Many people think the malachite is the most beautiful butterfly in Florida.
Its name comes from the large pale green patches on its wings.
That shade of green resembles the mineral, malachite.
Surrounding the green patches, the malachite is brownish orange on the underside of its wings and velvety brown on the upper side of its wings.
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Although at first glance, this seems to be a Monarch, it is actually a Queen butterfly.
The Queen is a darker orange and has a more solid appearance compared to the stained-glass look of the Monarch.
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Although brightly-colored butterflies catch my eye, I must admit, the White Morpho is elegant.
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The Fritillary butterfly is a distant cousin of the Monarch butterfly.
Its name comes from the Latin word “fritillus” which means chessboard.
Frankly, I don’t see how anyone would think this butterfly looks like a chessboard.
Perhaps those who name butterflies have a bigger sense of imagination than I do.
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The “trusty” internet told me that early North American settlers called this butterfly Monarch because of it regal orange appearance.
They named it in honor of King William, Prince of Orange.
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This Cabbage Butterfly feeds on plants, especially cabbage and broccoli.
This photo suggests the butterfly is saying, “Bring on the Cabbage!”
If you grow cabbage, they are not your friend.
On the other hand, if you view cabbage as a yucky vegetable, they may be doing you a favor.
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This appears to be an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail; however, it doesn’t have stripes like the ones I’ve seen in books.
If you are a butterfly expert, let me know.
Is this a different type of butterfly or just an odd member of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail family?
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I must admit, it was easier to take a photo of this butterfly than what I usually experience.
I didn’t have to hold still to not frighten it.
I didn’t have to wait for it to give me the angle I wanted.
Also, I didn’t have to use a special lens.
Ah, the advantage of Legos.
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This is an Emerald Swallowtail; however, when I see it through my lens, it appears blue rather than green.
How about you?
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To me, the antenna coming out of the shoulder of this Lego butterfly seems odd.
On the other hand, this butterfly has an impressive 8-foot wingspan.
Sean Kenney used over 60,000 pieces on it and spent 4-months building it.
Overall, it’s an incredible sculpture.
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