Today I decided to feature two butterflies that I have seen over the past week. I saw them at different times and at different places, so normally I would not put them together in a posting.
I was struck, however, by the contrast between the two of them. One of them, a Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus), is brightly colored and hard to miss. The other, a Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) is so pale and nondescript that many people don’t notice it at all or dismiss it as being “only” a moth.
Beauty speaks to people in individual deeply personal ways. I find these two butterflies to be equally beautiful.
What do you think? Instinctively do you find one of these two to be more beautiful than the other?
Of course, there is no “right” answer. It seems to me that beauty is almost always subjective rather than universal. Our assessments of beauty tend to be influenced by a whole host of internal factors including our mood, personality, and background as much as by the external characteristics of the subject being considered.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Both are beautiful.
I can see the beauty in the cabbage white but as a cruciferous vegetable gardener, I have major issues with their offspring! Beautiful photos. I agree beauty is subjective and I also think one’s perspective can be compromised by the larval activity.
They are both beautiful, Mike.
The first one struck me first, but the more I looked the more I saw the beauty in the white one too! Great post!
As the old song says “Everything is beautiful, in its own way.” I love them both.
I’m with Ann Parziale. The farms around Gore grow huge fields of brassicas for stock feed. We get zillions of cabbage whites! Like Ann I can see the beauty; but it doesn’t impress me because I regard them like vermin! Anything that looks like a Monarch Butterfly though is fine by me! 🙂
ps. now the rant’s out of the way…I have a strong preference for the Viceroy due to the rich colouring and patterns, beautifully displayed in those wide-open wings. Perfectly poised and posed, plenty of attitude. Nice change from all the tongue-in-flower type shots (which must be much easier to get than this type of shot). Like it!
I think they are all magic. Since the Cabbage White is seen more frequently, we may not notice it as much as the Viceroy?