I spotted this beautiful American Lady butterfly (Vanessa virginiensis) during a quick visit this past Saturday morning to Green Spring Gardens, a county-run historic garden not far from where I live. A lot of butterflies were active that day, but my eyes were immediately drawn to this American Lady, a species that I do not see very often. I had to chase it a bit before it stopped to feed on this flower, which was so popular that the American Lady had to share it with a much smaller skipper butterfly. The flower was growing near a fenced in area of public plots where people grow vegetables and the fence caused the striped effect in the background.
Although I spend most of my time photographing subjects in the wild, it was nice to visit a more cultivated place that was still ablaze with summer colors. I am quite conscious of the fact that the summer is slowly slipping away.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Super image!
It looks quite beautiful and it shows in the details you’ve captured. The colours of the flower are a nice complement to the butterfly’s wings.
Amazing designs
The colors work beautifully together.
Thanks, Michael. I was thrilled when I saw the scene in my camera’s viewfinder. The lighting was a little tricky, but it worked out pretty well. As for the colors, I had to be careful now to oversaturate them because they were bold to start with, especially the flower.
Very Nice Mike! The darker background really makes your main subjects stand out!
Like stained glass!
The lighting was awesome and the effect reminds me too of stained glass. I love stained glass and remember being absolutely mesmerized when I visited Sainte Chapelle in Paris, where some of the stained glass dates back to the 13th century.
Old European/UK churches really have amazing art/glass. Their age boggles the American mind!
Here in the US, if something is 100 years old, it seems ancient. The perspective, as you note, is a whole lot different in Europe.
Summer certainly is slipping away. I know that will not stop your creative genius though! Lovely!!
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