Western Green Hairstreak

It’s pet week over at I Heart Faces, and since I haven’t been able to convince Leila to sit still for a photo lately, I thought I’d share a nature shot from our trip.  The rules don’t require that the animal be an actual pet, so this image still qualifies.  Besides, it fits right in with the theme of my Road Trip Recap series.  (I’ll get back to my regular recap posts later this week.  Bear with me as I jump ahead to share this photo with you.)

We stopped at the Fire Tower near Jacob's Lake Inn, AZ to visit the fireman on duty and search for a geocache.  I followed several of these butterflies around an open area while the kids climbed the fire tower.  As far as I can tell, this butterfly is a variety of Western Green Hairstreak.  There is some current disagreement among experts as to whether the different varieties are actually sub-species of the Western Green Hairstreak or should simply be considered variations of the same species.  I can’t offer any opinion there, but I do know that this was quite possibly one of the most beautiful butterflies I have ever seen.