Great Spangled Fritillary on Buenos Aires Verbena Bonariensis
Is that not a great name for a butterfly, Great Spangled Fritillary? It sounds like something patriotic, so I had to get its photo. I had to Google “orange butterfly” to find out what this one was called. You can tell I never saw one in nature before, at least that I remember anyway. I was driving by this barn so beautifully landscaped and I can now add this butterfly to my butterfly photos with a name besides orange butterfly.
Great Spangled Fritillary
You want to know how I happened on it?
Driving by this beautiful property, I did something I never did before.
I passed this barn on a few occasions and it is so wonderfully landscaped I had to ask if I could see more. And boy was there more to see.
Who plants so many flowers around a barn? The woman was so nice to allow my friend and I to walk around her property.
Great Spangled Fritillary
I could have visited for hours, but as a stranger dropping in on a homeowner, I was rather quick about taking a look and leaving.
This butterfly caught my eye on the way out though. It was nectaring on Verbena bonariensis in the garden above. It is a Zone 7 plant but may come back depending on our upcoming winter and it is a great butterfly plant. I added to my garden, so we will see if I have any luck next year.
This garden is planted behind the barn. The images further above are at the front and side of the barn. Have you ever seen a barn so beautifully landscaped?
Did you ever do something so out of character and bold? Pretty flowers are a strong magnet. I am so glad I got to see this lovely garden and pretty orange butterfly.
Great Spangled Fritillary
Over on GWGT I have another great garden. Do you like miniature trains? This has to be the best train garden I ever saw!
Beautiful… Humans and insects were magnetized by pretty flowers.. 🙂
So true.
Gorgeous Donna and I can see why you had to stop…I have never seen such a stunning garden planted around a barn. I love the name of this butterfly but have never seen it in my garden. You made a great find all the way around.
Thanks Donna. I passed it again today with my garden club friends. We went there (about 50 miles away) to another garden and were there for a nice lunch.
Breathtaking photography! Amazing shots you have captured and shared. Thank you so much!
Thank you.
I can never get enough butterfly photos, really stunning. Actually enjoyed the entire post.
Thanks, Charlie.
That butterfly is so stunning! And the gardens around the barn are magnificent! How beautiful they are. I’m tempted to stop and photograph a house in the country that has beautiful gardens, just haven’t gotten up to that point yet, but it probably won’t be long.
I was fortunate the hired gardener was out working by their new pond. I walked up to him first and he suggested I knock on the owner’s door. Then she appeared. Such nice people. I was at the nursery where they got their plants yesterday and the owner there knew them very well. I would like living in a place where everyone knows their neighbors in a community. Such a friendly place.
Indeed, a lovely property and beautifully photographed…
Thank you.
That is a very lovely barn but the garden around it really makes it pop. How wonderful to find such a willing homeowner to let you tour the garden. We often see fritillaries in our garden…gulf, variegated and great spangled. They are very impressive butterflies and easy to attract since they host on violas (as well as passion vine). I always think it is special to see the butterflies in nature. It seems so much more spectacular than in one’s own garden.
I agree. In nature, they are harder to photograph too. Too much chasing them around.
Looking things up on google … sometimes I am lucky right away and others … well it really is like traveling in Wonderland. It is a pretty butterfly. I -think- we have those around here. The gardener really does nice work. Everything looks so healthy.
I often don’t find the insect I am looking for. Too impatient most times to keep looking.
“Great Spangled Fritillary” sounds much better than “orange butterfly”! I’m glad you were able to find out it’s proper name. It’s a beautiful butterfly (found in a beautiful garden!).
By using orange butterfly. it came right up. They do have different colorations and patterning according to photos I saw though.
Beautiful light on the butterfly and a great barnyard.
Thank you. That plant brought in a lot of butterflies.
What a pretty butterfly!
Thank you.
I’m glad you thought to stop at this farm. It was indeed beautiful. I actually got a good shot of the butterfly that I am making into a mini-poster. I’ll send you a copy.
Thanks, Connie. Your poster looked great. You got a different perspective too.
Delightful!