Rayetta's December Butterflies - Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

A fair number of butterflies were flying at the CB today. It's clear and hot, so that's why. The buckeyes were out in force. New ones, not that old drunkard I photographed yesterday. Those young buckeyes are both amorous and pugnacious. A little checkerspot, one that may be undocumented, and that I was interested in photographing, could find no surface on which to alight, chased as it was by the young buckeyes and the always pugnacious variegated fritillary. But then, after observing all these events for awhile I wandered into the pecan orchard and happened to cast my keen gaze upon a large limb that broke off not long ago. Two Red Admirals were fooling around way up there on the nub, possibly attracted to the oozing sap. However, even standing on the picnic table, even I, the Lovely Druidess Rayetta couldn't get a picture. Soon the twain red admirals departed and I knew not where.

Lomo, get over here and help me down off this picnic table, I cried out.

Lomo help Rayetta?

Yes Lomo, get over here and help me down.

Lomo help Rayetta down!

After I got helped down off the picnic table I began a systematic search for the red admirals and after about a minute I found this one alit on a trunk, rather high up, but not excessively high up. This time it proved to be a large tame butterfly, that's 1 - 1 on the Rayetta scales. For reference, it's head is down and facing the camera, very cryptic from my angle.