeria cybele)

As a group, butterflies have some of the most wonderful names going...fritillary, sulphur, comma, swallowtail. Two of these fritillaries were flitting around some clumps of butterfly weed along the path. They would settle, wait for me to be ready to click the shutter, then flutter off to another flowerhead, leaving me to refocus and try again.

Red Admiral

(Vanessa atalanta)

Unlike the fritillaries, who wanted only to flirt with my camera, this guy fluttered past me, landed beside the path, and appeared to pose. He seemed unimpressed by me and by several other walkers who passed by and stopped to look at him.

Red-Spotted Purple

(Lemenitis arthemis astyanax)

This beauty was also not shy, but landed in the middle of the walking path for all to admire. There should be red spots at the top curve of the wing

for this species, but either my angle on the wings doesn't let them be seen or this particular butterfly has only white spots for some reason. Are there any butterfly experts out there who can tell me about this?

Those of you in central Ohio who would like to explore Highbanks would do well to go during the week or early in the morning on weekends, when there are fewer walkers. It's a wonderful place, interesting geologically as well as having beautiful walking trails and a variety of birds and wildlife.