These are Butterflies

Since I was a small boy, I have always enjoyed watching the erratic flight of butterflies. Their colours are quite striking, even the ones that appear quite dull, but once you see their wings up close, the patterns and subtle shifts of colour are quite amazing. Butterflies other name, Lepidoptera, is Greek for scale wings as butterfly wings are made of small scales something that I find fascinating. Most people can name some butterflies and I have photographed those as well as any other one I have come across. They are quick to flit away especially when I am ready to get a photo but here is a few I have managed to find through my lens. If I have gotten any of their names wrong, please let me know. Many thanks to Carol Probets (@carolprobets) for helping correct a couple.

I guess I should start with the early form, although this is a Hawk Moth caterpillar not really a butterfly

Everyone knows Wanderers as they are found Australia wide but are an introduced species from North America where they are called Monarchs

Getting ready for take off

The Small Green-banded Blue is just that…look at the grass seeds nearby

The Speckled Line-blue Butterfly is another small butterfly with wing patterns made of blocks of a darker colour to the rest of its wing.

And a Narrow-banded Awl has random streaks of colour but look at its eyes

Speaking of eyes, the Common Ringlet has eyes on its wings

Jezabels come in a range of colours. This is a Common Jezabel with a striking red pattern

and this is a Yellow or Common Albatross with a splash of yellow

The Orchard Butterflies are large and at this time of year, are quite a common sight on the north coast of NSW. The males are not quite a colourful as the females.