I realize that I have woefully overdressed as I reach the sunny shores of Lake Champlain. The sun that was hiding behind the clouds is beaming down on the loose cobbles. The cool waves of the lake are lapping upon the shore. Along the water's edge, yellow Coltfoot flowers are spread as fall as the eye can see.
Removing my fleece, I sit quietly in the sun watching to see what visits the flowers. Small bees and bugs move about too quickly to be identified or photographed.
Suddenly, a flash of orange appears and settles on one of the bright yellow flower heads just in front of me. Gently opening and closing its wings, a Gray Comma butterfly (Polygonia progne) has come to feast on one of the first flowers of the spring. It seems too involved in gathering nectar, to notice my presence -- even as I fumble with my camera and kick stones and twigs with my knees and feet.
