TWO BUTTERFLIES OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA         Rosemary Kennett

Whilst training as a docent at Eaton Canyon, I became interested in nature
photography.  I found birds too difficult - they were too far away, even
with a telephoto lens, or they flew too fast - and plants too easy!  The
most interesting subjects were the large insects: butterflies and dragonflies.
   My first success was with the Painted Lady Butterfly, on Oct 24 1989, at
Eaton Canyon.  This is claimed to be the most cosmopolitan of butterflies,
as it occurs in nearly all open environments, including mountain summits,
in all temperate areas and some tropical areas.  It flies all winter in
Southern California, but hibernates further north.  Its scientific name is
Vanessa cardui and it is a member of the family Nymphalidae - the Brush-Footed
Butterflies.  Thier front legs are greatly reduced in both sexes and often 
are hairy and brushlike, thus rendering them useless for walking.  It is a
member of the genus Vanessa Fabricius - the Thistle Butterflies.  These
butterflies feed on thistles and often the larva builds its webbed nest on a
thistle.  The Painted Lady also feeds on nettle, mallow, borage, burdock,
holyhock and cocklebur.  Here in California, it is considered a pest by the
cotton-growers but in grazing country, like Montana, it feeds on the thistles
and is considered beneficial.
  My second photograph shows a Southern Cabbageworm, taken on Nov 14 1989 in
the wash at Eaton Canyon.  This butterfly is smaller, being about 1.5 inches
in size, compared to over 2 inches for the Painted Lady.  Its scientific name
is Pleris protodice and it is also called the Common White or the Checkered
White.  It is found throughout the U.S.A. and Canada.  The photograph shows
a female, which can be distinguished from the male by having a pronounced
brown scaling along the veins on the wings - the male is plain white with
some black spots.  As its name implies, this butterfly feeds on cabbage
and also other members of the mustard family.  Here it is feeding on a
member of the Sunflower family, the Scale Broom.  
  Thanks to my interest in nature, I have now developed a side interest in
photography!