It's a White Angled-Sulphur (Anteos clorinde)! I had been in my backyard for hours, went in for a minute and opened the blinds while talking to dh and saw this giant white butterfly! I said "WHAT is that?!" and ran for my cameras. I got outside and barely close enough to take just a few pics with my non-professional zoom before it took off. :( I was so glad that I got to see it AND get a pic tho! It was beautiful, and SO big!
You just can't go wrong with zinnias!
Very cool! I was trying to figure out how it was different than other sulphurs but your second picture really shows the "angle" on the wings.
Melanie
Konkrete!!! Way cool!!! Congrats on that huge White-Angled Sulphur!!! That is a rarity for ya'll!!! We get a mere handful here usually from late Summer through the Fall season...but they are truly far and few between.
Congrats again!!!!
~ Cat
Oh my! A Woohoo for me from Cat!! I'm even more excited now!!! I feel so blessed after having such a non-eventful season. This and a GST today. :)
Melanie, I wish you could have seen it flying! I've never seen anything white that big, thus my sprint across the house for the camera! It looked bigger than a Monarch, but maybe because it was so bright, and a very flitty flier - darting around. It didn't stay long so I sat down and waited for it to come back. I saw it flying once more in a neighbor's yard but didn't see it again. I'll be looking for it for days now.
Woohoo!!! Hee hee
Those WAS are really spectacular to watch in flight. You are so right about them being a bright white - the light just seems to radiate off them.
There is also a Yellow Angled Sulphur species too. Those are just as big and beautiful!!!
Congrats again :o)
~ Cat
ps....I highly suggest you go to the main NABA website (www.naba.org) and report your sighting as well as send Mike a photo. It's always good to see those rare and not so common butterflies make the list.
This message was edited Aug 18, 2008 8:49 PM
Good idea...I'll make a note to do that. That's one of the sights Iooked on that day. It's so fun to see something different! Well, seeing any butterfly now is exciting tho.
That is really neat Paige, I bet you were jumping up and down with excitement, I wish I could have seen it.
Josephine.
OMG!!! That is such a treat and getting it on camera is the icing on the cake! I hope this is a good omen meaning our bfs are returning to our area!
Don't forget to add it to DG bugfiles too.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/752/
Way to run for that camera Paige!!
Very beautiful and impressive! What a great find!
