Getting Up-Close And Personal With Butterflies

Butterflies are an intriguing and most beautiful part of the natural world around us. They are so delicate but yet so strong and resilient to the challenges nature oftentimes throws at them.

A few weeks ago was a great example of this when a most uncharacteristic late-season snowstorm hit our mountains over the last few days of June. During this rare event, many of our mountain butterflies had already hatched and were subject to not only freezing temperatures but also several inches of snow with this most unusual but temporary change in our weather.

I am glad to say, however, trips to the mountains to search for and photograph butterflies and wildflowers after this late-season storm hit reminded me of just how much these incredible creatures can endure. I was impressed with how many butterflies I was seeing at high elevations where most of the snow fell but quickly melted a few days later.

Butterflies are some of the most beautiful creatures we have on this planet and are a joy to watch, learn about, and, of course, photograph. Admittedly, I had not fully developed a true appreciation for butterflies until I started to get outdoors myself and really look for and photograph these delicate beauties on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, getting very up-close and personal with them at times, in fact.

I am a big believer in getting out in nature in order to fully understand and appreciate nature. We can read about it all we want, we can look at pictures and watch documentaries about some of the worlds most incredible animals and habitats but until we get outdoors and experience it first hand we can never fully understand and embrace the natural world and all that lives in it.

Understanding and appreciating butterflies is definitely no different. We can look at pictures, read books, and watch videos about them all day long but until we decide to get out of our brick-and-mortar sanctuaries and put ourselves into their world, their environment, we will never fully appreciate butterflies and the beauty they do indeed bring to this world.

Truthfully, if we don’t venture outdoors once in a while, we as humans run the risk of not realizing just how close butterflies and, in fact, nature as a whole can be to us at any given time and at any given place.

Without this effort to venture out in nature and experience butterflies first-hand, people risk the notion of believing most butterflies live only in sanctuaries or in faraway places, but truth be known, butterflies are all around us and some of them can be in our communities and even in our own backyards at times.

Nature is indeed all around us but, unfortunately, we oftentimes miss it or don’t realize just how close it really is to you and I. This past weekend reminded me of this when I was fortunate enough to attend a butterfly field trip up a local canyon to Francis Peak in the Wasatch National Forest.

The few of us who were in attendance were treated to a snowbush filled with California tortoiseshell caterpillars but the endless stream of vehicles, bikes, and joggers that went by had no idea of the miracle of life that was so close to them, literally only a mere 30 yards away from the gravel road they were traversing on.

In this seemingly empty bush laid life in a most precious and intriguing way. Butterflies had earlier deposited eggs which had hatched into caterpillars and these hungry creatures were readying themselves for the eventual metamorphosis that will transform them into an incredible and most beautiful butterfly sometime in the future.

I have been on this mountain range countless times before and have driven by this bush almost every time up that canyon but I had no idea one of my favorite species of butterflies was so close by but yet so far away because of my lack of understanding of just where they can and do, in fact, live.

I had always wanted to see California tortoiseshell caterpillars in the wild but I had no idea where to look or how to find them until this particular field trip gave me insight on just how close they can be to us and not even know it.

Trust me, nature is all around us and that, in my own opinion, is what makes this world so great to be a part of.

Getting opportunities to see life created in such fashion with something so simple but yet so amazing as a caterpillar emerging into a butterfly is, indeed, one of the endless miracles our world has to offer.

If we just take a little time and put the modern society we live in on hold every once in a while, allowing ourselves to step into their world for a short time of reflection and wonderment, we too can be a part of their environment for that brief period of time and realize just how incredible butterflies truly are.

Utah Butterfly Field Trips

One of my most favorite activities regarding butterflies is to go on these annual butterfly field trips where we get to see first-hand the plant’s butterflies rely on and, in addition, watch, learn about, and enjoy butterflies being, well, butterflies in their natural environment.

Todd Stout, the owner of rasingbutterflies.org and a local butterfly expert, graciously puts on these butterfly field trips each spring and summer at various locations throughout Utah to help bring awareness for and educate people on the beauty butterflies bring to our world.

As mentioned before, this past Saturday I participated in one of Todd’s butterfly field trips to Francis Peak to look for a variety of local butterflies that are on the wing in Utah during the mid part of July.

The butterflies were out in force for sure as we saw numerous species of butterflies in several different locations. As previously mentioned, I was most intrigued, however, when someone had spotted the California tortoiseshell caterpillars on a nearby bush.

Field trips such as this one are where I have learned about interesting facts about butterflies such as puddling, hill-topping, and where many of our butterfly species live. I am a huge fan of these field trips and look forward to each summer when I am able to get outdoors and enjoy butterflies in their world.

For more information about these local butterfly trips, you can visit and join Todd’s Facebook group Utah Butterfly Trips. Also, at the bottom of this blog post are a few images of the butterflies I was able to photograph on this and previous butterfly field trips in northern Utah.

