I was out for a hike...looking for bees
Getting close up with butterflies was not what I was expecting at the start of the day when this photo was taken. I was out for a hike with my brother, Nick, looking for bees. He's studying bee diseases (that's my simple description of it) as part of his PhD program at the University of Texas. We were out at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center searching one of his bee plots.
Nick and I meandered about his field sites catching bees and identifying what flowers they were feeding on. There was the constant thought in the back of my head that we were in rattlesnake country as we tromped through the tall grasses and underbrush of the park. Given that only a month before I had been bitten by a snake, the thought seemed valid.
Although we didn't come across any of Texas's native snakes, we did see many of its native bees. That day we caught 15-20 bees for Nick to bring back to the lab.
I believe we were at Nick's second field site when this butterfly came into view. It is a Juniper Hairstreak, Callophrys gryneus, a very popular butterfly in Texas. The butterfly receives its name from the trees they live on as caterpillars, Juniper trees.
As the butterfly went from flower to flower feeding, I moved in for the photo. It presented itself excellently, as it stayed motionless while feeding on this particular flower (to be identified later).
[It] receives its name from the trees they live on as caterpillars
I love when nature does the work for you
In this photo I love the range of colors that span the butterfly's wings, eyes, and antennae. From the rich green to the blotches of white, it is a truly beautiful butterfly. I love when nature does the work for you in making a photograph stunning.
Fun Juniper Hairstreak Facts:
- Found across North America throughout the year, migrating as far north as Canada, and as far south as Mexico.
- Previously the eastern and western species were considered to be separate species, but have been found to be one in the same.
- Some of the subspecies of the Juniper Hairstreak are considered to be endangered.
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