Oh how stunning! I can't imagine a fritillary as big as a tiger swallowtail - it must be awesome to see them in person! Thanks for the picture! Sherry

Susan, I'm not for sure what kinds of violets I can find right now. I bought a violet earlier that I need to get in the ground, and I found one that I dug up and have in a pot. My friend has violets growing all over her flower beds, so I thought I'd get some of those as her husband is pulling all of them out. All of the above are just known as "violets." I looked up the viola soraria and it looks like the kind that pretty much grows in yards around here. At my old house, I had violets everywhere. They'd get chewed on, but I never saw what was doing the chewing. If your soraria spreads, maybe you could share with me. I'd be willing to find something like a tomentosa to share with you. However the tomentosa wouldn't have a whole lot of leaves on it now! But, I have a couple that I am nurturing and that are putting on some new growth. I know where I can always find more, as the ones in the wild are always putting on new runners. OKSandy

Jeff, As you noted on our count thread, I've had a lot of GS Frits all summer long including the past few weeks. I don't recall seeing so many so late in the year before-BUT THAT WILL BE ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF OUR " SOMEWHAT CONTROLLED COUNT RECORDS." BTW, you've done it again. I never noticed the eye color of butterflies before you drew my attention to it. We need your perceptive powers in Camelot. mike

Thank you both, and thanks for the welcome! I'm surprised the pictures came out so well, I have an old first generation digital camera that isn't great at close ups. I used to only use my old Pentax SLR from the 70s which takes great pics, but now I guess I'm too lazy, or too much in need of the instant gratification that digital cameras offer. I have three books, Butterflies through Binoculars: The East, the Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America, and Rodale's Attracting Butterflies and Hummingbirds to Your Backyard. I need to study them so I can identify what I'm seeing without taking a photo or running for the book before they fly away. I'm also facinated with their chrysalis phase - I watched a caterpillar moving its way around my deck railing until it found just the right spot to anchor itself - I thought it would emerge soon, but it just sits there looking brown and dead - I'll need to post a photo of it so I can figure out what it is. Most books don't show many chrysalis pics. I'm only familiar with the Monarchs.