On Monday I spotted this little Silver-spotted Skipper butterfly (Epargyreus clarus) feeding on a buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. I love the distinctive spiky flower balls of this plant that have always reminded me of medieval maces.
A few years ago, however, I came to associate the shape of the balls with depictions of the COVID virus. Recently the number of COVID cases has reportedly been on the rise and I fear that they will increase even more when summer ends and people begin to spend more time indoors. Since I am over 65 years old and therefore considered to be “vulnerable,” I hope that I will be able to get an updated COVID shot (and a flu shot too) in the upcoming months. Neither offers 100% protection, but the shots will hopefully lessen the severity of symptoms if I do get sick.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Wonderful photo of the butterfly and flower! I like even better your thoughts of getting vaccinated in preparation for the winter season!
Thanks. I tried to keep my comments on vaccination neutral, lest I find myself mired in unhelpful political arguments.
That’s so true!
I love these photos and your commentary too! It was my intention to add a comment to the Silver-spotted Skipper post of August 4th and somehow I did not do so. Just as well because today’s post prompts not one but several thoughts to share! The first is about the Skipper butterflies. Years ago Benjamin and I spotted several on a small shrub. He was fascinated, yet was not certain if they were moths or butterflies. He decided that they were part moth and part butterfly or as he said “on the border inbetween the two”. Secondly, that bush was a neighbor’s “Sugar Shack Buttonbush” which then had the spiky flower balls that the Skippers were loving. If memory serves me correctly, she told us that one is a dwarf sized version of the plant. Lastly, you are quite correct that Covid cases are indeed on the rise. I must mention that there are increasing concerns about which vaccines will be available this year. I hope that vaccines for Covid and the flu will be accessible for EVERYONE! “The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.”- Rabindranath Tagore. Thank-you, Mr. Mike!!
Thanks, Ellen. I love the idea of skippers being part moth and part butterfly. “Out of the mouths of babes…” I smiled at “sugar shack buttonbushes”–there are often creative, colorful names for cultivars of all kinds of plants. I share your hopes for flu and Covid vaccinations being universally available. Take care.
Brilliant photos, Mike.
Thanks, Michael.