This wonderfully fresh male was photographed on the day after my daughter and I discovered the new Diana colony about ten miles from our house. We found several males twirling around each other over some Cicuta blooms, the Water Hemlock, in a clearing in the woods. We ran to them and watched our first Diana Fritillaries in amazement. I came back the next day to shoot this shot and others. This shows the rich chocolate and purple of the central wings of the male in full sunlight.

Another male from the Bell Slough colony. Could not resist the backlighting through the orange wing patches.