Changing of Seasons

The first day of Fall came and went without much ado.  The weather does not agree with the calendar and is still insisting upon heating us up with nice toasty days.  There are few changes in the foliage as that will come with cooling nights..something that will be a welcome change!  Still, I did notice one small sign of the changing of seasons.  A small butterfly made its way to the Bayou. There is really not anything astoundingly unusual about a butterfly visiting the Bayou as at any given time there can be found a number of them just flitting over the marsh.  This little critter was different.  The small, brown butterfly actually looked tired.  Perhaps it has been involved in a southward migration and stopped over for a bit of welcome respite.  The edges of its wings appeared a tad tattered and torn as it crawled up and down the Cord Grass in search of some bit of nourishment.  Its supper would be meager as surely there is naught on the grasses to feed a hungry butterfly.  Had it flown just a few hundred feet further on its journey, it could have feasted upon the zinnias, marigolds and geraniums that blooming in the Rose Garden.

I watched as the tired little critter rested its wings.  It was in the wide-open area of marsh making it fair game for any predator that wished to dine upon butterfly!  This is actually a Junonia Coenia or Buckeye Butterfly.  It gets its name from the eyespots on its wings.  These are there to frighten any would be predators but I am not sure that it would work on the wily critters of the Bayou.  They have had to fight for survival and most likely would not be a bit scared of a butterfly..large eyes or not!

Sometimes Buckeye Butterflies can be seen actually alighting on the mudflats.  There, they will crawl around seeking sustenance or moisture from the mud.  I cannot imagine that the salt water is particularly healthy for them but this is usually a Fall oddity so maybe they take what they can get.  This little butterfly was in no hurry to leave its Cord Grass so I was able to get several pictures.  The setting sun provided interesting lighting and highlighted the wings enough to clearly view the rips and tears.  The fragility of the wings cannot provide extreme protection during long migratory flights.  This little butterfly will hang around long enough mate and lay eggs.  Those eggs will hatch into caterpillars, eat, get fat, make cocoons and then overwinter.  Come Spring..those that were not eaten by some rodent or bird will hatch and the cycle will start all over again.  Some of the young Buckeyes will fly a bit north while others will summer here.  But come Fall, they will gather again near the marshes.  Ahhh...maybe Fall is here after all!