I recently went to the Lower Rio Grande Valley on a birding trip. With this region being the best in the lower 48 for butterfly diversity (over 325 species recorded) I took time to look for some. Mostly everything I saw was a lifer (except for Orange Sulphur). I do believe a butterfly only trip will be in the works next year. Most of the photos were taken at Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco. Species shown below are: Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius), Sickle-winged Skipper (Eantis tamenund), White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae), Common Mestra (Mestra amymone), White (or Common) Checkered-Skipper (While indistinguishable in the field, White Checkered-Skipper is the more common of the two), Cassius Blue (Leptotes cassius), Vesta Crescent (Phyciodes vesta), Large Orange Sulphur (Phoebis agarithe), Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae), Queen (Danaus gilippus), Fatal Metalmark (Calephelis nemesis), Brown Longtail (Urbanus procne), Brazilian Skipper (Calpodes ethlius), Mexican Bluewing (Myscelia ethusa), Laviana White-Skipper (Heliopetes laviana), Long-tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus), Mazans Scallopwing (Staphylus mazans), Red-bordered Metalmark (Caria ino), Great Southern White (Ascia monuste), Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes), White Angled-Sulphur (Anteos clorinde).
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