they often tend to have bland, rounded wings. Why they do this remains unknown.

Clouded Sulphur Butterfly (Colias philodice). The red-spotted purple is closely related to—get this—the viceroy (the monarch-mimicking red-and-black butterfly pictured above). It's a shame that it flies so fast, giving the average observer little chance to appreciate its beauty. My name is April Martin, and I welcome you to my web site. The information in this article comes from my own 40-plus years of experience as an enthusiastic naturalist. There are many similar, related species that occur across our area, many of which are quite rare and limited to specific areas in the mountainous western states.

You will seldom find this species outside of the southern states, but it will sometimes wander north, for example along the Mississippi River Valley. Males also participate in a behavior known as "puddling," which is when a group of butterflies congregates at wet sand or mud to draw nutrients.

Not every orange butterfly you see is a monarch! Red-Spotted Purple Butterfly (Limenitis astyanax). They are so similar that this butterfly's identification relies largely on a quite minor difference in the hindwing markings. Change may also be more externally focused, through feng shui or space clearing in your home or office environment.

This is one of the most variable butterflies in the US. Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly (Speyeria cybele). I remember a field in Texas swarming with these butterflies; their speed and agility is impressive. Red Butterfly – Meaning and Symbolism.

Black swallowtails have a very striking caterpillar, often called the "carrot-worm" because it eats, you guessed it, carrots. A Butterfly From the "Blues Group" (Family Lycaenidae). The species figured here, the fiery skipper, is representative of the typical skipper type. The basic facts are all the same, and the larvae are basically indistinguishable, except to an expert. The red admiral, then, along with every other butterfly on this page, is simply the "current version."

You can see the damage, but good luck finding one of the larvae—they are close to invisible. When the grasshopper jumps, the buckeye will swoop down to "do battle" with the larger insect.

The glittery comma marking only adds to the confusion, since it looks like a drop of water on a leaf. This butterfly was "in" the pink colored day lily. Experts have suggested that the reason for this "dimorphic" phase is in order to mimic the bad-tasting pipevine swallowtail, which is generally more common in the south than in the north. I offer emotional release work, I integrate creativity in all that I do, and offer my own creative transformational expression through, My business name, Red Butterfly, came in meditation as a symbol both of the soul and of transformation. I have created retreats for people with HIV/AIDS and specialized in Reiki for cancer patients. How can you tell a moth apart from a butterfly? There are more than 700 different butterfly species in North America, and many live in specific ecosystems that the average person rarely visits. It has been studied for its evolution of mimicry, and for the several stable hybrid wing patterns within this nominal species; it is one of the most dramatic examples of hybridization between non-mimetic and mimetic populations.

California Sister Butterfly (Adelpha californica). The adults are on the wing in mid-summer, wheeling high among the branches of ash and cherry trees, where the big females lay their eggs. Usually only found in the South, this butterfly may be expected farther north as climate change alters the distribution of some species. The buckeye occurs throughout eastern North America, where its larvae feed on nettles. In the American South, these big caterpillars are often called "orange dogs" for their choice of food plant: citrus trees, especially orange and lemon.

Identify Butterflies by Shape, Wing Color, Wingspan & Species : Gardens With Wings, North American Butterfly Identification Guide, Butterfly Identification - Detailing North American Butterflies and Moths through Text and Pictures, Butterfly Identification 101 - Save Our Monarchs, North American Caterpillar Identification, How to Raise a Caterpillar to a Butterfly or Moth, Help Monarch Butterflies by Planting Milkweed in Your Garden. Nearly everyone has seen monarchs and is familiar with their mind-boggling migrations and million-butterfly roosting in the mountain forests of Mexico. The pipeline swallowtail is generally limited to the southern states, but it has been spotted as far south as Mexico and as far north as Manitoba, especially later in the summer as multiple broods spread north. This butterfly is very similar to the question mark – in fact, it's very nearly the same, except that instead of a question mark it has a silvery comma on its underside. So, so beautiful. The ground color is deep purple-brown; the borders are yellow, but just inside that is a band of black with royal-blue spots.

Milbert's tortoiseshells are on the wing all summer, but some hibernate, and may come out on a warm spring day, sometimes when there's still snow on the ground.

panthers, maybe! These big, beautiful butterflies can be identified by their bold yellow-and-black stripes, hence their common name. The big, beautiful monarch is an iconic North American butterfly. The red-spotted purple is closely related to—get this—the viceroy (the monarch-mimicking red-and-black butterfly pictured above). Not a true beauty, perhaps, but this plain white insect is by far the most successful butterfly in North America.

This common butterfly occurs in one form or another over pretty much the entire North American continent. This is a large, showy, and fast-flying butterfly that likes open fields and bright sunshine. There is one silver mark among the camo on the underwing, shaped like a question mark, which gives the butterfly its name. A truly gorgeous butterfly, the California sister is big, fast, and hard to miss. I almost didn't include the species, because it's not terribly common and is hard to identify on the wing—and with its constant patrolling behavior, it's almost always on the wing—but when a Milbert's tortoiseshell butterfly stops to drink from a puddle or a flower, it shows its wings, and for my money there's not a more beautiful butterfly in North America. This is one of the angle-wing butterflies and is common in late summer. Even better, this pretty black-and-blue butterfly is believed to mimic the poisonous pipeline swallowtail (check this species out further down). This bright orange butterfly wings fast across fields and around forest edges in mid- to late summer.

Another skipper habit is the way they often hold their wings in a "fighter jet" position when resting on a flower or leaf. It stops often to feed on roadkill or drink from puddles, flashing those big, beautiful markings when it does.

In addition, a special focal area is work with people who have life-threatening diagnoses. . The butterflies that have adapted to man-made environments like parks and gardens are the ones you will see the most.

A long-time animal lover and pet owner, I provide energy healing services to animals as well as people, with heartwarming success helping them overcome life traumas, thrive through surgeries and other stressful changes, and maintain overall wellbeing. For this guide, I am sticking to the most common.