Several minutes after Bhavna spotted an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, another butterfly caught my eye in the meadow at Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve. Among the wildflowers, I noticed a fluttering motion. Instinctively, I reached for my Fuji X-T3, eager to capture the moment.
I focused the heavy XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR lens on a butterfly I could now see up close. Its dark brown wings featured a prominent white or silver spot on the hindwing. The forewings had small orange spots. I later identified it via iNaturalist as a Silver-spotted Skipper.
The skipper flitted from flower to flower, its flight pattern seemingly erratic but I think it was drawn to the bee balm flowers, with their frilly, tubular petals in shades of pink and purple. The skipper’s long proboscis dipped into the flowers, drinking deeply.
Interestingly, I read that the word "butterfly" used to be "flutterby," which seems fitting as I watched this Skipper flutter by from flower to flower.