A new photo on Reddit is showing just how magical “common” wildlife can be.
A user on the r/NativePlantGardening forum posted a stunning picture of a Common Buckeye butterfly on a vibrant purple aromatic aster. The post, which racked up over 2,600 upvotes, looks like a professional magazine cover.
Photo Credit: Reddit
That “common” butterfly is the Common Buckeye. According to Mass Audubon, it’s a seasonal visitor, not a full-time resident, in northern states. It can’t survive the cold winters, so the population emigrates north from the South each summer to breed. And as the photo shows, it has a thing for composite flowers like asters.
The post is a classic “if you build it, they will come” moment for native planting. Swapping that high-maintenance green carpet we call a lawn for native plants is a huge win. You’re not just saving money on water bills; you’re getting to skip the endless, soul-crushing mowing.
Plus, you’re rolling out the red carpet for pollinators, which are responsible for about one in three bites of food we eat.
This movement is popping up everywhere. One homeowner shared their own “perfect moment” with a Buckeye on a zinnia. Even an Ohio rest stop went viral for its awesome native plant displays, complete with signs for monarch-fueling butterfly milkweed.
It also proves you don’t need a massive ranch. Another apartment tenant shared their tiny pollinator garden in pots, proving “you don’t need tons of acres to do good things.”
If you’re ready to fire your lawnmower, there are easy options like clover, buffalo grass, or xeriscaping. There’s plenty of great info on how to rewild your yard or just upgrade to a natural lawn.
The comment section was immediately flooded with awe. “Wow. This is a perfectly beautiful photo,” one user wrote.
“I love it when ‘common’ things are so extraordinary looking. Thank you for sharing this one,” another added.
One user summed up the magic of the shot: “Never noticed the bits of purple in a common buckeye’s wings! It’s a nice little marching bit of color amongst the purple petals of the aromatic aster!”
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