Monarch Butterfly
As milkweed growth has declined at Silver Lake,
so have the Monarch Butterflies that rely on milkweed as their only food source. These photos of the stages of growth for the Monarch were taken here at Silver Lake.
FANTASTICAL INSECTS!
Silver Lake is home to an incredible array of insects, and we have learned that some of them, such as the diversity of damselflies and dragonflies, are indicators of the Lake's good health. So enjoy the unbelievable colors and shapes and activities of these smallest creatures at Silver Lake!
American Painted Lady,
is one of several butterflies often mistaken for a Monarch.
Milkweed
is such a critical food source for Monarch Butterflies
Least Skipper Butterfly
Red-Spotted Purple Butterfly
Unidentified moth
Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly
Yellow Woolly Bear Moth
(Yes! Even though it's white!)
Black Swallowtail Butterfly
Unidentified butterfly
Unidentified Damselfly
Blue-Fronted Dancer Damselfly
Brown-Spotted Yellow-Winged Dragonfly
Dragonflies & Damselflies
Some sources report more than 5,000 varieties of dragonflies and damselflies, making it often difficult to identify these delicate creatures. Dragonflies and damselflies will eat up to 100 mosquitos a day! Great friends to have near your backyard!
Doubleday's Bluet Damselfly
Unidentified Dragonfly
Monarch Butterflies photographed near Hinton, Virginia!
