Lady Butterfly in my Garden

I have had no luck this summer of seeing a Monarch butterfly or a Viceroy.  all I seem to see everywhere are Great-spangled Fritillaries in abundance!

I even hang out in two Milkweed patches almost daily!
Here's a sad story.  One day in July I was in a milkweed patch looking for butterflies and caterpillars. and then I heard a train coming. While hurrying too see the train and take pictures, I brushed against a few milkweed plants.  Later that day ,while in my bedroom in my bare feet I stepped on something soft and squish, and I wondered what my cat may have left behind?  I wiped it up with a tissue and saw to my incredulous surprise, it was a monarch butterfly caterpillar!!!!. It must have attached itself to my clothing while I was in the milkweed patch!That was my only glimpse of a monarch caterpillar this year! The caterpillar didn't survive my stepping on it! I haven't seen a monarch caterpillar since, and  to think that one had been in my own bedroom even!!!

But this post is not about Monarchs, rather it is about the beautiful American Lady butterfly I found feeding on yellow cone flowers in my back yard garden yesterday! This was the first Lady species I have seen this summer.  I think they are very attractive butterflies!

 

The two eyespots on the lower hind wing identify this Lady as an American Lady and these eye spotsaren't real eyes, only camoflague to frighten away predators from attacking and destroying this lady