Limenitis Lorquini, Lorquin's Admiral

Day 290: Knowing that I would be gone all day yesterday, I posted an unprecedented "place-holder" image to 365 Caws, certain that I would have a better photo from the day to replace it. After all, the rule is that the photos must be taken each day, not necessarily published on that day. It is not a practice I intend to use often, and in fact, this is the first time I've done so. That said, Lorquin's beautiful Admiral replaces a rather mundane Gloriosa Daisy for this date.

The Admirals were out in number in the logged-over hills above Castle Rock yesterday, very actively flying in the hot afternoon sun. When one of them alighted on a fern beside the road, I motioned for my companion to stop in his tracks. I first snapped a quick documentation photo, ensuring that I had the species "in the bag," and then began edging closer until I was able to get this shot. Lorquin's is a creature of open spaces, one of the rewards for hiking through areas others might find uninteresting.