Banded Hairstreak

Bolder in large.

It was exceptionally windy and only on and off sunny, but my asiatic lilies bloomed yesterday and they were looking awfully tempting... So I thought I'd give a few shots a try anyway. It seems that I wasn't the only one attracted to the vibrant yellow in the garden. After taking a couple pictures of the flowers, I noticed this little butterfly (banded hairstreak) riding out the wind on one of the leaves. Well, of course I had to switch to my macro lens and work on that... Did you know, that up close - really close- something bobbing in the wind can make you a little seasick while you try to view it through your lens? Especially when it takes ages to get a clear shot... Oui!

As I shot the butterfly, a dragonfly got curious and landed on the petal next to us. It just watched the photo shoot for the longest time. Eventually, I turned the camera on to the dragon... would hate to leave it out... ;-) Other insects came along as well; these yellow flowers sure are popular!

Before the butterfly left it hopped onto a flower petal an gave me a good final pose. It was a tough choice today.

PS. Thank you so much for sending my tiny bee to the spotlight page yesterday!