Definitely Uncommon

By Mike Hall, June 9, 2023

Yesterday, whilst stalking trout on The South Platte River, a curious thing happened.

I was two miles below the hamlet of Deckers and heading from the stream to the car for lunch when something caught my eye in the bushes.

At first, it appeared to be an amadou cloth patch that anglers use to dry off flies so they will float after absorbing too much water.

Moving closer for a better look, it seemed to be caught in the small branches of the bush. When I moved my hand closer to see if it was amadou, the object grew in size immediately and the colors were startling…its instant enlargement was saying…’mess with me at your own risk cowboy!’

I decided to research this special butterfly that evening.

It’s called a Common Buckeye.

I feel like phoning the person who named it and saying ‘ok, Buckeye, but there is nothing Common about this character.’