Going to ground, part one

The butterflies visiting the lantanas were quite conspicuous as they moved from flower to flower drinking nectar.  Nevertheless, if threatened, they could quickly vanish from sight.  As I described before, the cloudless sulfurs often disappeared by flying off into the woods.  However, sometimes they just landed on the grass -- and were gone.  Despite the fact that cloudless sulfurs are yellow, I would completely lose track of them in the grass if I took my eyes off them for a moment (which always seemed to happen when I tried to approach slowly and without stepping in a fire ant nest).

I frequently step in fire ant nests.  Fortunately, if I am wearing my rain boots, I tend to notice the ants in time.  Unfortunately, I am not always wearing my rain boots.

The boldly-colored red admirals could also camouflage themselves on the ground...

A red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) sunning on the ground.

...by closing their wings together and showing only the mottled, brown undersides.

The red admiral with its wings closed.

For the next post, be prepared to put your hidden-butterfly-finding skills to the test!