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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

V is for Vanessa Atalanta


Or more commonly known as the Red Admiral! :)


 They love flowers.  And they love to stay in a territory.  So if you see one in your yard,
chances are that you'll see them again and again.
This one happened to love the crab apple blossoms!



I've joined the A to Z Challenge for the month of April!
We're celebrating the letter V all day, Wednesday the 25th!


64 comments:

  1. Love butterflies Betsy and this look georgeous, spring is the best time to see them!!

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    1. I've seen quite a few butterflies with our trees in bloom! Love that!

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  2. And marmalade look su cute in this photo!

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    1. Isn't he sweet? That was a whole year ago! They are so cute when they are tiny. I wish that other new litter would come over so I could see them!

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    2. LOL you may regret that wish
      If they start eating food from your dish
      And more come and never leave your sea
      As they climb to the roof and each tree

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    3. haha I know! I was complaining about the number
      and now that they didn't come I'm kind of somber!
      I even bought a bag of kitten chow
      so I'm ready anyhow!

      Still have one more litter due
      by the second mom, it's true
      she stops by sometimes to eat
      so maybe her kittens she'll leave and retreat.
      ha.

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    4. upps Betsy i think maybe you never stop with cats, I know they are so cutr when are little but all grow dear LOL

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    5. Oh, I like them grown up, too. They have such personality. I had eight in here with me yesterday in the kitchen. Pretty funny!

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    6. eight all in one spot
      That is alot
      But I'm used to that at the other shore
      If they show up you will beat them galore
      Personalities surely show
      Especially being feral a bit with their glow
      Orlin is enough for me
      And miss prissy cassie
      Eight of him would drive me insane
      I'd have to move to a new lane..haha

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    7. haha...yeah, I should have taken a picture but I was sitting down on the floor with them. Most were being quite friendly, too. We've been letting any stay inside at night if they want to, so there have been 2-3 that do. Last night we could hear Nugget and the cats running around together after we were in bed. Hilarious.

      Only sad thing is that those toms scared Mustache off and he hasn't been back for 3 weeks now. So, it's only 8 at the zoo.
      Listen to me...I sound sad at only 8. hahaha.

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    8. hahaha glad nugget is having fun
      As he and the kitties run
      Hmmm poor Mustache must be scarred for life
      For the tom causing him strife
      Maybe he found another nice place
      With no other kitties in his face

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  3. What a pretty butterfly! The crabapple blossoms set it off perfectly!

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    1. yes, I loved how it looked against the white!

      How are you doing today?

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  4. More nature at your shore
    With a butterfly there to explore
    Beats the skunk and raccoons any day
    There at your bay
    Great shots as always too
    The cat would prob eat it though upon view
    He ate a moth once at my shore
    So it's a good thing they stay in one place and don't decide to explore..haha

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    1. Marmy ate one last summer, too
      as I tried to photograph the little beaut.
      Was quite a shock
      and it halted the photo shoot on my block.
      hahaha.

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    2. LOL you should have shown that
      Would have been too funny to the cat
      Might have scared some away
      But it still make for quite the display

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    3. I did a post about it
      must have been one you missed
      didn't exacty get a photo of it
      but told about it a bit.
      Can't imagine that it tasted good
      but he'd do it again if he could.

      do mimes eat butterflies? lol...

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    4. Oh yes I remember that
      Late at my mat
      We'll blame that
      For being a forgetful cat
      Still the photo of him chomping should have came due
      And yep they eat fake butterflies two by two

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  5. when I was a little girl I had a butterfly collection. alas not preserved properly. went to check on them one day and they had all turned to dust. sad day for me. love to watch them flit around, this one looks so pretty on the blossoms

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    1. We had to preserve a collection in 8th grade science class. I have no idea what happened to my collection. I think it included bugs, too. I still think of them when I smell alcohol, since that's what we used to gas them to death. ick.

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    2. I once thought it would be a neat thing to catch a bumblebee to really get an up-close. when it crawled into a snapdragon flower I was sure I had him! duh! he stung me in the tip of my thumb. Kinda funny!

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    3. oh! haha. I love snapdragons! When I was little I spent hours pinching their little mouths open! ha. (I was easily entertained. lol)

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    4. ha me too! I loved the sun, the wind, the creek close by, the endless days of exploring outdoors. summers were beautiful on the farm. my perpetual vacation ended when I was 13 and my sisters married off one by one :) I was the youngest at the time. after they left I made up for my years of leisure :)

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    5. oh that sounds wonderful. We didn't live on a farm but I would have loved that!

