Wednesday Blooms - A Milky Butterfly Appetizer

The milkweeds started to bloom over a week ago here in upstate New York.   Another wildflower that is blooming early makes me wonder what will happen after the late wildflowers bloom.  Will we have a month or two with no blooms? Or will the snow start to fly in September?

With the milkweeds come the butterflies.

Allow me a moment to whine.  Taking pictures of butterflies and other insects is my current challenge.  My reflexes are slow, my patience is non-existent, and the shutter lag on my Sony is too long.   I find myself envying those who can take these pictures.

I can do one of three things.
1) feel sorry for myself
2) read a photography blog or photography book and then go out and practice, practice, practice
3) eat chocolate

My guest photographer to the rescue, with some butterfly pictures on milkweed on her rural property.

 
This first butterfly is a checkerspot.  I had never heard of them until my friend sent me these pictures.  In doing some research I found that at least a couple of sub-species of this butterfly are endangered, such as the Bay checkerspot.

There are a lot of varieties of checkerspot butterflies  Each has its favorite flower, I discovered.

This next butterfly is a swallowtail.

Before we return to butterflies here is my friend's young honeysuckle in bloom.

Finally, one last view of another swallowtail.  My friend called this picture "Good to the last drop."

Seems like a lot of people are taking good butterfly pictures this summer.  Do you have a favorite butterfly?