Brushfoots - Butterflies of the Sabinal River Valley

Brushfoots (Nymphalidae)

All photos are © and may not be used without permission.

Brushfoots are a large conglomorate of varied species. A few groups of which we have chisled off into their own pages. Such as Snout, Satyrs, Milkweeds (Monarchs, etc.), and the Checkers, Crescents and Patches. To narrow down similar types or groups and ease congestion here. Many of these below are the most regularly seen types of butterflies here. The smallest are medium (2") or better sized, most 2.5 to 3" or more of wingspan.

Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) is an Admiral.

Red-spotted Purple - Did ya get enough of that color?
Amount and intensity of color varies with light angle.

Viceroy (Limenitis archippus), are along river on or around Sycamore or Willows. Note the black median band across hindwing which Monarch does not have. Monarchs also are not here in summer either, which is primarily when the Viceroy flies. Rare away from river edge.

Viceroy is not whatsoever related to Monarch, however, long thought to be a mimic of it. It is an admiral as flight pattern indicates. Here on a Sycamore as often seen.

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is our common sorta Admiral. It is actually in the genus with the Ladies, not admirals. It sometimes overwinters in tree bark, coming out on warm days.

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui).

American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis).

Questionmark (Polygonia interrogationis) on which
you can see the silvery white ? on the underwing.

Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) is a beauty.

Northern Mestra (Mestra amymone) is a LTA - less than
annual - species. Most years at least a few show up.

Arizona Sister (Adelpha eulalia) appearing to be imbibing on the sugary pecan leaves. You can see how shiny the leaves are from the sap they exude. They are sticky to touch, they drip on everything as the nuts are in last month plus of growing, making car sticky, etc.

This is a White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae) Sept. 26, 2022.
They are LTA - less than annual, so always a treat to see.

Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton) is regular in low numbers.
Note no eyespots on forewing, as its two congeners have.

Malachite (Siproeta stelenes) at Utopia Park Sept. 23, 2016. I have only seen a few of these here, they are a very rare vagrant from southward. The upper side is twice as bright in color as the underside, which is its camo mode. Above they are bright lime green and dark chocolate. Sometimes you take what you can get for photo docs when a once every several years rarity.

Red Rim (Biblis hyperia) - only one year in twenty (2007) there was a huge unprecedented invasion across south Texas (from southward) whence they occurred all the way up to Utopia. I even saw one in Bandera County! There were lots at Uvalde where this pic was taken.

Red Rim (Biblis hyperia) ventral, at Uvalde, 2007.

Blue-eyed Sailor (Dynamine dyonis) at Cypress Hollow, Sept. 23, 2007, the first Bandera County record. This image is a digiscope (old Mavica-floppydisk up to telescope) Glimpsed one other once, this the only documented local record.

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Ruddy Daggerwing (Marpesia petreus) at the Utopia Library Butterfly Garden, is an accidental vagrant here from southward.

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) is scarce locally in spring, this at Lost Maples. They are far less than annual here - LTA.

Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) is an admiral long believed to mimic the Monarch

Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) is an admiral, believed to possibly mimic distasteful Pipevine Swallowtail.

Spot-celled Sister - Adelpha basiloides - a "mega-rarity" even in extreme south Texas This one photo'd 11/11/05 in our yard 2+ mi. W. of Utopia, Uvalde Co.
ID confirmed by Charles Bordelon (THANKS CB!)

Arizona Sister (Adelpha eulalia) - they were
common to abundant in the Sabinal Valley, but
after first and now second D4 drought, they are rare.

White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae) - this one spent 3 weeks in Nov. '05 just below the spillway at Utopia Pk. at Maxmillian Sunflower

Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) summer form with black on hindwing above. On the winter form hindwing orange like forewing.

Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton)
Note forewing without eyespots. Variable,
some colored very like Hackberry Emperor.
This tawny type prevelant and obvious though.

Hackberry Emperor or Empress Leilia?
Note eyespots on forewing. Asterocampa sps.,
probably a Hackberry Emperor (A. celtis).
On inner bar of double bar on inner forewing,
it looks broken, not solid, on left wing.