First Great Spangled Fritillary, Home

When the owner of a nearby field decided that it was looking too unkempt and needed to be mowed regularly, I knew that some of the insects it nurtured would disappear as its resident plants were turned to mulch. To be sure, I didn't really mind the demise of an abundant flora of poison ivy and a faunal plethora of deer ticks, but I rued the end of all too many of the fireflies and once-resident butterflies. Without the milkweeds to nurture their caterpillars, the Monarchs that were regular visitors would pass this meadow by, and the Great Spangled Fritillaries, whose youngsters are partial to violets, would stop calling this stretch of overgrown grasses home. So it started happening, but that sad endgame has not quite arrived. Today, as I was doing my usual inspection of the life of the Lace-cap Hydrangea blossoms, I was graced with the presence of the first GSF of the year. Its visit, alas, was all too brief, but it did nectar on the flower head long enough for a photo op. Somewhere not too far away, the "frits" must have found a suitable nursery.