Tuesday, September 4, 2012

butterfly bait

In assembling the posts from the summer of 2010, there was a pretty big void where there should have been photos. Lovely, lovely photos. Yes, that's how we'll describe them.

Not every butterfly 'nectars' on flowers... these butterflies are enjoying a horse's contribution to the nutrient cycle. Matter is neither created nor destroyed.

Sleepy Oranges (Abaeis nicippe)

Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) with Sleepy Oranges

Queen (Danaus gilippus) with Sleepy Oranges



















You may notice a trend here...

Sleepy Oranges LOVE their nutrient slurry to be pre-digested. They like mud puddles, too, but who can resist a fresh cluster of pure joy? Not Common Buckeyes.

Common Buckeyes (Junonia coenia) with Sleepy Oranges





Common Buckeye with Dotted Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes eos)



Common Buckeyes with Sleepy Oranges

Common Buckeye with Sleepy Oranges

























These photos were taken on 30 July 2010, posted on Big Bend Nature.com on 4 September 2012; they'll be backdated or double posted or linked as appropriate.

2 comments:

  1. hehe he he...ewww.

    I love the contrast though. The poo actually makes a nice background with some texture and soft colors, and of course the butterflies on top of it make for a very artistic composition. I think you have discovered a new artistic medium!

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    Replies
    1. We... uh... we really like poop. REALLY like it, I mean. Not that we're scatology professionals - we may occasionally take a stab at the origin of the nutritious gift of wonders, but really we're in it for the movers and shakers. And sippers. And prodders. And rollers.

      It's just such a helpful, um, attractant. And kind of photogenic, as you mentioned. Smooth, glistening texture isn't something you see much in nature, aside from water.

      Our "old" (informal, sometimes updated) blog even had a tag for poo. (See? http://seetrail.blogspot.com/search/label/poop - mostly poop mimics and poop-inspectors and poop references...)

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