The first Painted Lady arrived in early July, just as the liatris in the front garden began to bloom; by the third Saturday in July, at least a dozen butterflies were gathering nectar at any given time from morning through early evening.

I was so captivated by their alternating fluttering and stillness, I dropped my gardening tools and picked up my camera whenever I needed a stretch and rest break from the gardening chores — which was often.

Painted Ladies (Vanessa cardui) in the front garden, gathering nectar from the liatris,
photographed on three Saturday afternoons and evenings in July.