Once again we set off to drive an hour to a butterfly garden before it gets too hot and humid. We were told by a person at the NABA butterfly gardens that “we were likely to see the Blue Metalmark ” at Resaca De La Palma State Park. After expressing our doubts that this glorious event would actually happen we agree to get up the next day and go TRY to see it.
We drive and drive and finally arrive at the park and look in disbelief at a sign on the gate blocking our way. It says “CLOSED – open Wed thru Sat” and today is Tuesday. We can see the visitor Center ahead of us … so we gingerly unhook the gate and drive in. Ambling over to the hedges we see many plain brown butterflies sitting there with their wings closed. This is disappointing as we wanted to see a BIG Iridescent BLUE butterfly, and then we hear shouts from Tom and D.L.
“Come quick! We have found it!” and they point to a half-inch, tiny, blue butterfly. It is the Metalmark … we just had unreal expectations. When they close their wings they become a drab brown. . After looking it up in the book it says the guy should be half an inch … but what a color he flashes at us!! We spend a happy hour combing the bushes for more of them and sure enough there are quite a few. I make a mental apology to the young lady who told me they were at this place as I had so many doubts that she knew where they could be found.
Another wildly successful day out in the thickets of Rio Grande Valley.
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- The Metalbark looks drab with his wings closed.
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- As he opens his wings we begin to see his color
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- The Metalmark Butterfly
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- Metalmark Butterfly
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- Metalmark Butterfly
Mary P Williams 