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19th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Sleepy Orange Butterfly Nectaring on Pringle's Prairie Clover

A very wet monsoon season (following years of severe drought) resulted in a green explosion in the Sonoran Desert of Southern Arizona. Unprecedented numbers of butterflies reappeared soon after the desert bloomed. Among the first species to fly were Sleepy Oranges, the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. In this image, one is taking nectar from the tiny blossoms on a Pringle's Prairie Clover.

Photo Detail
Date Uploaded: 11.2021
Photo Location: Arizona, United States of America
Camera: Canon EOS 90D
Copyright: © martin horowitz