Day 306: It's always exciting when something new shows up in my yard, and although I think I may have seen Mylitta Crescents here before, I have never been able to get a photo to confirm the ID. That said, I may be wrong. I'm not good with butterflies and I know it, but although some of the fritillaries have similar markings, there are differences apparent even to my untrained eye. Phycoides mylitta purportedly nectars on several species of thistle, and there's certainly no shortage of those around here! If they were a cash crop, the pasture across the road would be a gold mine. However, like most of the butterflies which have visited my yard this summer, this winged beauty went straight for the lantana, and hung out in the flowers for a good five minutes or more. Overall, the butterfly population has been unusually abundant this year, with a flush of swallowtails unlike any I've ever seen. Like Mylitta, they seemed to favour the lantana even over the delphiniums which usually provide the greatest draw. Is it the colour? This is the first time I've grown lantana here, and I chose a red one to please my own eye without a thought to its lepidopteral appeal.
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