I risk ticks and walk along a meadow trail nearby. The land was once forest, then a farm, and now is “running wild” with an Enbridge pipeline underneath it. The meadow plants are an odd mixture of natives, introduced aliens, and garden plants dumped here by people remodelling their yards. I’ve seen everything from native Grey Dogwood and Canada Goldenrod, to introduced Purple Crown Vetch and White Sweet-clover, to garden Bearded Iris, Lamb’s Ears, and Sweet Peas. Sometimes just when I conclude an introduced alien plant is “bad” I will learn the native insects may not agree.
Silver-spotted Skipper on Bugloss
What’s a Bugloss When It’s at Home? And Is It a Bug-gloss or a Bu-Gloss?
As a child pressing alien introduced flowers between the pages of the now vanished species of book called a Phone Directory, I wondered how you should pronounce Bugloss. Is it Bug Gloss (my preferance) or Byoo-Gloss or …?
Unfortunately for me, most dictionaries suggest it’s pronounced
bu (like blue) gloss
This European Skipper sipped at many Bugloss blossoms.
Rats. I like Bug Gloss better. I’ve seen lots of glossy-backed bugs!
A mystery skipper on Bugloss–maybe a Tawny-edged?
The Fickle Fate of Finding Tasting Butterflies
Alien Cabbage White on alien Viper’s Bugloss
I pass the same patch of scattered Viper’s Bugloss plants twice each walk. Almost every time, there is nothing notable about them. This morning, however, I stopped to photograph a skipper butterfly on one plant. In the next three minutes, 3 other butterflies landed. In five minutes, though, all were gone. And when I passed a half hour later, it was as if nothing had ever landed there. I’m well aware of how often seeing a certain butterfly is more a matter of fickle fate than of careful observation!
Delaware Skipper happily drinking after chasing away the mystery skipper.
Hopefully I will continue to find some interesting butterflies this summer–whether they are on introduced alien wildflowers or native ones!
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