I didn’t think I’d be seeing Gulf Fritillary butterflies well into November in Arkansas, but here they are—still fluttering around and being gorgeous. It was late afternoon when took these two butterfly photos yesterday.

 November Gulf Fritillary butterfly underside, Sebastian County, ArkansasNovember Gulf Fritillary butterfly underside – Canon R7, handheld, f9, 1/400, ISO 2000, Canon EF 100-400mm II at 400mm, natural light

I wanted to share this view of the striking Gulf Fritillary butterfly because the undersides of the wings of this butterfly species are brightly colored and boldly patterned.

The butterfly was nectaring on the Meadow Sage and allowed me to approach from an angle with lovely light. Thankfully, hand-holding the Canon R7 with the 100-400mm lens is a breeze for me.

The butterfly seemed to ignore me as fed on the nectar of the deep purple flowers.

November Gulf Fritillary basking in the warmth of afternoon sunlight, Sebastian County, ArkansasNovember Gulf Fritillary basking in the warmth of afternoon sunlight – Canon R7, handheld, f9, 1/5000, ISO 2000, -0.3 EV, Canon EF 100-400mm II at 400mm, natural light

When the Gulf Fritillary butterfly finished feeding, it floated gracefully away from the flowers before landing on the pine-straw-covered yard.

I slowly approached the butterfly and was able to take a series of images of it basking in the warmth of the afternoon sunlight. The sun felt great to me, too.

The season for photographing butterflies and other insects will soon end as temperatures continue to drop. I feel some urgency now to photograph as many as I can before the much colder days of winter set in. It is nearly mid-November, after all…

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my insect and spider photos plus facts and information about them.