Butterflies at Freshfields, pt. 2

I returned to Freshfields this week, determined to get closeup shots of the Gulf Fritillary butterflies we see in the Lowcountry in early fall. They have delightful coloring. The interior of their wings are orange with black banding and trim;  up near the top of their interior wings, they have a few black and black and white “freckles”. On the outside of their wings, they have paler orange coloring, with large luminescent white spots outlined in black.

Butterflies are in a constant state of motion as they collect nectar and chase other butterflies. I use a fast shutter setting to try to catch them, and it’s still a challenge. I concentrating on shooting in the moment, and left the cropping for when I got home.

   

There was also one of these neon yellow varieties that we see all summer long in this area. I believe they’re called Cloudless Sulphurs:

It’s early October now, and the Fritillaries and Sulphurs have smaller “butter-friends” joining them. These  have thicker, almost moth-like bodies compared to their larger cousins.

I suspect the orange-gold and brown ones below are Salt Marsh Skippers.

Even though it’s a little blurry on the wings, I love this image:

I also saw some mini-butterflies that were taupe and gray, with some iridescent peacock green luminescence on their backs and the interior wings. I think they are called Longtails:

Freshfields has a lot of shopping, but sometimes it’s worthwhile to just stop and watch the butterflies while they are still here, and see the smaller species that drift through in early Fall. They can’t get enough of small clustered flowers (like these fuchsia ones) found in beds near The Station at Freshfields, and some flower beds nearby.

Thanks to The Big Little Book of Butterflies by Jeffrey Glassberg for help identifying these butterflies.