Western Pygmy Blue Butterfly Alviso Marina County Park, 21 October 2012 |
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| Best times to enjoy butterflies is between 10AM & 3PM. | |
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| Look for Pygmy Blues on shoreline plants & shrubs. | |
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| Male Pygmy Blue on pickleweed. | |
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| Beautifully marked male Pygmy Blue butterfly on saltbush. | |
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| Various seabirds like these California Gulls can also be seen along the shoreline. |
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| On any given day, there's a variety of birds active along the shore. | |
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| A male Nothern Shoveler fluffs its wing feathers as it enjoys the sun. | |
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| Two female Shovelers take their ease at the water's edge. | |
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| Numerous Lesser Sandpipers like this one also frequent the shoreline. | |
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| A gull takes flight. Note the clouds of tiny insects in the air. | |
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| Walk west along the berm trail to see and enjoy Pygmy Blues feeding on a variety of plants. |
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| A Cabbage White uses its proboscis to sip nectar from a flowering shoreline plant. |
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| Nearby, a Western Pygmy Blue sips from another flower. | |
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| A pair of male Pygmy Blues on Russian Thistle. | |
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| A lone male Pygmy Blue basking in the sun. | |
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| Another male Pygmy Blue soaks up the sunlight. | |
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| Western Pygmy Blues are most active in October. | |
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| Females, like this one, are on the look out for suitable mates. | |
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| Males too are actively in search of breeding opportunities. | |
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| A pair of Pygmy Blues in the midst of courtship. | |
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| But not all males find favor. | |
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| Two males jocky for position while sunning themselves. | |
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| Color pattern of the Western Pygmy Blue blends beautifully with its surroundings. |
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| Western Pygmy Blues can be found in most shoreline parks at this time of year. |
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| Watch for them through October in Alviso Marina County Park. | |
| Here's links to a single-page, double-sided trifold pamphlet on the Western Pygmy Blue. You are welcome to download either the ppt source file or pdf version. Thank you for your interest in my photography. |
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| w.PygmyBlue Trifold pdf ( 248kb) | w.PygmyBlue Trifold ppt ( 2.72MB) |