290/365 - Monarch

This butterfly spent a large portion of that day perched on our door.

247/365 - Butterfly in Disguise

The butterfly isn't actually in disguise (well, not unless you count the "eye spots" on the wings). The title refers to the fact that until not so long ago, I thought of predominantly brown or grey butterflies as moths-- as though it had something to do with their colorings, and they had to be bright yellow, orange, or blue to qualify as a butterfly. Of course, that isn't the case. (The easiest way to tell a moth from a butterfly is to look at the antennae. A moth's antennae are more furry/fluffy-- like tiny feathers.)

This happens to be a Buckyeye, I think.

8/365 - Skipper Butterfly

I found some type of skipper butterfly fluttering from bloom to bloom on a Mexican petunia growing beside the patio. I'm not sure exactly what kind it is, but it had a nice greenish iridescence on its back (and the tops of the wings).

I find myself uncertain whether or not each photo I choose "deserves" to be my photo of the day. I need to just face it that I'm not going to capture something amazing every day of the year.  The idea is to take a photo every day.  They don't have to be award-winning quality. Even a casual snapshot counts.

Today, I chose this butterfly over the gloomy, layered photo of petal-less roses because I think I might tend toward the gloomy photos too much-- and because butterflies probably won't be frequent guests in our garden in the coming fall and winter months. Better enjoy it while I can. . .

Editing:  Color correction / lightened... unsharp mask... a light vignetting... and I think that's it.