Red-spotted purple butterfly

While driving a gravel road a few weeks ago, I kept seeing dark-blue butterflies sitting on the road. I finally stopped and took a few photos of a couple of them. They looked like black swallowtail butterflies from inside the truck, but a closer look revealed no swallow-like tails on them.

This butterfly is called "red-spotted purple." It may seem a rather unusual name, but it is fitting. When the butterfly sits and raises its wings, the undersides show a spattering of red dots on a dark-purple underwing.

Red-spotted purple butterflies are common during late spring and summer in the southeastern United States.