Monarch of the Meadow

This monarch butterfly, sitting on the head of a cone flower, was stretching its wings in the early morning sun. I like the way the petals from the flower look like trailing streamers.

I was delighted to capture this image because butterflies have been a real challenge for me.  Of all my attempts – chasing the fidgety creatures around with my camera – I’ve only been able to catch a couple of images I’ve been happy with.  I just happened to catch this one early in the morning, not fully awake. I even had to nudge it to get it to open its wings.

To see a larger version of this image, click on the photo.