A Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) was spotted during a photowalk at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Prince William County, Virginia USA.

18 SEP 2019 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Viceroy butterfly
Viceroy butterflies look similar to Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus).
It can be distinguished from the Monarch by its smaller size and the post-median black line that runs across the veins on the hindwing. Source Credit: Viceroy (butterfly), Wikipedia.
The Backstory
I noticed the Viceroy butterfly as I was searching intensively for Fine-lined Emerald dragonflies (S. filosa). The juxtaposition of complementary colors was too perfect to pass up, so I stopped to shoot a couple of photos. The photo “feels like” a harbinger of fall, despite the persistence of late-summer in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States of America.
Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: Danaus plexippus, Limenitis archippus, Monarch butterfly, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Viceroy butterfly
September 23, 2019 at 7:59 am |
[…] might post an image of this butterfly, but it turns out he also posted one today. Checking out his posting if you like to read another take on our adventure and see a slightly different approach to […]