2013 Purple Coneflower with Eastern Tailed Blue Colored Commemorative Quarter

Part of the Flowers and Creatures of Canada Quarter Series.

The purple coneflower is a favorite among Canadian gardeners not only for its easy maintenance, but its ability to attract gorgeous butterflies like the eastern tailed blue. This tiny butterfly, one of Canada’s smallest and loveliest, can be found across southeastern Canada from New Brunswick to southeastern Saskatchewan.

Design: Canadian artist Maurice Gervais presents a stunning engraved and painted purple coneflower bloom. The flower features a red-orange tubiflora centre and bright purple petals sitting atop a realistic green stem with two smooth leaves. Perched atop the flower’s lower-right petals is an Eastern Tailed Blue, its dark purple-blue wings outlined in black and white, with orange dots at the base of each hind wing.