Linda, Heather, and I hiked 11.3 miles for our Friday morning hike.
We saw two (Western Diamondback) rattlesnakes during our hike. The second one moved too quickly for me to get a photo. We also saw a number of lizards, rabbits, and one deer during our hike.
Heather and Linda:
Senna:
We came to a section of wash with many, many butterflies. In addition to the one below, we also saw some yellow butterflies which Linda identified as Cloudless Sulphur and a dark one with some blue accents which is a Pipevane Swallowtail. Alas, despite perhaps five minutes of effort, I was only able to get a few photos of the type shown below.
Mike says:
Unbelievable photos!
September 29, 2018 — 1:48 pm
S says:
Wonderful rattler and butterfly photos!
September 29, 2018 — 2:29 pm
Marilyn and Ben says:
Absolutely beautiful picture of the butterfly and the rattlesnake is very impressive..
Thank you Kevin.
September 29, 2018 — 3:02 pm
Linda says:
Great hike and wonderful photos! The detail on the rattler and the butterfly are amazing!
September 29, 2018 — 3:15 pm
Anonymous says:
Beautiful shots as always….
September 30, 2018 — 5:14 am
Jon Leverenz says:
Amen to the compliments on the photos! Where were you?
September 30, 2018 — 10:08 am
Gary Wietgrefe says:
The butterfly is a monarch. They have moved from this northern (e.g. South Dakota) area on their annual migration south where they will eventually overwinter in Mexico from our area, and likely Pacific Grove, California for populations west of the Rockies.
September 30, 2018 — 11:40 am
Anonymous says:
Very Nice pics!!
September 30, 2018 — 5:38 pm
Kevin says:
Linda thinks that the butterfly is a Queen. Here’s a page which shows how to tell apart Monarchs, Queens, and Viceroys:
http://blog.nwf.org/2015/03/quiz-will-these-monarch-look-alikes-fool-you/
Based on that info, I too think that it’s a Queen. The white spots in the orange areas are the distinguishing characteristic. Monarchs do have white spots also, but they seem to be confined within the black edges of the wings.
September 30, 2018 — 8:59 pm