20th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Sleeping Beauty and her Elder-scented Cradle
The photo was taken during one of my wild orchid-hunting expeditions that took place in the summer of 2020, in Harghita County, Central Romania. We just experienced a heavy summer storm that, fortunately, stopped by the evening. I decided to take the last photos of the day, in a nearby meadow full of various species of wild orchids. To my surprise, I noticed a Common Blue butterfly, Polyommatus icarus, hiding and probably sleeping in an Elder-scented, yellow inflorescence of the orchid Dactylorhiza sambucina. The light was also very special, having the golden glow of the day’s last sunrays (Orchids of Romania, by Nora De Angelli & Dan Anghelescu, 2020).
Photo Detail
Date Taken: | 06.2020 |
Date Uploaded: | 11.2022 |
Photo Location: | Frumoasa, Romania |
Copyright: | © Nora De Angelli |