The Moon Meets Iris

A Silver-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene) visits a Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor) at a small fen in central Vermont. This circumpolar butterfly (its distribution circles the globe at high latitude) and the iris are fond of wetlands. Fritillaries lay their eggs on violet species but as adults take nectar from various flowers. I don’t often find them on iris; this one seemed to be taking nectar oozing from various spots on the flower. I do, however, think that iris species make for great watercolor paintings. So I’ve played a bit in PhotoShop with this image. By the way, Selene (from this butterfly’s scientific name) is a Greek moon goddess, like the Roman goddess Luna. Many butterflies are named from Greek or Roman mythology.

Incidentally, now that my spring road trip is over, I’m shifting the Daily Wing to its original intent — usually a single image with a short caption. It can be your (almost) daily encounter with nature in flight and in small doses.