Wow! My sedum is starting to bloom, I'll have to watch it closely.

I was at my sister's house the other day, and she has a dozen sedums flanking her driveway. It was a butterfly and bee party! Mostly buckeyes and honeybees. There must have been 75 - 100 in total...it was really amazing to see.

That's very weird. I've had, seriously, the same exact butterflies all in my yard!
I just got pictures of the Gray Hairstreak yesterday and the Pecks Skippers as well!
I also got picture of a very beaten up Red Spotted Purple too! Anddddd a Checkered Skipper!
I've also got a million Silver Spotted Skippers, but haven't got any pictures.
I also have the Pearl Crescents and those yellow sulphurs you got a picture of, and, of course, the Buckeyes!
But, just like you said, their numbers have been getting smaller, I saw one a couple days ago, but not one since.
And those pictures are amazing, I need to get me some sedums!

Me too! I believe you have a summer azure there. Simply due to the time of year. There is a complex consisting of the Azures. Someday, I want an expert to explain all that to me. And yes, that is an Alfalfa or Orange sulphur, Colias eurytheme.

You might want to look for Fiery Skippers, Hylephila phyleus, and Tawny-Edged Skippers, Polites themistocles.

I have tons of silver spotted skippers too. I took a picture of them yesterday. I will try to get it on here. I also took a picture of two wheel bugs mating and the female below had a bee in her grasp. Wild!

Cheers,
Elisabeth

I think your suphur is the Colias philodice, commonly called Clouded Sulphur.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:544211}}

Addendum to my last post-- without seeing the topside, I'm not sure. Everything on the web looks the same for both species, and I've learned from Kaufman that they comingle and mate. If there was orange on the topside, it was definitely an Orange Sulfur. At this time of the year, the orange should be present. If there wasn't any orange, it's a Clouded. Both are alfalfa butterflies, eating exactly the same diets. Cloudeds are more cold hardier than the Orange Sulphur. 'Nuff said.

sandy

I don't think it's possible to have too many sedums. I think I have about a dozen clumps spread out all over the place, some in need of serious division. Sometimes I think I could replace them with something more "valuable" (they do take up alot of space!), but then they start blooming in the fall & I fall in love with them all over again. I don't get the lovely assortment of butterflies that you get, but get loads of skippers and bees. It's a thrill to see the heads covered with bumblebees. My favorite visitor was a bald faced hornet a few years ago; they had a nest in a tree in my back yard. Didn't see many yellow jackets that year. They never rebuilt in my yard, sigh.

Beautiful photos! You make me glad that I planted at least one Autumn Glory Sedum. Mine is just putting up bloom heads now.

Bob

Terrific photos jeanner! WOWZA!! I have a nice Autumn Joy that has been overtaken by a butterfly bush. Methinks I shall transplant Miss Joy into her very own space, and maybe I will be as lucky as you and see all of this!

Oops I meant to change the spring azure to summer azure - but wouldn't it be great if it was spring again???

I can say that I have mastered the fall warbler identification and many of the lep identifications but those skippers and sulphurs still confuse me!

I had to add this monarch to the list. It visited rather late this evening. I don't think it's one I raised since they've all been gone awhile so I'm guessing it's one on it's way south.

{{gwi:544234}}

Oops, many to say "many of the ode identifications" ....

Susan;
I was taught that since the two species may interbreed (clouded and orange) that any "orange" in the forwing (the part that shows just above the hindwing when closed)is counted as an orange sulphur. We have so many of both right now and you can really see the difference. The clouded are really a pure pale lemon color. I think however, that they really don't know much about these two species and who really knows.

Jeanne;
Thanks for pointing out the White Ms. I found one on my Sedum. That is a new one for my yard.

Here are my pics;

{{gwi:544235}}

"So then I says...and then she says..."

{{gwi:544236}}

Fiery Skipper

{{gwi:544237}}

White M

Cheers,
Elisabeth