Lots of wildflowers still in bloom as we move deeper into autumn here in Northern Virginia. Last night we had our first frost warning of the season, but I don’t think there was any frost this morning in my neighborhood—a hard frost may speed the demise of many of the remaining butterflies and dragonflies. I was therefore delighted last Thursday to spot this Clouded Sulphur butterfly (Colias philodice) feeding on the flowers of what I believe is a White Heath Aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides) plant at Huntley Meadows Park.
Although part of the butterfly is obscured by the stem and the leaves in the foreground of this image, I like the way that I was able to capture the details of the butterfly’s green eyes and its extended proboscis.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Wonderfully cheerful and detailed photo, Mike — a sweet moment.
Thanks, Jet. When I was first getting serious about my photography a dozen years ago, I worked a lot with my dear friend Cindy Dyer. She did a lot of flower photos that occasionally included insects, so that was what I did. Before long, though I flipped the balance and for years I have taken lots of photos of insects that occasionally include flowers. 🙂
Great captures of this beautiful butterfly and how amazing that they still fly so late. I hope they find warm places to hide from the lower temperatures.
Nice work
Very nice photograph, Mike.
We only see your subject’s cousin, the Cloudless Sulphur, here in central Florida.
Beautiful flowers and butterfly.
Great capture, Mike!
Thanks, Mitzy.
What a sensational image, Mike! In fact, ditto to Jet’s comment above. ☺️