"The Queen"...

The Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) is a stunning creature. If you can catch the sunlight on their wings, they become a spectacular deep orange. The white spots are mesmerizing as you look more closely. It's always a treat to photograph these creatures.

The Queen is a moderately large butterfly, with an average wingspan of approx. 3.2 inches. It is easily distinguishable from its relative the monarch by its darker brown ground color, and lack of stripes decorating the wings. It possesses a very tough and flexible chitinous exoskeleton, unlike most other butterflies. I'll be sharing more photos that depict this detail.

Taxonomy: The Queen is a member of the genus Danaus, which includes D. plexippus (monarch) and D. eresimus (soldier). It is of the family Nymphalidae of the order Lepidoptera. There are as many as eleven subspecies recognized.

Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge, Arkansas.
Photo # K05_7851_16x9c.
(c) Kelly Shipp

"Nature's Mix of Leaves"...

Trees in forest, Dancing Rabbit Trail,
Crowley's Ridge State Park, Arkansas.
Photo # IM7_3792bwb.
(c) Kelly Shipp

"Cadron Dreams"...

There's just something about the trees in this park. They each have their own place in the landscape, as if they have their own message and story to tell.

Cadron Settlement Park is a 150-acre park maintained by the City of Conway, but owned by the U.S. Corps of Engineers. Cadron Settlement Park is 99 miles by water from Indian Territory, the end of the Trail of Tears Water Route.

Conway, Arkansas.
Photo # P1030403bw16x9m.
(c) Kelly Shipp