Potentially Expensive Butterfly Picture

Southern Pearly-eye

Cottonmouth Snake

​Board member Barbara Woodmansee tells the circumstances of her recent encounter with a butterfly and a cottonmouth snake. It’s best told in her words.

​“I was hiking near Steinhatchee yesterday (March 17, 2021) on a trail that had been recently mowed allowing me more visibility of the ground in front of me.  A perfect and very hard to photograph Southern Pearly-eye butterfly landed just in front of me on the trail, but at a terrible angle for a photo.  Pearly-eyes are very alert and will disappear into the swamp quickly if spooked, so I got down on my knees and started inching very slowly sideways to get a nice broadside view.  
 
While I was framing the picture, I noticed out of the corner of my eye something white waving back and forth just to the right of my elbow...
 
Seriously, I was ONE FOOT away from this fatso cottonmouth (see photo above) with absolutely no clue it was there.  It could have bitten me in the stomach or on my hip if it had wanted to.  I just scooted back the way I came and we all parted friends.”
 
Can you imagine how Barbara had the composure to photograph the snake after this harrowing experience? Leave it to a true naturalist to capture the amazing wildlife that surrounds us.