WASHINGTON, DC—Donna Price, timber resource specialist on the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee, won top honors in May’s employee photo contest with a colorful photo of red-spotted purple butterflies lined up on a rock to eat.

“We went to Tellico (Ranger District) for some reason, and we were going along North River Road,” she said. “We pulled over and sat on some rocks along the river for lunch. We noticed the butterflies were flying all around, and it was the best lunch I ever experienced. It was like we were in a butterfly exhibit. They were everywhere. I just snapped my picture.” 

The kaleidoscope (or grouping) of red-spotted purple butterflies (Limenitis arthemis astyanax) is often described as “one of the most beautiful butterflies in Tennessee.” With wing spans of 2.25-4 inches, they take flight between April and October and are known to produce two generations each year. Their food includes sap flows, rotting fruit, piles of dung, decomposing animals and, occasionally, nectar from small white flowers.

Price’s photograph was one of 90 submitted for May, which called for photos of pollinators. June’s contest focuses on people recreating on national forests and grasslands. Be sure to submit your photo no later than June 30. Employees can find more information about the contest online.

Price has worked for the Forest Service for 25 years and taken only one night class in photography. She encourages employees to participate, as she will continue to do. 

“Every time I go out into the forest, my precious Canon Rebel comes with me,” she said. “Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve loved taking pictures. I started with a tiny little camera with a tiny roll of film. Then my mom and dad got me a big camera, the kind where you had to load film. That one died, and by this time digital cameras were out.”

Price is prolific enough that many of her photographs can be seen in the hallways and conference rooms of the forest supervisor’s office. 

“If you like taking pictures, and you have some you are proud of, you should want to share them so they are seen,” she said. “We take pictures not to just horde them up for ourselves. We want to share with others. I’m excited that people have an opportunity to use my photos.”