Posted by D J Kuklinski on April 25, 2008 at 4:28 PM
I normally do not shoot insects, but when I saw this butterfly and numerous bees around the plum tree in the Garden, I couldn't resist.
I posted this image in the Macro & Close-up Forum as well. All images cropped from original.
Posted by D J Kuklinski on April 25, 2008 at 4:29 PM
Another
Posted by D J Kuklinski on April 25, 2008 at 4:30 PM
And one more
Posted by Paul Martin on April 25, 2008 at 6:44 PM
These are really nice DJ, the combination of flowers and butterfly (or is it a moth?) is great. I find myself pointing my camera at these things once and awhile, too.
Posted by Todd Caudle on April 25, 2008 at 8:11 PM
The first one is far superior enough to the other two that I'd show only that one, so the others don't looks soft. But they're very cool, esp. #1 obviously. It looks like a moth, but I'm no bug expert.
Posted by D J Kuklinski on April 25, 2008 at 10:24 PM
Thanks guys. I think you're both correct that it may indeed be a moth. I'm no bug expert either.
Posted by Les Barstow on April 25, 2008 at 11:49 PM
FYI - American Painted Lady Butterfly.
Moths almost always hold their wings closely folded, either flat or peaked at the thorax when at rest; some of the larger moths hold their wings flat and slightly more spread. Butterflies tend to hold their wings vertical or spread and slightly upward when resting; they may also pump their wings slowly up and down while at rest.
Posted by D J Kuklinski on April 26, 2008 at 12:28 AM
Les, thanks for the info. Now I can name the images properly.
Posted by bill meikle on April 26, 2008 at 10:06 AM
Nice shot, a little bit of wing damage, a common issue. I enjoy photographing butterflies but they don't sit still for long. I think moths have pointed antennae while butterflies have thick ends, sorry I'm not describing that very well.
I'd 2nd Les with the Painted Lady ID. #1 is definitely a winner, the bg really makes the butterfly stand out!. Nice to see butterflies coming out, sure sign of Spring.
Posted by Guy Schmickle on April 26, 2008 at 9:24 PM
That first shot is definitely the pick of the litter. Maybe a little more dof, but I understand that things happen so fast when trying to shoot those buggers that you rarely get many chances to experiment.
Posted by Les Barstow on April 27, 2008 at 1:11 PM
I think what Bill is trying to describe is that butterflies always have knob-ended antennae; moth antennae end in a point, though there are several shapes - compound ("feathered") is the most common IIRC.
Posted by D J Kuklinski on April 28, 2008 at 11:31 PM
Thanks everyone for the info and comments. I knew I should've just posted the first one
Discussion
13 repliesI posted this image in the Macro & Close-up Forum as well. All images cropped from original.
Moths almost always hold their wings closely folded, either flat or peaked at the thorax when at rest; some of the larger moths hold their wings flat and slightly more spread. Butterflies tend to hold their wings vertical or spread and slightly upward when resting; they may also pump their wings slowly up and down while at rest.