Las Cruces, NM Oct. 4, 2008 This butterfly was also in my cousin's garden. I love the scientific name! It is interesting how some of the butterflies are named for girls! :)
Las Cruces, NM Oct. 4, 2008 My cousin's yard is full of native wildflowers which the butterflies just love. The night before I took this photo, his daughter showed me a "Monarch" butterfly wing she had found. I said it looked very small and dark to be a monarch wing. The next morning the mystery was solved when I saw these butterflies in the garden. They are Queen butterflies and they are in the same genus as Monarchs. They are a bit smaller and the scales are more brown than orange. I was amazed at the number of butterflies we saw in the garden. I was in "butterfly heaven"! My camera got quite a workout that morning! The butterfly in the middle foreground is a male, his pheremone spot can be seen on the bottom wing.
Las Cruces, NM Oct. 4, 2008 Not only do I have a patient husband, I also have a patient cousin! Sam was so nice to stop whenever I saw a new flower as we were driving to Aguirre Springs on the east side of the Organ Mountains. Clammyweed gets its name from the sticky, tiny hairs found on the stems and leaves.
