Butterflies
Morning Dangler
I found this monarch butterfly clinging to the underside of a purple coneflower in a meadow very early morning. It was obvious, this is where it spent the night. It was still in sleep-mode when I photographed it. I was able to nudge it without it flying off. I eventually coaxed it to the top of the flower and posted a photo of that earlier ( see it here: Monarch of the Meadow)
For a little different feel, I added a bit of texture to this one.
You can see a larger version of this image by clicking on it.
Garden Svengali
This butterfly struck a perfect pose for this portrait shot. He was a handsome specimen. Still, I’m not sure which I find more interesting, the butterfly or the flower he is perched on.
Monarch of the Meadow
This monarch butterfly, sitting on the head of a cone flower, was stretching its wings in the early morning sun. I like the way the petals from the flower look like trailing streamers.
I was delighted to capture this image because butterflies have been a real challenge for me. Of all my attempts – chasing the fidgety creatures around with my camera – I’ve only been able to catch a couple of images I’ve been happy with. I just happened to catch this one early in the morning, not fully awake. I even had to nudge it to get it to open its wings.
To see a larger version of this image, click on the photo.
Brown-eyed Beauty
quest, (noun) 1. The act or an instance of seeking or pursuing something; a search.
I have been on a quest this summer…to find and photograph a butterfly. Seems simple enough. (Yeah, right.)
Every now and then I get a photographic target in my head. One of my targets this summer has been a butterfly image worthy of posting on this blog. Judging by the number of butterflies I’ve seen, much less snapped, butterflies have to be top candidates for some endangered species list. Of the very few I have seen, I’ve not been able to get a good, in-focus, shot of one.
In the last few days, I’ve spotted a few in a vacant field next to my work place. I trudged through the waist high weeds, trying to sneak up on them. They are skittish, flighty little buggers. When I did get one in focus, I couldn’t seem to get a good angle on it…where you can see the wings spread and colors displayed.
This image, though short of my ideal, is the best I’ve been able to come up with and the only one I’ve felt worthy of sharing. And, since it’s not my ideal, the quest will continue.
To get a better view of that brown-eyed beauty, click the image.