{"id":135270,"date":"2024-10-05T02:45:32","date_gmt":"2024-10-05T07:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=135270"},"modified":"2024-10-05T14:35:28","modified_gmt":"2024-10-05T19:35:28","slug":"red-spotted-purple-butterfly-at-sequoyah-national-wildlife-refuge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/10\/05\/red-spotted-purple-butterfly-at-sequoyah-national-wildlife-refuge\/","title":{"rendered":"Red-spotted Purple Butterfly At Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sharing my lifer Red-spotted Purple butterfly! I took photos of it on a nature trail at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge<\/span><\/a>, where I found it resting on the path.<\/p>\n

Walking the trails at the refuge has been great fun for me; I had missed photographing while on foot. I’m also certain that I am seeing more insects and spiders than I could ever spot using a vehicle as a mobile blind.<\/p>\n

I do want to note that both methods have their benefits and pitfalls, though. Perhaps one day I should write an article about them.<\/p>\n

\"Red-spottedRed-spotted Purple butterfly on a nature trail \u2013 Canon R7, handheld, f9, 1\/1600, ISO 1000, -0.3 EV, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I’ve taken photos of brush-footed butterflies, including other admiral butterflies, but until the last day of September, I had never photographed this particular subspecies of Limenitis arthemis<\/em>. I knew about Red-spotted Purples<\/span><\/a>, though, and I have always admired how lovely they are.<\/p>\n

After taking photos of this gorgeous butterfly, I did some research on the subspecies and found out that they mimic the colors and patterns of Spicebush Swallowtails. There are conflicting ideas on why this tasty (to predators) butterfly species may have evolved to mimic the unpalatable Spicebush Swallowtail butterflies.<\/p>\n

Scientists can debate that; I\u2019m just going to enjoy the beauty of these butterflies.<\/p>\n

The gorgeous blue color on the upperside of the wings of this butterfly is so stunning that it is almost breathtaking.<\/p>\n

I also read that there is a second flight of this species in October, so I hope I will be able to photograph more of them before they disappear for the year.<\/p>\n

I’m actually having a great time photographing butterflies that are ‘new’ to me here. Even though identifying some of them is hard, I believe they are very much worth the effort.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/span> to see more of my insect and spider images.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sharing my lifer Red-spotted Purple butterfly! I took photos of it on a nature trail at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, where I found it resting on the path.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":135260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13973,15813,13974],"tags":[12065,12066,4004,14190,13984,6041,6042,1799,15820,15821,15474,15818,15819],"class_list":["post-135270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oklahoma","category-red-spotted-purple-butterflies","category-sequoyah-national-wildlife-refuge","tag-admiral","tag-admirals","tag-adult","tag-bottomland-hardwood-forest","tag-bottomlands","tag-butterflies","tag-butterfly","tag-insects","tag-limenitis-arthemis-ssp-astyanax","tag-nature-trail","tag-path","tag-red-spotted-purple","tag-red-spotted-purple-butterfly"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Red-spotted-Purple-sequoyah-nwr-mia-mcpherson-9720.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-zbM","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":132509,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/08\/16\/more-new-butterflies-at-sequoyah-nwr\/","url_meta":{"origin":135270,"position":0},"title":"More New Butterflies At Sequoyah NWR!","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 16, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday, when I shared the pale young Raccoon, I mentioned that I also photographed some butterflies at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. Here they are!","rel":"","context":"In "Oklahoma"","block_context":{"text":"Oklahoma","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/oklahoma\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pipevine Swallowtail next to the Arkansas River, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pipevine-swallowtail-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-1350.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pipevine-swallowtail-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-1350.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pipevine-swallowtail-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-1350.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pipevine-swallowtail-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-1350.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":175108,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2026\/04\/17\/focusing-on-silver-spotted-skipper-butterflies\/","url_meta":{"origin":135270,"position":1},"title":"Focusing On Silver-spotted Skipper Butterflies","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The last time I was at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge I spent some time focusing on Silver-spotted Skipper butterflies that were feeding on blooming clovers.","rel":"","context":"In "Oklahoma"","block_context":{"text":"Oklahoma","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/oklahoma\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Silver-spotted Skipper up close at Reeve's Slough, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/silver-spotted-skipper-butterfly-white-clover-mia-mcpherson-4749.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/silver-spotted-skipper-butterfly-white-clover-mia-mcpherson-4749.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/silver-spotted-skipper-butterfly-white-clover-mia-mcpherson-4749.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/silver-spotted-skipper-butterfly-white-clover-mia-mcpherson-4749.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":128430,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/05\/13\/common-buckeye-butterfly-resting-on-grass\/","url_meta":{"origin":135270,"position":2},"title":"Common Buckeye Butterfly Resting On Grass","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 13, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning, I am sharing a beautiful Common Buckeye butterfly that I photographed on the last day of April at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.","rel":"","context":"In "Common Buckeye Butterflies"","block_context":{"text":"Common Buckeye Butterflies","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/common-buckeye-butterflies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Common Buckeye butterfly resting on grass at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/common-buckeye-butterfly-sequoyah-nwr-mia-mcpherson-2412.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/common-buckeye-butterfly-sequoyah-nwr-mia-mcpherson-2412.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/common-buckeye-butterfly-sequoyah-nwr-mia-mcpherson-2412.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/common-buckeye-butterfly-sequoyah-nwr-mia-mcpherson-2412.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":128836,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/05\/21\/butterfly-photos-from-tishomingo-national-wildlife-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":135270,"position":3},"title":"Butterfly Photos From Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 21, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning, I wanted to share a few more things with wings: a set of butterfly photos I took recently at Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.","rel":"","context":"In "Oklahoma"","block_context":{"text":"Oklahoma","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/oklahoma\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Orange Sulphur butterfly on a coneflower, Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/orange-sulphur-butterfly-mia-mcpherson-1537.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/orange-sulphur-butterfly-mia-mcpherson-1537.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/orange-sulphur-butterfly-mia-mcpherson-1537.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/orange-sulphur-butterfly-mia-mcpherson-1537.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":174223,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2026\/04\/10\/male-pipevine-swallowtail-butterfly-at-sequoyah-national-wildlife-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":135270,"position":4},"title":"Male Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly At Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Earlier this week at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, I had multiple butterflies in my viewfinder, including this gorgeous male Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly.","rel":"","context":"In "Oklahoma"","block_context":{"text":"Oklahoma","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/oklahoma\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/pipevine-swallowtail-male-sequoyah-nwr-mia-mcpherson-4096.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/pipevine-swallowtail-male-sequoyah-nwr-mia-mcpherson-4096.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/pipevine-swallowtail-male-sequoyah-nwr-mia-mcpherson-4096.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/pipevine-swallowtail-male-sequoyah-nwr-mia-mcpherson-4096.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":175198,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2026\/04\/19\/spicebush-swallowtail-butterfly-on-lyreleaf-sage\/","url_meta":{"origin":135270,"position":5},"title":"Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly On Lyreleaf Sage","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Earlier this month, I photographed this Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly feeding on a plant I hadn't identified at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.","rel":"","context":"In "Oklahoma"","block_context":{"text":"Oklahoma","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/oklahoma\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly nectaring on Lyreleaf Sage, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spicebush-swallowtail-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-3832.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spicebush-swallowtail-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-3832.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spicebush-swallowtail-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-3832.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spicebush-swallowtail-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-3832.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135270\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}