Discovering His Creation: Red-spotted Purple ( Limenitis arthemis astyanax )

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Red-spotted Purple ( Limenitis arthemis astyanax )

The first time I saw this butterfly I ran to get my son's phone since he was closest to where I was in the backyard. It's an amazingly beautiful butterfly. I was blessed that it was so still that day. Since then I haven't been able to get so close to photograph it. It has been in the trees and stayed near the woods when I would see it. They can be found from Florida to Texas and northward to Minnesota, Michigan, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. Interesting in several of the pictures I took I wondered if it was a egg on the leaf the butterfly is resting on. It's a little hard to tell at the angle and distance though. One of the host trees for the Red Spotted Purple can be the Black Cherry or Wild Cherry and there are quite a few of those behind our home. The common name seems a bit strange to me since this butterfly is not purple but blue. I couldn't find any information why it wasn't named blue instead of purple. So much of God's creation around me and so much yet to learn. I hope you'll take time and discover God's creation where you are.