In a roadside ditch along a country road north of Reading, Kansas, a cluster of butterfly milkweed blossoms begins to open. Cheryl and I enjoyed a wonderful back-road wildflower tour with Cheryl Patton and friends a few weeks ago. This was one of the photos taken along the way. Wonderful weather for the rural explorations, we enjoyed a bright, cloudless day. We’ve only had a few of those this year. Butterfly milkweed is a big show-off in early summer. If you’ve never gotten down into the dirt to look at them close up, this helps fills the gap, and saves you from getting the chigger bites that usually come with it.
image notes: The lighting on this is harsher than I like for wildflowers. A thin cloud cover, or a diffusing panel creates a prettier light. But I don’t like it too flat either because the natural sparkle in the cells doesn’t appear.