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When we first started hearing about the plight of the bees around 2009 through The Bee Conservancy, we became interested in various pollinator best practices. Although it is not without controversy, having a butterfly bush seemed like a good way to encourage pollinators to visit the local area. So we planted one last May. 

Although we are still waiting to see any Monarch butterflies show up on their annual migration to Mexico, we did have the good fortune to attract a number of Eastern Swallowtail butterflies.

This particular image was shot in the late afternoon, captured with a Nikon Z-7ii, using a Nikkor Z 28-85mm F/2 lens.

We liked the strong contrast of colors, with the green perfectly capturing the lushness of a warm summer, and the outstanding detail on the butterfly, down to seeing its proboscis probing one of the delicate flowers.

Although much of our photography is focused on large landscapes and the broad movement of the clouds and waterways, focusing in small to see this kind of exquisite detail makes us appreciate all of the intricacy and interplay of nature in all its forms.