While hiking in the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge last week, I came across an unexpected sight, a Common Buckeye butterfly! This butterfly is a familiar summer resident here in Oklahoma, but spotting one in mid-November caught me off guard.
Wildlife Notes: Late Season Common Buckeye Butterfly Behavior
The Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) is one of those butterflies I associate with warm weather and open fields. They’re often seen along dirt roads, grassy clearings, and flower patches during summer in Oklahoma. Their striking eye-spots serve as a defense against predators, startling birds or giving them a target that isn’t vital.
What made this November sighting so interesting was the timing. These butterflies normally complete their life cycle before the first hard frost. Adults from late summer broods either migrate south or die off as temperatures drop. Seeing one in mid-November suggests that warmer conditions allowed a few to hang on longer than usual this year.
I’ve noticed that many insects in our area have been active later into fall lately, especially during mild years. The Buckeye’s extended presence might be one small indicator of how shifting weather patterns are affecting local wildlife behavior.
Photography Notes
The light filtering through the trees was soft and even, which helped preserve the subtle color tones on the wings. I shot handheld, keeping my focus point on the butterfly’s body while allowing the surrounding leaves to blur slightly. That bit of shallow depth helped isolate the subject without losing the natural forest-floor context.
Even though the butterfly was low and partly shaded, the image came together well because of the steady overcast light. It’s a good reminder that you don’t always need full sun to capture strong color and texture in small subjects.
Image Information:
- Camera: Canon EOS R7
- Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
- ISO: 500
- Aperture: 8
- Shutter: 1/800
- Exposure Compensation: 0
- Lens (mm): 400