Butterfly ID Please

A close up of the chewed up wings.

Better view of the face and feet.
Enjoy!
I did.
WIB!
SW

Beautiful story, SingingWolf! And each butterfly is a miracle of survival before it even gets to be a butterfly. So very few of the eggs laid will result in a butterfly. And I was shocked at the effect the last few years of Texas drought has had on the Monarch and other butterfly species. It's a wonder there are still any butterflies at all here! I was writing a check yesterday and had forgotten the date. Then I said "9/11" and the cashier and I looked at each other like how can it ever be just another day! We mustn't ever forget! We live in hard times, similar to the generation who lived through both the Great Depression and World War II. And it may get worse!

Yup. I agree with everything you said Linda. I have a lot of family that lives in TX, and if I didn't live here, I'd be living there.
My DH is a 3rd generation Californian, and he inherited the family farm. Which we still work. Although, since you can't dry farm oat hay in a drought (as we discovered in the 80's), we switched over to growing Monterrey Pines for the Choose and Cut market. We sell directly to the families who want them for Christmas Trees. We also have a Pumpkin Patch, and our main source of income comes from the family Beekeeping business. They've been beekeepers for 3 generations too, but expanded into commercial beekeeping, when the business was under DH's, Dad's helm. Now DH runs the business, which we hope to pass down to our sons. It's hard on the bees too, with the drought. Maybe, because I live so close to the land, I see things from a different perspective than a lot of people?

Update on the Butterfly.
I didn't see the b.fly again last night but did check frequently throughout the day and before I went to bed last night to make sure it didn't land in the pool.
This morning, when I opened the greenhouse doors, I checked for floaters in the pool, but didn't see any.
A few minutes later I saw the butterfly flutter out of the green house and over toward our small orchard of fruit trees. Some of which are citrus. : - )
Maybe, I'll have more Big Beautiful Butterflies next year! : - )
Couldn't get a photo of the butterfly, but treasured the moment . . .
WIB!
SW

It occurred to me that many of you might enjoy reading and seeing my progress as a photographer, as well as how I occupy a lot of my time.
This is a thread I started on the CA Forum, which was later moved to the Bird Watching Forum (by DGAdmin), when it would be happier over on this forum. Well, what is done is done.
I do hope that if you have the time that you'll enjoy my hummer friends as much as I do.
This link takes you back to the beginning where it all started.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/954218/
This photo was taken yesterday.
Enjoy,
WIB!
SW