Oregon's high country has a special season when the wildflowers are in full bloom.  The butterflies are living jewels, floating effortlessly in a blossom sea, drinking in the nectar.  There's a sense of urgency about them, as if they know the season won't last.  This sulfur butterfly (Colias eurytheme) is sipping from an aster in the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the northeast corner of the state.  Butterflies thrive in this area, at times I have counted ten or more on the same plant, seeming to fight over the flowers.  Asters are favorite nectar sources for butterflies, and many are easy to grow in your garden.  For a list of larval food and nectar plants for butterflies in the Portland, Oregon area and the Columbia Gorge, click here.  

Look closely at the photo above and you'll see the sulfur's tongue arching from near the eye to sip from the flower.  When I'm faced with the choice of photographing flowers, butterflies, deep blue lakes, or granite peaks against the deep blue sky, which to choose?  What more could I ask from life?