Pink golden dewdrop flowers against green stalks

Today’s Beauty
September 12, 2025
#nature #flowers #bloom #beauty #GoldenDewdrop #bloomscroll #PalmSprings #PhotographersOfBluesky

This is a close-up, horizontal photograph of a butterfly with its wings spread wide, resting on a cluster of purple flowers amidst green leaves. The lighting is bright and natural, suggesting a sunny day. The butterfly, the central subject of the photo, has a fuzzy, pale-colored body and a long, slender tail at the bottom of its hindwings. Its large wings are a creamy white with six striking, thick black "tiger stripes" on each forewing. The outer edges of the hindwings are scalloped and feature small blue crescent markings and a splash of orange. This butterfly is a Scarce swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius), a species common across Europe and parts of Asia. It is a powerful flyer with a wingspan of 60–90 millimeters. Its caterpillars primarily feed on plants from the Prunus genus, such as blackthorn and cherry trees. The butterfly is perched on a plant with numerous small, deep purple, five-petaled flowers arranged in tight clusters. Surrounding the butterfly and flowers are many vibrant green leaves of various shapes and sizes. The plant is definitively a Golden dewdrop (Duranta erecta), also known as Pigeon berry or Skyflower. Native to the Americas, this flowering shrub is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions for its ornamental beauty. The plant produces the clusters of light blue to purple flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds, which are then followed by small, golden-yellow berries. It is important to note that the leaves and unripened berries of this plant are toxic if ingested by humans and many pets.

Sunlit Hues of the Striped Jewel on a Purple Cloud

#photography #nature #naturephotography #macrophotography #wildlifephotography #butterfly #scarceswallowtail #papilio #flower #duranta #goldendewdrop #gardenlife #insect #macrophoto #closeupshot #naturalight #blueskywildlife

Cloaked in slender, willow-like leaves, it arches toward the sun like a dancer mid-pose. But its true magic lies in the jewels it scatters: clusters of tiny, violet-blue blossoms, each cradling a stamen dusted in gold

#durantaerecta #goldendewdrop #skyflower #soflo #flowergarden #butterflygarden

Zebra Butterfly on Golden Dewdrop.
Central Florida (2018).
Pentax K3.

#EastCoastKin #MacroMonday
#photography #naturephotography #nature #butterfly #flowers #florida #zebrabutterfly #macro #macrophotography #closeup #pentaxK3 #pentaxphotography #pentax #centralflorida #floridanature #goldendewdrop