Just about my all time favorite butterfly is the colorful red spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax). I absolutely adore the metallic blue against the black background that they have on the wings when they are opened. In that respect, they look similar to the pipevine swallowtail, but the red spotted purple has a lot of other colors both on the tops and bottoms of their wings, where as the pipevine swallowtail doesn’t. We’re right in the middle of butterfly season right now, and many species are flitting around pollenating our many wildflowers. As the summer progresses, some of our spring species will begin to disappear, but right now, central Florida is a lepidopterist’s heaven. And there are quite a few photographers that are enjoying them, too!