prairie point

fritillaries

The temperatures are starting to climb again. For a brief wonderful period it felt like Autumn. Now the ground is already dry and the plants are starting to wilt again.

This Gulf Frittillary (Agraulis vanillae ) is one of the more common butterflies, but nevertheless beautiful. She seemed to be posing for me as she opened and closed her wings in sync with my flash. There is a swarm of them that seem to make their nests in a dark and low part of the yard among coralberry, white avens and red buckeye, in the shade of pecan trees. Neither their larval nor nectar plants are there, so I assume that they go there for shelter or for the moisture.