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  6. So beautiful...the composition, the colors the whole thing just makes me happy.

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    1. I took those photos last week when the tree was at it's peak. The blossoms have since blown away and the leaves are sprouting. I miss the blossoms already!

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  7. Hi Betsy:
    Did you know that the Admirals made it up here in Ontario last week...due to the unseasonably warm weather we have been having...apparently they were pushed north by a warm Texas wind...I have a picture of one on my blog, that I took last week at my cottage...apparently there is a risk of them being destroyed, because they came north too soon...last week we had high temps...then dropped 20 degrees...they are taking shelter in the cedars and low shrubbery...hopefully they can recover from this unfortunate situation..

    But......nonetheless...your photo is lovely...fingers crossed...

    Linda :o)

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    1. Everything seems early this year! Even the birds and their nest making! We've been drastically cooler here, too, and have had some frost warnings.

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    2. thanks for visiting me...I have enjoyed your blog soooo much...
      I hope you will become a regular visitor...

      Cheers!
      Linda :o)

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  8. Well, what a perfect post, because today we saw groups of Admirals in the woods...sometimes 5 and 6 fluttering about. Your pictures art BEAUTIFUL. Mine a blurry...perhaps a mating frenzy? (o:

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    1. Oh I'd love to see a group of them together! How neat...I'm jealous!

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  9. what beautiful markings...love it...love butterflies...little sky dancers that they are....

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  10. What a beauty, but it's almost upstaged by the beautiful blossoms. :)

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    1. You can see why it wanted to be in that tree, can't you? ha. Wish the blooms stayed forever!

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  11. WOW...what a name....nice use of the Letter V. 8~)
    I wonder if the like Montana? I will have to look for them.We do have crab apple trees. ;~)
    Have a Wonderful Wednesday!
    Nancy
    P.S. Post on Wednesday about my new mug.8~)

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    1. new mug? oooh...you know I'm there! ha.

      admirals are really common in north america...I bet you have some if you have something blooming!

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  12. Betsy, I love these snapshots. I hope you don't mind, but I pinned one of the photos to my pinterest page, such a good job. I love the way butterflies and moths look. Thanks

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  13. You never cease to amaze me! Few people I know can refer to insects by their proper species name... thanks for these photos, I'll be sure to direct my other bug-loving friends in this direction.

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  14. Awww it's a beautiful butterfly!! And two lovely names!! Yay! Take care
    x

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    1. both names really are pretty, aren't they? I hope it stays around!

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  15. Butterflies always remind me of Harry Potter. "Follow the spiders?? Couldn't it be follow the butterflies..."

    You always have the sweetest posts!! You're our own personal guide to nature :)

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  16. Simply lovely photos. I adore butterflies. We don't get this type but we do get a lot of the Tiger Swallowtail after we plant our garden flowers for the year.

    Hope your week is spectacular.

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    1. Thanks, debber! We have those tiger swallowtails, too...but seldom enough that it seems like a really big deal when we see one! :)

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  17. Your photos are always so magnificent, and this one is no exception.

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    1. aw, thanks janice. I think this butterfly posed nicely...he was such an easy subject. ha.

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  18. Wow, you're really reaching (in a good way) for topics as the alphabet draws to a close! I'm impressed!

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  19. Yes, magnificent photos! wow, aren't they lovely? Still have not seen one butterfly yet this year.

    BTw, please read my latest post again for some important updates-- in green! TY!

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    1. ok...thanks, Mmm...will be over to check that out.

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  20. Oh, I have a few of these fellows in the yard already, and plenty of delicious flowers for them all summer long!
    Last summer we had so many butterflies, I had to start looking them up. We have a lot of tiger swallowtails and monarchs, as well as a whole bunch of little various brown/white/orange varieties like this one.

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    1. It's a great idea to look them up! There are so many interesting facts about thm! :)

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  21. My daughter and I came across a beautiful butterfly on our nature walk a couple of weeks ago. Your picture is lovely.

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  22. Gee, how can I have missed from O through V? Been so busy. I loved the T photos of Taylor and the triplets - I really don't know how you coped (cope!) Q certainly describes you.

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    1. You have been gone quite a while! Hope the busyness has been for good reasons!

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  23. The apple blossom is coming out and I have seen two butterflys also some bumble bees are having fun in the lungwort flowers! Happy days!

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    1. We had quite a few bees in the blossoming trees, too!

      Lungwort? now that is something I'm going to have to look up! I've never heard of it!

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  24. Hi Betsy - gorgeous photos - stunning pictures and am delighted to see the flutterby and crab apple blossom .. cheers Hilary

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