It's not often you see "passion on passion."
That would be the "passion butterfly"--Gulf Fritillary, Agaulis vanillae--on the blossom of its host plant, the passionflower vine, Passiflora.
You often see the males patrolling the vine and the females laying eggs on the leaves.
But have you ever seen one foraging on a blossom?
On sunny days in Vacaville, we're seeing it happen more and more.
The brilliant orange butterfly with the silver-spangled wings is one spectacular butterfly. Together the passion butterfly and the passionflower live up to their names.
Attached Images:
The Gulf Fritillary, Agaulis vanillae, spreads its wings on a passion flower in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The orange butterfly has silver spangled wings, which makes it appear as two different butterflies. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Gulf Fritillary making the rounds of the passionflower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Gulf Fritillary moves around one more time. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)