Butterflies on the Verbena De La Mina

Late yesterday afternoon I was pleasantly surprised by the visits of two butterflies on the Verbena De La Mina shrub.

The beautiful Painted Lady Vanessa cardui arrived first.

Verbena De La Mina flower heads are small, but from this butterfly's perspective, the blossoms are the size as its head.

Within half an hour, a monarch butterfly arrived.

Its wings look somewhat tattered, but that didn't hinder the grace or speed of the butterfly as it zipped through the garden.

Here you can see its proboscis curved as it sips nectar from a verbena blossom.