It’s just about this time of year after the holidays are over when I start getting antsy. When I’m restless and longing for sunshine and warm temperatures. Yet still knowing those may be a while longer yet – sometimes way too long.

So this is when I start looking through nature photos I’ve taken. In this case, photos from Florida last winter. Cause that’s one place – even in winter – where the sun still shines and things still bloom. I thought perhaps you might want to see some of that sunshine as it lights up things with wings.

Our first winged wonder is the Monarch butterfly. It has an amazing migration that most people find fascinating. That such a tiny, delicate little thing can fly from the northern U.S. and Canada all the way south to the mountain tops of Mexico in search of the oyamel fir forests is quite unbelievable.

We all know the value of planting milkweeds to help support the Monarch as this is their host plant – the plant their larvae need to begin life. But it’s also equally importance to have a variety of blooming plants from April through October to supply these beautiful creatures with nectar and pollen. This is the food they need to survive.

The story of the Monarch makes one realize how miraculous nature truly is. Especially when you look beyond the surface of their beautiful colors.

This Zebra Swallowtail blends very well into its environment, as in the photo above. It is the only native kite swallowtail in the U.S. In this case, “kite” refers to it’s long tails.

You’ll typically find these beautiful butterflies in southeastern states, although they can be found as far north as Ohio and some parts of New England. Their host plant is the pawpaw tree. Zebra Swallowtails lay single green eggs on the underside of their leaves. So next time you see a pawpaw tree, lift those leaves to check for eggs; you never know what you might find.

The Common Buckeye is a magnificent creature with its warm brown/orange tones and vivid eye spots. Very recognizable, even from a distance. You’ll see them flitting around low areas quite often, as they are (excuse the pun) quite common throughout the U.S. Their eggs remind me of gooseberries, with tiny white vertical stripes on a green berry. This butterfly is a generalist with quite a few host plants.

Another butterfly that most people love to see is the Eastern Black Swallowtail. This female sports vivid black wings and yellow and blue spots. And if this one’s wings were open a bit wider, you would see a couple of orange spots as well.

The profile of the male and female Black Swallowtail are close to being identical and hard to differentiate. It is the opened wings which help one identify male from female. Females tend to have more vivid blue spots while the male has less prominent blue spots and more vivid yellow.

You’ll find the larvae of these beauties are attracted by plants in the Apiaceae or celery family, which also includes dill, parsley and carrots. These plants have chemicals that repel other predator insects but Black Swallowtail larvae are not detrimentally affected by them. As a result of the larvae eating these plants, Black Swallowtail butterflies taste bad to birds and they avoid them. That’s a very desirable protection of nature.

Want to see Black Swallowtails at your house? Plant a pot of dill or parsley for your patio, put it in a sunny place and watch for those cute little caterpillars to appear.

The Red Admiral is another rather vivid butterfly that is also regularly seen in North America. This is one of just a few butterflies that overwinter as adults in Ohio, typically in hollow logs, bark or leaf litter. The undersides of their wings look wood-like with brown, tan, black and even a bit of orange. It’s nature’s way of protection. Their host plant are those in the nettle family. While nettles aren’t a desirable plant for many people (especially when you brush against them), it is desirable for the Red Admiral.

There are only four butterflies that hibernate as adults in Ohio during the winter. They are (clockwise from top left): Eastern Comma, Question Mark, Red Admiral and Mourning Cloak. So please rethink when you decide to mulch or get rid of your leaves in the fall. Perhaps retain a small corner of the yard that could be home in the winter to these butterflies.

Here’s an often overlooked butterfly – the Red-banded Hairstreak – with it’s happy little face and black and white striped legs and antenna. Blends in pretty well with its surroundings, don’t you think? According to Wikipedia, the Hairstreak’s name comes from those “tiny tails” or hairs from their hindwings and “streak” for their stripes. This is another butterfly you will quite readily see, though they tend to be a bit hard to get a photo of. They’re pretty small, with a wing span of about an inch or so.

Here’s a better picture of those hindwings. They have something similar to eye spots along the back edge. These spots and the tails can attract a predator. But the little “tails” can be ripped off and allow the butterfly to get away and live another day. Nature’s protection at work once again!

And for the final things with wings, I’d like to share with you this photo of the female Diana fritillary. It’s rare, or at least it is considered to be in West Virginia near the New River Gorge (where this photo was taken). The Diana fritillary’s range in the southeastern U.S. begins in West Virginia and moves southwest down to Alabama. But even within these areas, this butterfly can be local and very rare.

The male is dramatically different in coloring, with the interior of it’s wings black and the outer edges orange. This is a large butterfly with about a 4 to 4.5 inch wing span. Females are typically larger than males.

The Diana fritillary is forest dependent, preferring the rich moist edges of forests and neighboring meadows. This butterfly is threatened across portions of its environment. Environmental threats include spraying for pests (such as the gypsy moth), as well as invasive garlic mustard and deer which could reduce the abundance of violets – their host plants. At one point, spraying resulted in a moderate risk of extinction in some locations in a southern state.

This butterfly’s life cycle is a fascinating one. Their flight is from June to September. Females lay their eggs primarily in the month of August. They crawl around on the ground and attach their eggs onto twigs and broken sticks that are near the base of violets. Interestingly enough, they do not lay their eggs ON the violet plants but scatter them about the ground. The larvae hatch and, without eating, they burrow into the ground to hibernate. In Spring they emerge and feed on the violet leaves and flowers. They will then pupate and emerge as the adult Diana fritillary butterfly. We can only hope that they will find a way to survive into the future.

There is a multitude of information readily available about butterflies. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has an excellent brochure called Backyards for Butterflies which can help you determine which plants might be appropriate for your yard or patio should you live in this area.

I hope you’ve enjoyed Things with Wings, and perhaps learned something new. I know I did.

And now…I would like to leave you with a sunny, warm Florida photo that might bring a smile to the face and has absolutely NOTHING to do with wings. But then again, perhaps it can make your spirit soar like YOU have wings!

Until next time, keep exploring nature up close.