When the weather is just right and the fall flowers are in bloom, there is a well-known butterfly that can be found fluttering from plant to plant. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a congregation of Painted Lady Butterflies a few weeks ago and managed to snap a few pictures.
The Painted Lady Butterfly, or Vanessa cardui is an extremely successful species that can be found in most parts of the world. They have vibrant orange, black, and white colors on the top side of the wings, and can sometimes be confused with the similarly colored Monarch Butterfly. Painted Ladies tend to live less than a month, so I'm glad that I was able to see them this year!
In the first and last pictures you can clearly see the dark proboscis that butterflies and other insects use to extract nectar. It does seem like a very efficient way to get to the bottom of these tiny flowers!
