Another butterfly

Regan Harper · Post by **Regan Harper** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 12:10 am

Hi, can you help with the id of this one?

Image has been cropped slightly.
Olympus C3040Z, macro setting
1/800 sec @ F2.6 iso100

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 9:05 am

Looks like what's called the "Gulf Fritillary", Agraulis vanillae. See for example this article in Wikipedia, or search Google for a zillion more images.

The Wikipedia article also has a picture of the pupa (chrysalis). Notice that in these butterflies the pupa hangs head down suspended only from the tail -- no silk girdle. When the adult emerges, it crawls out head up and hangs that way until the wings are fully expanded.

--Rik

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 4:39 pm

Love the orange color. Took me a while to notice your finger perch.

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 5:57 pm

Those are pretty neat little butterflies, I see them every so often, may even have a photo or two of one. I can never get anything to perch on my finger, butterflies, dragonflies, etc... Fair shot there Regan, colorful it is.

Gordon C. Snelling · Post by **Gordon C. Snelling** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 6:10 pm

I agree it is a Gulf Fritillary, kind of battered but nice shot all the same.