Unfamiliar Butterfly (Common Mestra)

[e_moon60]

Today I noticed an unfamilar small butterfly--quite a few of them in fact--flying low above the grass and occasionally perching with wings folded (more rarely, with wings open briefly.)  From a distance (and with my eyesight!) they appeared to be cream and orange.  When photographed (and the photographs put into the computer)  the dorsal side of

Comments

[cdozo]

I'm pretty sure that it's a Common Mestra (Mestra amymone).

[cdozo]

I have always had some every year, but this year I have a ton of them. They are my most common butterfly.

[e_moon60]

Thanks! Of course, if I don't know what it is, it will have "common" in its name .

I could not find a picture of it in the one butterfly book I can find (the better one having gone missing) and the description alone wasn't enough, but yes, it could easily be here now. I've gone to BugGuide.net, and yes, it IS a Common Mestra. And there are tons of them around right now.

[e_moon60]

And...it IS on our list, photographed in the dry woods openings in 2007 (blurry image, says my note in the species list.) No notes on subsequent sightings. 2007 was a very wet year, and wet into the fall, like this year. Don't know if that has anything to do with it, but...it's a similarity.

[lillian13]

I have tons of those and a small, brilliant yellow one all over my blooming rosemary here in Round Rock.

[e_moon60]

I have that small, vivid Sulphur too...not sure which it is. I have to photograph them and then bring them into the computer where I can enlarge them (and they hold still!) to consult the books. Today we went another way, out in the field, and saw some of both, but I didn't have the camera along.

[gifted]

Beautiful, glad to hear more are returning to your land.