As I came out of the woods into a meadow at my local marshland park, I caught sight of some bright orange butterflies, which I could immediately identify as Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies (Speyeria cybele). The butterflies were concentrating their attention on a small cluster of plants which looked to be some kind of thistle.
I moved closer to get some shots, wading through the vegetation, which by this time of the summer is chest-high. I’ve already learned the hard way about the “joys” of chiggers and ticks, but I tossed my concerns to the side and boldly stepped forward. Fortunately for me, the butterflies were distracted with their feeding activity and did not fly away at my approach.
The sunlight was pretty strong and the look of the photo changed a lot as I circled around the butterflies, as you can see from the images below. I took a lot of shots, some of which I have not yet processed, but I was so happy with the images that I captured that I figured I better post some while it is still summer. Don’t be surprised if you see a few more images like this in the near future.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
These are gorgeous photos!
Impressed at how swiftly you made the butterfly ID …
Thanks. I was only able to make the id quickly because I have been seeing this species a lot this season at the park.
Beautiful shots, Mike. The colors and clarity are wonderful. Have you tried dusting your pants and ankles with sulfur powder to keep away the chiggers?
Thanks, Sue. Before this summer, I never knew what chiggers were or where they hung out. In past years I didn’t venture out as much into the wild as I have this summer. If I decide to do the same thing next year, I’ll definitely check out sulfur powder.
The rich color in your photos and the detail you capture is just superb…Well done.
Thanks, Charlie. I was lucky to be in a position in which I could get pretty close to the butterflies, which helped me get good shots.
These are excellent shots of a beautiful creature. The flower looks like one of the knapweeds but I’ve never seen one so spiny.
Thanks. I was only guessing that the plant was some kind of a thistle–I really don’t have a clue what it is.
I like the way you captured the lighting in such varied ways… Beautiful shots!
Thanks. It was a nice luxury to be able to circle round the butterflies taking shots. Normally that kind of movement causes them to fly away.
We can easily handle a few more summer images before the autumn steps in. Regarding chigger control (a real issue for photographers), I recommend looking for permethrin sprays, which you apply to your shoes. socks, and pants, rather than to your skin. And tuck your pants into your socks!
Thanks for the advice on chiggers, Gary. Fortunately I got eaten up only twice this summer, once on my ankles and once in the area surrounding my underarm.
What a nice series of photos.
Thanks. I was glad to be able to capture some of the beauty of that moment.
The last photo with the light shingling through the butterfly wings and the thistle petals is superb. I look forward to seeing the others in due course. They will go a long way to brightening up the dark winter and autumn days.
Sometimes it pays to be bold! 🙂