There are advantages to hanging your laundry out in the air to dry. Fresh clothes. Zero energy cost. And the stretching and reaching motion opens up your chest and allows all that good air to flush out the unused areas of your lungs. It’s therapy – yeah.
Not to mention the critters.
So I’m puttering around the backyard, hanging up laundry – and this pretty thing is fluttering along behind me trying to land on me. She must have been attracted to the white T-Shirt I was wearing, because she was very insistent.
When I was finished hanging the clothes up to dry, I went to the computer to try and identify it. They are known as either “California Sister” or “Arizona Sister” butterflies. The “sister” part, is because the white markings look like a nuns habit.
I tried to move her from my shirt and put her on the tomato plant, several times. I was afraid she would get hurt riding on my back while I was tossing clothes around. She finally fluttered off, no doubt in search of a stationary T-Shirt.
I love the blue markings up near the top. These are pretty large butterflies. Here’s a picture of her on my hand, you can get a better idea of the size.
re-posted from Oct. 2009, with minor edits.
Comments:
Melinda
September 25, 2010 at 7:51 PM
I just found your poste. Sisters and other butterflies can act tame when fresh out of the pupa. She is probly only a day old – note the dark brown almost black color and no nicks in the wing edges. She may have been cunfused by your shirt or may have been interested in your swet. Cunsider your silf lucky to of had her on your hand. They are very wary and hard to aproch in the wild. The Arizona Sister is a difforent species. Go to Butterflies of America web site to learn more about Sister sup species. Nex time a butterfly lands on you cusiderate very spcal – butterflies are tipicaly scared of humans except for the Variabl Checkerspots.
