My friend Adam told me where I could find the puntareyes subspecies of Zerene Fritillary (Speyeria zerene), an engangered species/subspecies of butterfly found only in and possibly around Pt. Reyes National Seashore. They start flying at the end of June, and I had found some last year, but wanted a better photograph, so headed out again this year. It can be tricky to find a warm, sunny day along the coast at this time of year, and it was pretty cold, gray and drippy when I started. When I got to the spot where the frits are it was still cloudy and cold, but this grasshopper nymph was hopping around. I find it remarkable how much it looks like the surrounding sand.
Grasshopper nymph
By about 1 o’clock the sun came out and pretty soon I spied some frits flying around. I was able to capture this one nectaring. They don’t stay still and are challenging to photograph. The flower is about two inches off the ground, so I’m on my belly and elbows here.
Zerene Fritillary
Some pretty intersting photos – catching the whales in flight. I subscribed (I think).