July 9 Curtis Canyon and Tularosa Canyon

Sitting outside after Jeopardy, I was surprised when this tiny Calliope Hummingbird managed to sneak past the 5 Rufous Hummers who were clashing over the feeder. He is so tiny he has to perch on the edge of the feeder to reach the hole in the yellow flower. 

Wednesday morning, Kathy came and we birded Curtis Canyon with her. I managed to snag my own photo of the Orange-headed Roadside Skipper this week.

Birds were pretty much the same as last week with the exception of the Green-tailed Towhee no show. 

After lunch at Big Daddy's in Cloudcroft, we checked the springs in Tularosa Canyon for birds and butters. 

Painted Lady

Weidemeyer's Admiral 

How am I supposed to differentiate when these Swallowtails have no tails - Two-tailed or Western?

This Pipevine doesn't need his tails because he has only one row of orange dots on the underwing. 

Blurry wings on the Sphinx Moth, I counted 5 of them. 

Although this is fuzzy, from the pattern on the underwings, I'm pretty sure this is Texiles Skipper. 

Monarch and Atlantis Fritillary 

This thistle may be invasive and detested by humans, the butterflies love it.