A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Strymon melinus
This small butterfly is one of the most common hairstreaks in North America. It is happy feeding on the blooms of an Oregano that is in the garden box. It moves its wings back and forth as it feeds, making the lower orange eyespots a distraction to predators. This one has not yet lost its delicate tails or rear eyespots. If it does open its wings, the upper wings are an iridescent blue gray with white fringe. The antenna are striped black and white.
The garden is about half an acre of native plants specifically planted for wildlife. The main water source is a pond that is filtered by two gravel streams. It is on a peninsula by Lake Lewisville, TX.
Spotted on Jun 6, 2012
Submitted on Jun 10, 2012
No Comments