Gulf Fritillary

Recently, a bright orange butterfly visited our backyard: a Gulf Fritillary or Passion Butterfly (Agraulis vanillae). It landed appropriately on a butterfly bush! You can find more information at http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/bfly/gulf_fritillary.htm.

Here are some photos I took:

You can see the three white spots on its wings, a distinctive marking for the species.

The curved proboscis is visible below the antennae.

You can also see the large orange compound eyes and the upright, furry labial palps.

Notice the orange stripes on its white underside.

A diagram showing the external anatomy of a butterfly:

http://www.ukleps.org/morphology.html

Both illustrations © 2008 Lee Dempsey, HowStuffWorks

References:
http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Anatomy.htm (internal & external anatomy of butterflies)
http://www.ukleps.org/morphology.html (detailed site about life cycle of moths & butterflies, great pics)
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/zoology/insects-arachnids/butterfly1.htm