10 Minutes By The Buttonbush!

I spent 10 minutes watching life buzzing around a Buttonbush in Canatara Park this morning. This native species provides a great feeding station for countless insects.

A pair of Monarch Butterflies first caught my attention with their bold orange and black colours.

My peripheral vision caught sight of a "blurry" motion. Two Snowberry Clearwing Moths were nectaring on the bush. They are small members of the Sphinx Family and look like tiny hummingbirds.

Two Northern Broken-dash Skippers were also having a drink.

Blue Dasher surveying his territory above the small pond.

He was watching for insect prey.

Eight-spotted Foresters Moth. This moth was over an inch wide.

In addition to the larger insects, many small pollinators including bees and flies buzzed around the flower heads.

 

And just below the Buttonbush, a Painted Turtle was trying to get a better view by climbing on top of his buddy's shell!