Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens) flowers were photographed on 06 and 10 June 2016 near a large vernal pool at Huntley Meadows Park in Fairfax County, Virginia USA.
Kevin Munroe, former park manager at Huntley Meadows, designated Purple Milkweed as a “plant of interest” due to the fact that it is officially a rare plant species in the state of Virginia (S2).
Part 3
These plants are covered with ants, lots of ants!
06 JUN 2016 | Huntley Meadows Park | Purple Milkweed
Later, a single Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly (Speyeria cybele) was feeding on the same milkweed plant, along with lots of ants.
06 JUN 2016 | Huntley Meadows Park | Purple Milkweed
Part 4
Lots of Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies (Speyeria cybele) were observed feeding on the milkweed. The next two photos show the same individual in two poses.
10 JUN 2016 | Huntley Meadows Park | Purple Milkweed
The proboscis, a specialized structure that enables butterflies to siphon liquids from flowers, is shown clearly in the next two photos.
10 JUN 2016 | Huntley Meadows Park | Purple Milkweed
An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus) was feeding on another cluster of milkweed flowers. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is the State Insect of Virginia. Really, who knew there are official state insects?
10 JUN 2016 | Huntley Meadows Park | Purple Milkweed
The last photo is my favorite in both galleries.
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Tags: Asclepias purpurascens, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly, Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly, Huntley Meadows Park, Papilio glaucus, proboscis, Purple Milkweed, Speyeria cybele, vernal pool
March 18, 2019 at 7:05 am |
Butterflies and flowers always make a great combination. My favorite photo is the first one in Part 4–I really like the composition of that image, the butterfly’s pose, and the way that the shapes of the unopened buds in the foreground.
March 18, 2019 at 9:47 am |
I like the photo that is your favorite, but there’s just something about the last photo that I like more. And that’s saying a lot, because all things being equal, I like Great Spangled Fritllary more than Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.
March 18, 2019 at 10:16 am |
Great minds don’t always think alike. 🙂
March 19, 2019 at 11:56 am |
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March 19, 2019 at 11:59 am |
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