I walked a little further down the dry stream bed to where
it opened out into a rocky area. There were several fritillaries flying around
fighting over this prized territory. It was so nice having time to observe them
and take pictures of the upper and underside of the wings. I realised that they
usually returned to the same spot after a bout of aerial combat, so I was able
to wait for them to return for a photograph!
There were at least two Knapweed Fritillaries, Melitaea phoebe.
They seemed to be continually chasing off some Niobe
Fritillaries, Argynnis niobe altonevadensis.
A Spotted Fritillary, Melitaea
didyma, seemed to be at the bottom of the pecking order and was
quickly seen off.
But a Marsh Fritillary, Euphydryas
aurinia beckeri, was more persistent, constantly returning to its favourite
rose bush.
Occasionally a larger Fritillary would fly past, but it
would soon be chased off before it had even landed. I suspect they were High
Brown Fritillaries, Argynnis adippe,
as that is the largest fritillary occurring in the Sierra Nevada.
There were also a few Queen of Spain Fritillaries, Issoria lathonia. They seemed to be the top dogs in the area.
I returned to the car to have a drink of water and while I
was there I noticed two fritillaries on a yellow flower below me. I cautiously
approached them and saw that they were Cardinal Fritillaries, Argynnis pandora.
Despite a disappointing start to my day, I ended up seeing
33 species. It was so nice being able to spend some time watching the
butterflies in this little meadow.
Stunning photos of these beauties. Shame we are so poor in these species in the UK.
ReplyDeleteThanks Conehead. Yes, we could do with some more species here!!
DeleteBeautiful images Nick. I've always wondered why the upper and underside of the wings of butterflies can vary so much. I suppose it must have to do with courtship.
ReplyDeleteThank you Maria. It is suggested that the underside of many species of butterfly offer good camouflage when the butterflies are roosting. The colourful upper side may be associated with display and sometimes the eye-spots can help alarm predators, or can act like decoy eyes to reduce the impact of bird strikes.
Delete¡Me ha encantado ver tantas especies y tan bien fotografiadas!. Enhorabuena, querido Nick.
ReplyDeleteGracias Belen. Me siento muy afortunado de haber visto tantas especies en Sierra Nevada. ¡Volví unos días después y vi más!
DeleteSuch pretty butterflies. I wonder when I will see one next, most likely next year.
ReplyDeleteSo there are Knapweed Fritillaries. Here knapweed grows and spreads and is hard to get rid of, considered a noxious week. Makes great honey though!
Tammie Lee. I hope you manage to see some more butterflies before the winter. They are reducing in numbers here quite quickly after a good summer. Funny, I have never considered the Knapweed Fritillary being names after Knapweed!! Here Knapweed is a great provider of nectar for insects. I often look out for it when I am looking for butterflies. I am not sure if it is considered to be a difficult weed.
DeleteOMG, 33 species in one walk! That is awesome. In my case, i always see just those same butterflies in the areas i frequently visit. But if i can go there and see them for the first time it would be a wonderful journey. Your photos are always envious. I again forgot your longest lens length.
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrea. Yes, it is an amazing spot. By far the best place I have been for variety of butterflies. I use a bridge camera. The Panasonic Lumix FZ150 it has a 24X zoom giving the equivalent of a 25 - 600 lens. It allows me to take pictures from about 2 metres away without disturbing the butterflies. I usually crop the pictures slightly afterwards.
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