Southern Visitor

The other day, we saw an unfamiliar butterfly. It was burnt orange, with leaf shaped wings, and a duller, dead leaf looking underwing. Some obsessive internet searching later, and I have identified it as a Goatweed Emperor, which is not native to this area. I wonder if Hurricane Irene blew the little guy up here to the Hudson Valley? I wish I had been able to snap a photo, but I was walking to the neighborhood deli to get a cup of coffee and didn't have my camera. Pulled out my cell phone, framed the shot, and the battery died. Sigh. It's somewhat ironic that I live in a town which has a name in common with it's host plant... I hope it finds something local to munch on and can make its way homeward. We saw him perched on a tree trunk, sipping at sap from a wound in the bark. Aha-- I am a bit more confident in my identification, since the adult menu includes "Sap, rotting fruit, dung, bird droppings. "