I spotted this colorful Gulf Fritillary butterfly (Agraulis vanillae) perched on a cactus last week as I was exploring some trails along the Colorado River in Bastrop, Texas. This is the kind of shot that it would be impossible to capture in my home area, since neither the butterfly nor the cactus is found in the wild in Virginia.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Nice one🙂
Very nice, and interesting that the tufts on the cactus are the same orange tones as the butterfly. And yowzer on those spikes!
I was definitely conscious of those spikes as I moved about to frame the photo. 🙂
Lovely, colorful butterfly! (It’s spiny landing pad makes me a bit nostalgic for my desert AZ homeland.)
That had to be a perfect landing! Great photo, Mike.
I can see your point, Dan. I am amazed when I see butterflies and dragonflies perch is places with spines and thorns, but they seem capable of precision flying. 🙂