When you are out and about seeking butterflies, there are moments that require that you stop and marvel, stop and question- and to compare a Viceroy butterfly vs a Monarch.

Upon meeting a fresh Viceroy Butterfly, you:  a) Carefully check and see if that black line extends across the last 1/3 of the hindwings b) Confirm that it is smaller than a Monarch Butterfly c) Review in your mind the habitat you are standing in, for Viceroys stay close to wet habitat and they prefer the close presence of their hostplant, Willows d) Roll your mental ‘Rolladex’ to compare your instant Viceroy with the beauty of the other Viceroys that you have seen and shot before d) If the Viceroy is as handsome as this one seen here, you Hope/Pray in your given nanosecond that it tolerates your presence and allows you to shoot away!

When I met this amazing Viceroy in Virginia’s Butterflies & Blooms Briar Patch Habitat in Eatonton, Georgia, I knew I’d met a very special Viceroy. All of the above happened, and now, I am quite pleased.

Jeff