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Welcome to my zone 9a habitat garden near Houston, Texas.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Well-named butterfly

An American Snout butterfly perched on the hook that holds one of my hummingbird feeders this week. Can you guess how it got its name?

These butterflies have such a distinctive profile that they can hardly be confused with any other species. They are one of the species that can stage massive, though sporadic, migrations. They are nowhere near as predictable as Monarchs, for example.

I haven't witnessed any large migrations of these interesting insects, but I have noticed a presence of them in my garden throughout the winter, unlike in previous years when they've only been occasional visitors. This year, hardly a week has gone by without my seeing at least one of them here. They are said to be most numerous in the area from April to November, but, in my yard, I've seen them mostly in winter. They are always welcome visitors.

6 comments:

  1. I don't think I've seen one of those Dorothy. How interesting.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, they are interesting little critters, easily overlooked because they are small.

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  2. This is a new one on me. Certainly very distinctive!

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  3. I found one of these in my garden for the first time this winter. They are unusual looking!

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