A few species of butterflies and moths I’ve photographed over the years. The simplest way to tell if you’re looking at a moth or butterfly is by the wings. If they’re ever held vertical then you have a butterfly, if they’re horizontal you have a moth.
Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia)
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) puddling
Luna Moth (Acitas luna)
Fritillary (sp?)
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)
Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia)
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
Summer or Spring Azure (Celastrina sp?)
Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)
Unknown Moth
phototerrascientia 
June 27th, 2012 at 2:05 pm
[…] Dragonflies and another new butterfly species today. Also most likely a Laughing Gull in flight. The butterfly is an interesting one, it is most likely a red-spotted purple which is actually a different form of the white admiral butterfly. They were originally thought to be two different species but now are considered different morphologies of the same one and will “hybridize” creating intermediate forms where the two forms overlap. I put hybridize in quotes because typical hybridization is the mixing of two distinct species, although that leads to a discussion on the definition of a species which I will save for a later post as it is quite complicated. Interestingly enough the red-spotted purlpe is a mimic of the Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) which is poisonous and is distinguished in part by the “swallow tail” on the hind wing. I also have a picture of one in my very early posting of butterfly and moth pictures. […]