Today I saw my first butterfly of the year, an Eastern Comma butterfly (Polygonia comma) that was flying about at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Members of this species overwinter as adults and may emerge form their hibernation for brief periods during winter warm spells.
It is not yet spring, but more and more signs point to the fact that it is just around the corner.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
It must have been wonderful to spot that bright splash of orange beauty!
It was definitely a surprise and made me really happy. As you can see, the vegetation is dry and colorless. Tomorrow we are forecast to have a little snow and sleet. We are not quite into spring yet.
Getting there though! We seem to be rushing headlong into mid-autumn instead of enjoying a nice long summer. They say next week should be back to warm temps.. I sure hope so!
This is great to see, being that we are supposed to get snow overnight and through the weekend!!
A good sign, Mike!