The Red-Spotted Purple

When I was a child I had a book of butterfly stamps. My favorite butterfly was one called the Red-Spotted Purple. I thought it was beautiful. There were none of these butterflies in California so my goal was to see one some day. But I wasn't sure I ever would.

It was a lot of years before this happened. We moved to Missouri in 1997 and I found that they are abundant here! Because of all the hiking I do, I see them frequently. Two nights ago as I was walking a trail, I found a Red-Spotted Purple on a bench and coaxed it onto my finger. When I returned that way 20 minutes later it was still there and I again coaxed it onto my finger.

The butterfly I thought I might never see, I now see regularly. And I still think it's beautiful.

It's now one of my favorite photographic subjects. God's art.