Compton Tortoiseshell resting on rock 
Mourning Cloak sunning itself 
California Tortoiseshell “puddling” 
Satyr Comma at rest on ground 
Hoary Comma feeding 
Green Comma resting among debris of forest floor. 
Oreas Comma open winged on forest floor 
Milbert’s Tortoiseshell taking in nectar.
Get ready for action! All the butterflies in the gallery above overwinter as adults. As such, they will be seen sometime during March as temperatures and conditions improve usually near the Spring Equinox.
Over the next couple of weeks I will highlight each species with a dedicated post. This will help you get in the mindset for finding, identifying and appreciating these beautiful insects. Butterfly expert Bob Pyle encapsulates this idea best:
My grandfather used to ask in jest whether there was any money in butterflies. I doubted it, and I was mostly right. But butterflies have brought me a different kind of reward that I value much more. It is serenity, and it provides perhaps the best advertisement of all for becoming involved with butterflies. Personal peace is hard to find in the frenetic world we have made. Yet for me, no moments are more peaceful than those I spend among the butterflies, whether in Edenic landscapes or vacant lots.
Robert Michael Pyle (1992) Handbook for Butterfly Watchers, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
