Meadow Larking: Butterflies come fluttering by post park

By Cindy McIntyreApril 7, 2016

Olive juniper hairstreak
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Gorgone checkerspot
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FORT SILL, Okla. (April 7, 2016) -- A 15-minute walk in the Martha Songbird park last week scared up at least five species of butterflies. The yellow sulphurs didn't bother to land so they missed out on being part of my photo collection, but I did add one species to my "life list" of butterflies.

The goatweed leafwing (try saying that one five times fast) is my newbie. It looks like a dead leaf when it perches with its wings closed. This one, however, was on the ground with its orange wings beautifully arrayed. The distinctive identifier of this guy (or gal) is the notch where the top and bottom wings come together. This butterfly's upswept forewings, the ones on top, contrast to the shorter hindwings yep, the bottom ones which also have a stubby little tail.

When it flew at my approach, it landed on a pile of brown leaves, and since its wings were closed I had a heck of a time spotting it. Great camouflage. Apparently this butterfly isn't one to do aerial dances around flowers, leisurely sipping nectar. It eats "rotting fruit, bird droppings, dung, and sap," according to the ButterfliesandMoths.org website. Its caterpillars feed on plants in the spurge family, mainly goatweed, prairie tea and Texas croton. I have no idea what these plants look like. Yet. But I'm guessing there must be some in or near the Martha Songbird park.

The orange American painted lady butterfly is a very common species all over the country, and the underside of its wings is beautifully patterned. This one wasn't going to show me its petticoats, though. A smaller Gorgone checkerspot, also a common species, rested on the tiny yellow oxalis flowers growing at the outer edges of the park.

You may have noticed butterfly names are pretty descriptive, which makes it easier to narrow down the general type of butterfly in the field guide. The hard part is fine-tuning the species. It helps to check a state list of butterflies to eliminate contenders, so I'm fairly confident that

this guy is a Gorgone checkerspot. A great list can be found online by searching butterflies by Oklahoma counties.

Perhaps the prettiest (and smallest) of the butterflies I saw on my walk was the olive juniper hairstreak. Its underwing glowed with tiny iridescent jewels, strong on the emerald and tawny tones. Hairstreaks have thin little tails, like hairs. The olive juniper hairstreak larvae live on the eastern redcedar, which is a common tree here. This is a species that tends to rest with its wings closed, displaying the pretty undersides.

Some people like to think of butterflies as winged flowers because of their colorful beauty. They have lent themselves to poetry, songs and metaphors. Who doesn't love butterflies?

Next time you see a butterfly, no matter how small, stop and look, I mean really look, at it. You might surprise yourself at the little things you notice about it. You might even find yourself adding it to your own life list of butterflies.