I had to post this one for the story behind the shot. I was down by the creek when all of a sudden these two viceroy cross in front of my face (not 12" from me) attached. The upper one was missing such a large piece (hidden by the leaf) that I couldn't believe he/she could support the weight of himself not to mention the "passenger". They landed on a shrub on the other side of the creek and stayed for a bit. Interesting experience.
Don't you just love nature moments like the one you had here. To me there's a sort of special feeling when a butterfly comes close. To have two of them brush by you, wow! — that must feel really special. You created a pretty picture of your encounter.
In your comment on my crazy Mantis picture you mentioned that it looked as if he was smiling for the picture. I thought the same thing. He seemed like a rather comical character. I picked him up to move him to a spot with better lighting and was very appreciative of the fact he opted not to pinch me. I hear they have a hefty set of jaws for that purpose.
Gorgeous shot and a special thanks for your comments on the blog. We are back on land and with reasonable internet speed should be able to check in more frequently. Thank you for commenting while I've been unable to respond regularly.
In your comment on my crazy Mantis picture you mentioned that it looked as if he was smiling for the picture. I thought the same thing. He seemed like a rather comical character. I picked him up to move him to a spot with better lighting and was very appreciative of the fact he opted not to pinch me. I hear they have a hefty set of jaws for that purpose.