I can’t identify this flower and I am not certain what kind of skipper butterfly this is, but the two of them sure did combine well in this image that I captured this past weekend at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. (I’m leaning towards this being a Peck’s Skipper (Polites peckius), but there are so many different kinds of skippers that it’s hard to be sure.)
In many ways this is the kind of image that I aspire to capture. The subject is active, engaged in probing the flower with its extended proboscis, rather than in a static pose. Of equal importance, the image has an artistic feel, a kind of beauty in its composition and colors. There are so many uncontrollable elements in nature that there is no way to guarantee results like this, but it is sure is nice when it happens.
UPDATE: Helpful folks on Facebook and readers of this blog have helped to identify the butterfly as a Zabulon Skipper (Poanes zabulon) and the flower as an Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana). Thanks, Drew and Molly.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
That’s a great picture, Mike. Might make a good one for your watercolor work.
Thanks, Dan. At my current level of skill with watercolors it may be a bit too detailed, but maybe I can think of a way to simplify it to more basic shapes. We’ll see what the upcoming weekend inspires me to try. 🙂
I think that’s more what I meant. The soft colors always seem (to me, who hasn’t a clue) to fit watercolors better.
In our area I think the flower you captured is called “Obedient Plant.” Grows about 3-1/2 feet tall?
Thanks, Molly. I was at a botanical gardens when I took the shot and there was either no plaque indicating the name of the flower or I simply missed it.
Beautiful image, Mike.
Thanks, Chris.