Sometimes nature rewards you for standing still.

Along a backroad in Western North Carolina, dozens of butterflies gathered on the sandy, damp ground. At first glance, it looked like little more than a patch of moving leaves or piles of small debris. But as the car came to a standstill near the roadside stream, the scene came alive with flashes of deep blue and black wings.

Among them were Pipevine Swallowtails.

This behavior, known as puddling, is most often seen in male butterflies. Rather than feeding on flowers, butterflies gather on damp soil to drink water rich in minerals and salts, which later become important in reproduction and are passed to females during mating.

What appeared to be butterflies meeting up at the local watering hole was so much more. As photographers, it's easy to chase landscapes or sunsets. But some of the most remarkable moments happen just a few feet from where we're standing, which is clearly what happened to me this day.

Watching these butterflies lift off together and settle again was one of those moments. Their iridescent blue wings caught the mountain light differently with every movement, creating flashes of color that no single photograph can fully capture.