Kids And Butterflies

Let’s face it, our upcoming generation will someday inherit this world and all that we leave behind, including these incredible creatures. It was such a pleasing sight to see some of today’s youth attend this event, each one armed with a butterfly net and a thirst for knowledge and experiences that could only be had by being out in nature.

This is where the future of saving butterflies in particular and nature as a whole begins. It starts with getting the next generation interested in nature by taking them out in nature to experience it first-hand.

When I was a kid I was always out poking around in the outdoors, constantly looking at small creatures that caught my eye, and that is when I started my life-long love affair with birds and bird watching. It really blossomed when my father took me on a birding trip to Farmington Bay WMA and I was formally indoctrinated into the world of bird watching.

I wish I had a similar experience with butterflies when I was younger so I could have started much earlier in life with an appreciation for them but it is never too late to start for us in the older generation and it is never too early to get the younger generation interested in butterflies as well.

Taking the youth out on simple but meaningful butterfly field trips is an excellent way for them to connect with and learn about the butterflies that share this world with us. It’s also a great way for us young-at-heart older folks to gain a further understanding of nature as well.

All that is truly needed is a thirst for knowledge and a desire to learn. A simple butterfly net is a helpful tool to get a closer look at butterflies and a simple book about identifying butterflies will also help nurture this desire to learn but the most important thing is to get outdoors and look for butterflies and caterpillars.

Unlike birds which can be a lot harder to get close to, butterflies are easy to view with nothing but the naked eye. Binoculars can help I suppose but a butterfly net is a much easier way to get a closer look at these delicate but most beautiful creatures. I prefer a camera myself as I spend much time each summer photographing butterflies in our mountains as well as in my very own backyard.

Raising monarch butterflies from caterpillars is also a unique way to teach kids about the miracle of life. It is a simple but yet very educational experience and one I have done myself as an adult many times over just because the cycle of a butterfly’s life is just so fascinating.

For a more detailed discourse on how to raise monarch butterflies, I am going to refer you to Todd’s website raisingbutterflies.org for more information. I have done it numerous times but there are people such as Todd who are experts on this topic so it’s best to let those who know much more than I do teach you about how it is to be properly done.

Backyard Butterflies

One of the ways we can get ourselves and our kids interested in butterflies is to plant a pollinator garden in our very own backyard. I will dedicate a future blog post on this particular topic but for now to get started all that is needed is to identify what kinds of butterflies frequent your area, find out what kinds of host plants they use to lay their eggs on, and plant them along with a variety of nectar-producing flowers and bushes.

It’s really pretty simple and many of the nectar plants that attract butterflies will also attract bees and hummingbirds as well so it is a win, win, win situation. The yard in the image above has not only a variety of nectar-producing plants but dozens of milkweed plants to help give monarch butterflies a place to lay their eggs each summer.

I and a brother of mine have been doing this for several years now and having a nature garden in the backyard is most enjoyable and quite relaxing, to say the least.

I for one get quite a few monarch butterflies in my yard each summer. I have also seen numerous other species of smaller butterflies frequent my yard as well and each year I am constantly trying to improve my garden to help attract more butterflies.

Conclusion

If you’re like me and love nature, get outdoors and enjoy it first-hand. I am a huge believer in one can only learn about nature by getting out and building an appreciation for nature. This has, in fact, happened for me over the past few years as my love for butterflies has literally exploded.

Taking short but enjoyable butterfly field trips, even if it is just a casual walk through a local park or even just in your own backyard where butterflies may live is a great way to not only relax but to gain a greater love for nature and the world around us.

Butterflies are incredible creatures and can be found in many places all around us if we get out and look for them. Enjoy and learn about butterflies is my suggestion as it is a most enjoyable hobby to get involved with. I love it and I never get tired of looking for and learning about the numerous species of butterflies which live in my region.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog where I photograph and write about birds, butterflies, and any other parts of nature I come across. There is an incredible world out there and I enjoy every second I am able to be out in it with my camera to help show you the incredible sights nature has to offer.

Learn More About Butterflies

Below are a couple of resources I use to help me learn more about butterflies. I own both of these books and have enjoyed both of them. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #commissionsearned

I actually use the Swift Guide a lot in helping me identify the many varieties of butterflies I see on my field trips to the mountains. Click on the images to learn more about the books or to make a purchase.

A Swift Guide to Butterflies of North America: Second Edition

Houghton Mifflin Peterson Book Hummingbirds and Butterflies

Utah Butterfly Field Trip Photo Essay

Below are a few images I have taken on this and previous butterfly field trips with Todd Stout as well as other field trips I have taken on my own. There is nothing better than being outdoors looking for and photographing butterflies in their natural environment. It is such an enjoyable and relaxing activity and a favorite hobby of mine.