Butterfly walk along Clear Creek: Photo Gallery

Photo by Michael Woodward

CAUGHT: by Amateur lepidopterist Chris Gary catches an orange sulphur butterfly at the Horsetown Clear Creek Preserve butterfly tour on May 30.

A small brown butterfly spent Saturday morning harassing other males entering its meadow at the Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve.

"It's protecting its territory," butterfly expert and naturalist Chris Gray said, deferring to the title of amateur lepidopterist.

The butterfly, a Buckeye butterfly known for its feistiness according to Gray, spent its energy on a hot morning warding off all size and species of male butterfly, keeping its territory in shape for females, Gray said.

The two-hour butterfly tour at the preserve involved eight attendees, who heard Gray describe feeding habits, life cycles, and habitat concerns of butterflies in the North State.

The best time for butterfly viewing is in the morning, Gray said, when butterflies seek sunshine.

"You might see them holding still on the ground holding their wings out," he said, adding that the butterfly needs solar radiation to warm up its muscles before it flies.

Noontime provides too much sun, however, and the butterfly seeks shade until later in the afternoon, Gray said.

To best view butterflies, Gray recommended a pair of binoculars that focus at least 12 feet away.