This is my first butterfly photo of 2010. I first became aware of this Eastern Comma when it flushed from the side of the trail as I walked by. I froze in my tracks and a few moments later the butterfly landed almost at my feet with its wings spread open like this. I rarely experience experience anything of the sort with Eastern Commas. I find that they are usually very skittish and will flush well before I can get my camera in range, and when they do flush they normally fly off out of sight.
 
Prior to finding this Eastern Comma I had been walking for two hours on other trails without finding much of anything. I was starting to think that today might be the quietest day in the field of the year so far! Within half an hour of spotting this Eastern Comma I saw three more and also saw three Compton Tortoiseshells. I may have seen more Eastern Commas, but I can't be sure that the extra individuals I saw were not recounts of the ones I had already seen. A few of the butterflies were within a short distance of a pile of sawed up logs that were oozing sap from their sawed ends.