Another Monarch for Mary Ellen!

This one is for Mary Ellen Ryall, creator of the Monarch Butterfly Habitat in Shell Lake, Wisconsin! I photographed this Monarch butterfly on a ‘Zowie’ Zinnia at Green Spring Gardens this afternoon. An overcast but very bright sky made for great lighting for photography. The gardens were swarming with insects—including Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, Spicebush Swallowtails, Monarchs, various Skippers, Sulphurs and Common Buckeyes. I photographed an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on a ‘Zowie’ Zinnia  few weeks ago here.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Gomphrena globosa (Bachelor’s Button)

Gomphrena, sometimes called globe amaranth or bachelor’s button, is a sun-loving, drought tolerant annual plant. I think might be the “All Around Purple” variety. These intense magenta-pinkish purple flowers are tiny, no more than an inch in diameter—making them a bit of a challenge to photograph. Just imagine paired this color with lime green foliage! Although they were too quick to photograph, there was a bounty of skipper and sulphur butterflies darting through this bank of Gomphrena at Green Spring Gardens this afternoon.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.