Another Day at Work
Apis Workers' Party
Predator
Some of Your Beeswax
Sedum Bumbler
Look of Defiance
Chicory Bee
Bumbling Bees
Garden Cafe
Buzz By Here - To Infinity and Beyond
Pick Your Poison
Blind Side Attack
On a Mission
Honey Bee on Sedum
Covering the Cosmos
Center of the Cosmos
Three's a Crowd
Popular Spot
On A Pedestal
Big Harry Fireworks Display
To Impress the Girl
Different Perspective
Sweet Ride
Perfect Little Piggies B&W
Flipping the Light Fantastic
Festival of Flights
To the Crowd's Delight
Amish Go Round
Wondersome One
The Stars In Her Eyes
Tuesday's Child
Sleeper Hold
Considering the Next Move
Sugar and Spice
Front Porch Portrait
Caged Competitor
Early Adoration
Child In the Ligtht
Stroll Through the Weeds
Attention Grabbing
Eye Contact
On the Line
Eyes of Wonder
Rounding the Curve
Troubadours of Basin Spring Park
Down by the Creek
Sun Day
Catching Some Light
EAA Fireworks
Hear Me Roar
Bug
Monarch Squadron
All three of these monarch butterflies are in flight. They were circling, and eventually landing and feeding on, the purple asters in a vacant field near the building where I work.
I didn’t see a lot of butterflies this year, but when I did, it was all within a few weeks at the end of the summer. This photo was taken in late September.
In the interest of full disclosure, you should know this is a composite image. I combined three separate photos – each with one butterfly – to create this image of three butterflies. They were all photographed exactly as you see them…in the location that you see them…just at different moments.
You can view more detail in a larger version of this photo, by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Exotic Pole Dancer
A monarch butterfly clings to a thin twig, displaying its beautiful markings and color.
You can get a better view by clicking on the photo and opening a larger version
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Clipper Parthenos Sylvia Blue
This is a Clipper butterfly of the Parthenos Sylvia variety. The clippers, like this blue version, a nymphalid species.
The clipper is a fast flying butterfly whose habit of never fully raising its wings when flapping makes its flight look rather stiff and jerky. In between spurts of flapping it will gracefully glide.
These butterflies are typically found in South and South-East Asia. This beauty was photographed at The Butterfly Palace in Branson, MO.
You can see more of the detail in these wings when you view the larger version by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Monarch Flight
A monarch butterfly rises majestically above the patch of purple asters. I snapped this photo in a field next to my workplace. I’d been working on trying to catch the few monarchs I found in flight. Catching one in focus is a formidable challenge because of their erratic motion in flight. This is a view of the butterfly from behind, wings on the downward stroke.
To view a larger, more detailed version of this image, click on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Green-banded Swallowtail
This is the Green-banded Swallowtail butterfly. Some might also refer to this butterfly as a Green Banded Peacock or Emerald Swallowtail. It is common to South Asia, including India and Sri Lanka.
In this image, the bands on the wings seem to be more of a blue color. Apparently the color can vary slightly, depending on the angle of view. From the back, it can seem more blue – from the front it appears more green. As you can see, this butterfly is peppered with green scales either side of the main bands. The coloration is a structural color not a pigmented color. The structure of the scales on this butterfly give it the iridescent green color.
Their main diet is provided by plants in the citrus family. On a sad note, they have a short lifespan. The adult Green-banded Swallowtail butterflies rarely last longer than a week.
I photographed this creature on a recent visit to The Butterfly Palace and Rainforest Adventure in Branson, Missouri.
To view some of the details in this macro photo, click on the image and a larger version will open in a new browser tab.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Crepe Wings
The early morning light was striking this monarch butterfly at just the right angle to bring out the tiniest details in its wings. Of the many varieties of butterflies I’ve photographed lately, I find the monarch – common to our area of the world – to still be one of the most striking.
This is one of those photos where it really pays to view the larger version. See the details by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Dead Leaf Butterfly – Open
This is the colorful side of the Dead Leaf Butterfly. The coloring and marking on the upper side of their wings is dramatically different from the bottom side of the wings.
When the wings are folded up, this butterfly looks just like a brown, dried leaf. Its camouflage is very convincing. (See my previous post – Dead Leaf Butterfly) As you can see in this photo, when the Dead Leaf Butterfly opens its wings, it becomes an attractive, exotic beauty.
The Dead Leaf Butterfly is a nymphalid butterfly found in tropical Asia from India to Japan.
You can get a better view of the detail in this colorful side of the Dead Leaf by looking at the larger version; available by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Dead Leaf Butterfly
Look closely or you’ll miss it. At first glance, this appears to be a leaf but, wait…it has legs and antennae! This is the cleverly disguised Dead Leaf Butterfly (Kallima inachus), sometimes called Orange Oakleaf.
When its wings are closed, it looks like a dried leaf. This incredibly effective, natural camouflage helps it avoid predators. When open, its wings are predominately a bluish-black with striking orange markings. In my next post, I’ll give you a view of this same butterfly with it’s wings open.
This cool creature is a nymphalid butterfly found in tropical Asia from India to Japan.
You can get a better view of the detail in this wing by looking at the larger version; available by clicking on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Orange Adorned Butterfly
This little beauty was content to pose for a photo or two. I don’t know what kind of butterfly it is. It was one of hundreds we walked among at the Butterfly Palace in Branson, MO. I was able to snap several other unique butterflies there and will share them in the days and weeks to come. Stay tuned.
To view a larger version of this image, click in it and a new browser window will open.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Alien Presence
Doing its best to blend in with the simple beauty of this wildflower, a stealthy crab spider awaits an unsuspecting victim.
I love watching the viewers reaction to shots like this. At first you see the beauty of the flower. An instant later, your brain registers the spider. How did you respond?
To get a better view of the spider and other details in this image, click on it and a larger version will open in a new browser tab.