A change in method...

First, the change in method: I started this blog section because I wanted to try generating some discussion of butterflies. After several weeks it finally occurred to me to simply make this space a place to allow feedback from any of the pages from the Floralore site.
. . .

What a surprise! Yesterday was cloudy and threatening, then last night a quick but intense storm moved over the foothills with strong wind and hard rain for 30 minutes or more. Then this morning, the sky was clear and blue, making for a promising day for a Sierra hike.
Just yesterday I spent some time with a friend to show her how to use a GPS. She and a friend of hers are going to try for Red Lake Peak today. This Carson Pass 10,000' summit is a great place for views that extend from Lake Tahoe to the north and Yosemite's Minarets to the south. Presuming that there may have been a little snow above 7000' from that storm, this should still be a great day to go look out over the landscape.
The GPS went on the trip because I know that the cross-country travel up the slope will make it hard to keep track of just where "up" is, so a waypoint will keep them aware of just where they should be heading!
[Read about GPS on Floralore.com]

--Steve

Strange Coincidence...

After a couple of Sierra trips that produced no new sightings, and only a few butterflies at all, I just finished telling somebody that I guess the season has wound down and that I'd have to start planning for a trip to the coast to see the monarchs.

This morning, as I sat here in my office talking on the phone, I saw an orange butterfly bouncing around over some flowers at the edge of the parking lot. I picked up my camera and, still talking on the phone, went out to see what I had? I could hardly believe my eyes: it was a monarch, come to see me!

Even as I continued answering questions on the phone, my autofocus Nikon did the job as I tried to get a shot with the wings open. I snapped a few before the bug went off for another nectar source, and I was pretty surprised by this event. I should have told the customer I'd call them back!

Can you identify this moth?

Photographed at about 7000' in the red-fir forest along Iron Mountain Road, this appears to be a Large Lace Border (Scopula limboundata), but it is confusingly similar to a Plain Wave (Idaea straminata). To see a larger image, click on the image.

To see other recent butterfly photos from El Dorado County, go to the Butterfly Gallery on Floralore.com.

Including Pictures

Talking about butterflies will be enhanced if you will include a photo of the subject. This is a Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides).

Shall We Discuss NorCal Butterflies?

Are you interested in identifying the butterflies found around El Dorado County? Whether you're totally new to this activity or maybe a long-time fan, I thought it would be nice to have a space to share comments and pictures.
Disclaimer: I'm only just discovering the fun of butterfly photography, and while I can't answer questions, the hope would be that others will come along who want to share their knowledge. Northern California, from Point Reyes to Carson Pass, and points north to Shasta and south to Yosemite,...all fair territory.

I will introduce myself as Steve, author of my own site, Floralore.com, which started out as a site to explore native plants of El Dorado County, CA, but has grown to include information about habitats and fauna that relate to the flora.

As you will see on my site, I have recently started learning to identify the butterflies, and while August may be a bit late in the year, there are some species that will only just now start to fly in places like Hope Valley and other areas on the east side of Carson Pass.
As you can see on my Butterfly Gallery page, I have "discovered" about two dozen species in just a few weeks, and I anticipate many more as Autumn comes on.

So far, with just a few books and some help from a friend, I have managed to get a photo of an uncommon species (California Crescent, Phyciodes orseis herlani), and a photo of a Ruddy Copper (shown, left) flying at an unexpected elevation (10,000' at Saddlebag Lake). In other words, it so happens that right into the mix an amateur can contribute information that may be useful to others. That is, after all, the fun of getting to know the plants and critters.

This is an experiment! Will others find this blog and choose to participate? I hope so. That's why I started this "extra addition" to my own site: it allows for your participation.

Please do.

–Steve