Caterpillar --> Butterfly

My dad pointed out this chrysalis to me today at his house, so I figured I'd take a picture of it. It's really small, and I had to zoom way in, so it's a bit blurry, but I think you get the idea. The little spots at the bottom and the line around the top are actually gold. Mom thinks you can see a shadow of the critter inside, but I'm not so sure.

DC Bugs

I admit it, I can't go anywhere without shooting the local flora and fauna. Here are a few of the bees, butterflies and a moth from DC. They're pretty much the same as the insect I see around here, but I just can't help myself.

Flutterby

A friend of mine (Hi Jess!) got a new laptop, and she asked me for a picture she could use as her desktop wallpaper. Normally that's not an odd request, but this is one of those fancy new laptops with a wider-than-normal screen. So I had to look for a picture that could be cropped to the proper dimensions, and still maintain some interest. The little butterfly above is what I found that I thought looked best. I think this was about the fifth or sixth picture I sent to her, but as soon as I saw it, I knew this would be the favorite. Now she wants a new picture every week...

I believe it's a viceroy butterfly, but I'm not sure. They are known for the way they resemble monarch butterflies. I shot the photo at my parent's house last Sunday. Well, I looked it up, and I don't think it's a viceroy. I'll keep looking...

Aha! If you go here, you'll see that it's a Gulf fritillary, or something like that. I've been calling these by the wrong name all my life. (Probably because I'd have a hard time saying fritillary.)