Zoom in on - Butterflies

Photographing the fast fliers requires patience, but these snapshots from readers prove it's worth the wait.

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Most of the sunflowers in my New Jersey garden bloom in August. I also have an abundance of fresh milkweed on my property, which invites monarch butterflies. One early afternoon, when the clouds provided some filter from the harsh sun, I photographed a monarch and a bumblebee on one of the sunflowers. I just love the combination of the butterfly, bee and flower together. It celebrates the height of the season.

Cheryl Fleishman WANTAGE, NEW JERSEY

A close-up look at this fiery skipper on a coneflower offers lots of details. I saw the tiny butterfly near the Calypso Cove Marina on Lake Thunderbird State Park in Norman, Oklahoma.

Stephen Ofsthun NORMAN, OKLAHOMA