The air is full of butterflies right now, which isn’t a big surprise since there are wildflowers everywhere, too. One of the most colorful butterflies that we have here in eastern North America is the American lady (Vanessa virginiensis). These butterflies are also known as American painted ladies, painted beauties, and damas dos ojos. They are Brush-footed butterflies and are closely related to the queen butterfly, the gulf fritillary, and Phaon crescent. It’s easy to see why they are called painted since they have so many brilliant colors that really do seem to be painted in patterns all over the wings. They tend to be one of the first butterflies on the wing as soon as the weather begins to warm up. They will stay around until late fall, but their colors tend to get a little less bright with every generation produced (not that they ever become exactly dull!). This butterfly was having a great feast on the nectar of an early blackjack flower. She was one of many that were enjoying a sunny afternoon repast in the various wildflowers behind our office earlier this month. I liked this image for two reasons. First, the way the sun is hitting the wing really shows all the colors beautifully. Second, if you look carefully at the head and face you can see the proboscis leaving the mouth and can follow it into the center of the flower.