Prepared for Take-off

Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly on Purple Coneflower
Pettigrew, AR - June 2014

Another shot from the huge patch of purple coneflower, butterflies hard at work everywhere. At least in this patch, the butterflies seemed to be strongly territorial -- if another one landed on or near a blossom already "claimed" then a slow-motion aerial dogfight determined who got to come back to the flower.

great spangled fritillarySpeyeria cybeleButterflypurple coneflowerEchinacea purpureaozarks wildflowerozarks butterfly