A Butterfly’s Patch (Eastern Pine Elfin, Callophrys niphon)

brown butterfly with distinct pattern on small cluster of small weed flowers

Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophyrs niphon, Lycaenidae) on a weed flower.

For the past several years, a small patch of small, white weed flowers has grown up in the same spot in the yard. It is surefire to attract some interesting insects, though mostly I remember them being flies and bees. This year, I saw an Eastern Pine Elfin frequenting them. I usually see one or two of these butterflies at my local state park; and they are a sign (for me, anyway) of burgeoning insect activity. It was a treat to have one in the yard taking advantage of what I suspect many people would overlook as uneven, and maybe even ugly, ground cover. I’ll keep them around though; give me your mired and odd, give me your tiny monsters and their grotesque tiny mountain perches. (Several more photographs after the break, plus black and white versions.)

uniquely patterned brown butterfly on small white flowers

Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophyrs niphon, Lycaenidae) on a weed flower.

uniquely patterned brown butterfly at an angle on small white flowers

Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophyrs niphon, Lycaenidae) on a weed flower.

small brown butterfly on patch of small weed flowers

An Eastern Pine Elfin butterfly (Callophrys niphon, Lycaenidae) makes the most of a patch of weed flowers.

small brown butterfly with head buried in small cluster of small weed flowers

An Eastern Pine Elfin butterfly (Callophrys niphon, Lycaenidae) makes the most of a patch of weed flowers.

Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophyrs niphon, Lycaenidae) on a weed flower. (black and white version)

Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophyrs niphon, Lycaenidae) on a weed flower. (black and white verison)

Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophyrs niphon, Lycaenidae) on a weed flower. (black and white version)

uniquely patterned brown butterfly on small white flowersuniquely patterned brown butterfly on small white flowers

Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophyrs niphon, Lycaenidae) on a weed flower. (black and white version)

An Eastern Pine Elfin butterfly (Callophrys niphon, Lycaenidae) makes the most of a patch of weed flowers. (black and white version)

4 thoughts on “A Butterfly’s Patch (Eastern Pine Elfin, Callophrys niphon)”

Nice photos and I especially like the composition of the next to last color photo.

michaelmarlow says:

November 21, 2016 at 5:35 pm

Thanks, David. That was my favorite as well; I almost made it the first/featured image but went with a closer view, in favor of more details. Probably should have went with it because it gives a sense of “the patch” now that I think of it.

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