The other day, while hiking in Gothe State Forest, it was butterfly day. Right now we have all sorts of fall wildflowers blossoming, and many of our insects are feeding heavily in order to be ready to either go into a hibernation-like state for the winter or to breed one last time before the ends of their lives. There were butterflies, bees, and wasps all over many of the flowers enjoying the abundance of available nectar. But in one little grassy area that didn’t have any wildflowers growing, I found this pair of gulf fritillary butterflies (Agraulis vanillae) mating.

When butterflies breed, they become attached together at the tips of their abdomens while the eggs are fertilized. For some species this can take a number of hours, while for others it can be considerably shorter. Once the fertilization is accomplished, the pair split apart and the female will search for suitable places to lay her eggs. I’m not sure how long these two had been paired before I found them, and they were still paired when I left. I stayed well away from them so as not to bother them so that they could finish insuring next years population of beautifully colorful gulf fritillaries.