For 15 years I have been a certified organic vegetable and cut-flower farmer in central Arkansas. My husband works in wetland and stream restoration and forest carbon. I homeschool our boys. We have been mediocre naturalists.

I have always loved butterflies.

A few years ago we purchased 75 acres adjacent to our farm, about half wooded, half prairie. My husband is obsessed with eliminating invasives on our farm and has become an active birder. I have been working on a plant list of (mostly) flowering species found around our farm, and a timeline of when certain butterflies are using specific plants as nectar sources.

I photograph mostly big butterflies. Working with an older iPhone, I don’t have much zoom -ability and I find it difficult to get as close to the smaller butterflies. Maybe someday I’ll have more camera.