Please Identify This Moth / Butterfly

[Nifty]

We went to a park today and saw THOUSANDS of them all flying south to north.

Came home and saw the same thing.

I took a pic (sorry it isn't perfect) and was wondering if anybody has an idea what it is:

 

[patandchickens]

I am fuzzy anymore on my butterflies but I'm going to say questionmark, comma, or *possibly* some sort of fritillary -- google 'em and see if something matches.

Also is vaguely like Painted Lady but I don't *think* so.

Too many brain cells repurposed for remembering the kids' toys' names, I guess

Good luck,

Pat

 

[karanleaf]

It may be a Viceroy (sp?) they look like a Monarc and Painted lady

Just guessing

:happy_flower Karan

 

[vfem]

I think its a Red Admiral. I need to see the top of the wings and not the sides to be sure. The color looks a little off, but it could just be the angle or shot.

 

[NiftyGirl]

(Nifty's wife)

Thank you for all the suggestions so far! We were able to catch one & will try & take more pictures of it tomorrow. After looking through lots of butterfly pictures online, I'm leaning towards some kind of fritillary. Could it be an Atlantis Fritillary??? The tips of its antennae are white if that helps any....

It actually appears to be the same type of butterfly pictured here: http://www.photographersdirect.com/buyers/stockphoto.asp?imageid=519899 (shown below) However, the photographer doesn't seem to know what it is either so that doesn't really help so much.

 

[NiftyGirl]

Oooh! I think I've got it. I think they're Painted Lady butterflies. Here they are on google images. I saw an article that talked about a rare huge migration in 2005. Maybe it's a repeat of that? I did read that they migrate from south to north in late spring....it's not late spring, but maybe since the weather feels like it is, they're going early??

 

[beavis]

Its a painted lady.........

 

[vfem]

Yeah I think you're good on painted lady. I don't know the different species for your area to be of any more help. I've never been to the west coast in all my life.

You should come see the fall butterfly migration down the coast at Myrtle Beach SC. We go in October and there are 1000's and 1000's of monarchs just coasting down the shoreline. They even have a huge festival.

 

[simple life]

They are beautiful what ever type they are.
I wish I would see a huge migration around here, its something to see.
When I got married it was a beautiful day and we were married outside in a park near the water and there were hundreds of butterflies flying all around.
The guests thought it was lovely and some of them asked me if we bought them for that purpose, I guess you can order butterflies to release for events.
We hadn't though, they were beautiful and it was really perfect having them flying gracefully all around.
I haven't seen that many in one place since then.

 

[Nifty]

My wife is the coolestt!!!

Here are two articles she sent me:

http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=7324

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/09/MNGSVIO7NM1.DTL&sn=001&sc=1000