Late summer and early fall brought an invasion of the Rocky Mountain region by legions of gossamer-winged Painted Ladies. Denver weather radar detected large swarms of these lovely lepidopterans undulating across the screen in what amounted to a seventy mile band. While this is not an unusual phenomenon in eastern states, it was a novelty for Colorado. Many were the reported sightings and resulting delight shared in newspapers, on television, and numerous blogs.
Between the end of August and the latter part of October, Colorado Springs residents and guests were also treated to a winged visitation of another kind. Thanks to the 10th annual “Flight” event organized by the Rotary Club, twenty-four handcrafted butterflies landed on the lawn of our local Pioneers Museum, where they contributed color and whimsy to an active downtown arts scene. Those steely individuals with three foot wingspans alighted on seven foot tall poles after they were fashioned by Colorado artists. They were subsequently auctioned off at a special fundraiser and the proceeds will support arts and science programs in our largest school district, besides additional worthy causes.
One of our incredible bluebird autumn days found me at my favorite museum. I benefitted from perfect climatic conditions and clicked away with my camera. Being encircled by a cloud of enchanting, enormous creations resulted in difficulty electing favorites. Each butterfly was named and each told its own story on its ventral and dorsal surfaces, the intricacies of which were impossible to capture. My photos show a small selection of these inspired labors of love.
Transformation-The Flight of the Phoenix
Tiger Passion
Sunset Silhouette
Harmonious Dream
Huichol Wilderness
Into the Light
Beauty and the Beast
The Four Seasons
The Four Seasons
When, among those immovable creatures, I perceived the quivering of so many mobile wings, delicate in detail yet sturdy enough to convey their owners to distant lands, I was both humbled and exalted to witness this magical moment.
Click here for the German version/klicken Sie bitte hier für die deutsche Version:
https://tanjaschimmel.wordpress.com/2017/11/09/schmetterlingsfieber/
tanja britton 
Beautiful photos, how lovely the artists’ work is as well. What an enjoyable day around those enormous beauties!
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I appreciate your comment, Donna. It was a very uplifting feeling.
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Beautiful!
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Thank you, Neil.
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They are so beautiful! I love the Four Seasons artwork.
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Thank you, Nirmala. I wish I could have captured the dorsal surface of the wings, where the artwork continued!
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The butterflies are so beautiful and your photos are so amazing. Thank you very much for sharing, Tanja! 🙂 Hang
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Thank you for reading, commenting, and for following my blog, Hang!
Best wishes,
Tanja
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Beautiful photos of both the artwork and real butterfly, Tanja.
What a great sight it must be to wander amongst the artworks on the lawns.
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Thank you, Vicki. The views in all directions were lovely indeed!
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Hi Tanja! I love these! Would you permit me to do a short post on my blog alerting my followers to your post, under the title of “Winged Visitation”, and using photos 2 and 3 as a teaser? I’d provide a link to your blog home as well as to this post.
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I would be very honored. Thank you for your interest!
Best, Tanja
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What extraordinary creations!🦋
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I agree, Cathy. I admire the artists’ creativity.
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[…] Visit Tanja Britton’s post Butterfly Fever […]
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I never saw this monarch type.
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Until this year, I had not really been aware of this butterfly either. Luckily, even I could not miss it. 🙂
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Stunning photos, I love butterflies and these exhibition butterflies are gorgeous!!
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Thank you, it was a special experience.
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Can’t believe they were so many that the radar detected them. Amazing!
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I agree-it’s hard to imagine. But good for us, because they made late summer and early fall more beautiful! 🙂
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[…] of you might remember my 2017 post Butterfly Fever, which celebrated the “Flight” event’s 10th anniversary. After having missed it in […]
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I’m particularly taken with the butterfly whose wings are emblazoned with octopus tentacles. Beauty and the Beast re-imagined?
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That one is definitely unusual. Mr. P. But your guess is as good as any, as artists often leave the interpretation open to the observer.
Thank you for taking a look at this old post!
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Once I saw the sculptures, they seemed so familiar I probably did see this in the past. In any event, I missed your reference to the radar signature of the migration, probably because the sculptures caught and held my attention. It was great fun to see them (again?)!
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Thank you! I definitely don’t expect a fellow blogger to remember previous posts, especially if they were published years ago. But I have had very similar experiences of vaguely remembering someone else’s post only to have the full memory return upon rereading it.
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