The spring equinox arrives quietly — not with fanfare, but with wings. On a visit to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, I was surprised that my late arrival would give the gardens almost all to myself, the beautiful blooms, and their visitors.
On the longest equal day of the year, where light and dark hold their brief truce, the Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) was already at work. Perched on the soft lavender blooms of Gregg’s Mistflower (Conoclinium greggii), she moved between nectar and sunlight as if the season existed solely for her.
The featured frame catches her in profile — wings folded, unhurried, drinking deeply. There is something fitting about finding a Queen on the equinox. She belongs to the same royal family as the Monarch, sharing its colors and its boldness, but staking her own claim on the Texas meadows where Mistflower grows thick and wild. No long migration. No borrowed glory. Just this flower, this moment, this light.
The second photo reveals her in full: wings spread wide, burnt orange against green, a living declaration that spring has arrived. Although they look alike, Monarchs and Queen butterflies are different. Two distinct characteristics are on the wings when they are closed. A Queen butterfly has white dots on its forewings, as shown in the first photo. Another distinction is that their wings are uniformly orange with some brown tint. In contrast to a Queen butterfly, a Monarch has lighter orange hindwings and forewings that are mostly deep amber.
That is the story behind the shots. If you liked this post, you may also be interested in others featuring Austin, Butterfly, Greggs mistflower, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Queen butterfly, Texas, Wildflowers, and Wildlife. Until the next time, keep clicking and capturing the beauty your eyes find.
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Steve Schwartzman
Good work on the open-wing shot, which clearly shows why this is not the monarch that many people might mistakenly think it is if they view it from the side with closed wings.
Egidio Leitao
They are cousins, and that leads to the confusion. Thanks for the compliment.
Anita
Such beautiful photos of a true beauty, wonderfully captured.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Anita. It’s getting to be that time of the year when we’ll see lots of those around.
Toonsarah
What a beautiful butterfly!
Egidio Leitao
They really are. We should start seeing lots of them around now.
Wandering Dawgs
Egidio, beautiful images of the queen butterfly on the purple flower. I’ve only seen one of them in person. What a treat.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Beth. Come to Texas. They are just about everywhere.
Anne Sandler
Beautiful pictures Egidio! Luckily the Queen doesn’t have to travel like the Monarch.
Egidio Leitao
That’s true. They are just as pretty, too. Thanks for the comment.