Stella Orangetip

 Usually when we go to Yellowstone at the end of May its still cold and snowy. This is usually what I hope for. Since the climate is worse at the higher elevations we tend to see more wildlife by the roads when it is still cold and snowy. I had thought that this would be the case this year, since our winter her in Minnesota seemed to last forever but it seems that they had a mild winter in Yellowstone this year and there was very little snow left by the time that we arrived. However a mild Yellowstone winter can have its advantages also. Typically we see very few insects in Yellowstone when we visit, except for wood ticks. This year though I managed to photograph several species of butterflies including this Stella orangetip which is a new species for me. The Stella orangetip is one of orangetip butterflies found in western North America. The Stella is found in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, northeastern California and Alberta Canada. They are often found in mountainous regions and are considered by some as a harbinger of spring. Adults feed on flower nectar while the larva feed on plants in the mustard family.