Monday, July 6, 2009

Butterflies

Today I want to show you a few of the butterflies I've seen while on my adventures. I'm not going to try to identify any of them here, but I'm in the process of finding out what kind these are, and also the identity of many others. I also have many more pictures of some of these.

I saw this first one only a few days ago. It was at the back of the park, behind the pond. I was looking for some deer that the park official told me about. This butterfly was a big one, over three inches, and it flew over as easy as you please and landed on a branch just to my right.

It was kind of high up but I was still able to get a few good shots. It waited there sunning itself until I made a move to get too close. Then it flew away never to be seen again. Don't you hate when that happens? It was all my fault anyway. I was already close enough, but I got greedy for a different angle.

This next little butterfly was in the meadow area of the same park. That place seems to be a good park to see butterflies. I saw very many of these flitting around through this area that day. It was pretty easy to get several shots of this one. There was only one problem that day.

I forgot about this butterfly for a long time because this was the day that I had the run in with the gang of raccoons. I saw those raccoons upon entering the park, and I was cowardly taking this meadow path so I could avoid those vicious(cute) attackers.

When I got these pictures, I still had those raccoons on my mind, and I wanted to get out of the park as quickly as I could. I was too excited to pay much attention to these beautiful butterflies or much of anything else. Still, they've been on my mind ever since.

This one I can identify! It's a mourning cloak butterfly. I have a good post about this type of butterfly already, and you can see it here. I get so many searches for this butterfly on this site, that the page has its own page rank. I also have some more excellent pictures in my archives that I've been searching for.

I found this one as I was leaving the same park where I found these other two. It actually flew right over in front of me, circled around my head, and then finally floated down right in front of me on the path! I couldn't believe my luck. Of course, I began taking pictures like a madman.

This photo session was cut short though, because just as I got started with the camera two students from the college across the street came out of the forest trail. These two evil interlopers interrupted the whole thing! Arrgg!!

It was okay anyway because I have good shots of these and many more. I'm going to start identifying some of these butterflies, and sharing the stories with you. I have to do it, because these are like the flowers of the animal kingdom. I hope this first look has been fun.

18 comments:

  1. Hi Ratty. I love your pictures of the butterflies. I adore butterflies. I recently put in flower beds into my garden in the hope that I would get some there. It is horrible, but we have seen a really sharp decline in butterflies in the UK. That makes it even more thrilling when I do get to see one though.

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  2. Beautiful butterflies, and love the one on the flower! I haven't seen many butterflies around here yet..

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  3. I was once in a field where hundreds of butterflies were gathered, I am certain that it was a reason, but I like to think on that day they were sent there just for me. Great photographs as usual, have a great day.

    Regards,
    A.J.

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  4. Great idea to share some of these guys. I get frustrated because there are many look-alikes, and I don't seem to get the right angle or whatever to be able to see the critical distinguishing marks. Maybe that's why I like plants- they hold still. (Not the whole reason!)

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  5. Gorgeous and different shots...love them!

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  6. Some lovely photos. Great job!

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  7. These butterflies look nothing more than ordinary until we get close to them, start to picture them, and when we have stirred up our curiousity.....

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  8. the first one is really huge, i can tell from comparing it with the branch and the leaves. oh, i am like you, i can be greedy sometimes, only to see the butterfly disappear from my sight :( they are such a joy to see though, there are some butterflies that are very hard to photography since they never stay still. I love those that can hold still for a time enough for me to take pictures :) but you did a really good job on the three pictures, they're a joy to look at.

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  9. ooohhh butterflies! i love butterflies! once again ratty you have some great pics along with an interesting adventure.

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  10. Beautiful butterflies ratty, the second photo is wonderful.

    Mostly I am seeing swallowtails here but hopefully more varieties will show up as summer progresses.

    Have a wonderful week of exploration.
    SQ

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  11. There is a professor at the college I work at, who has been raising cecropia moth's since he was in 4th grade! I was talking to him last week, and he had around 6 of them in a big aquarium that were still catepillars. The idea is to wait until they cocoon, and then he places them in trees, so they can mate. really, really cool idea.

    BTW, sorry to have been absent, family tragedy seems to have that effect on you, you know?

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  12. It's so nice to see these gorgeous butterflies up close with all their colorful details. I can never got closeup shots of them in my yard because they are always flitting about.

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  13. Some of them might be moths...there are also very colorful moths, which makes them even harder to identify!
    But I look forward to your research on them...and if I see any I will start photos of them too so you can help me identify them!!!! :-) I like them all!

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  14. I love butterflies!! Can't wait for those posts. Look for an Admiral--we have one in the yard every year. They have a tendency to sit on your head or shoulders like epaulets--hence the name.

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  15. Great photos of the Butterflies Ratty! I seldom see any but did manage to get a quick shot at one the other day that landed on the ground. Good luck
    finding the info!

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  16. Nice photo shot for these butterflies. I need a better camera if i want to take photos of butterflies in future. Last trip i saw a very pretty butterflies on the leaves but i can't take it. Quite far from where i stand and my camera zoom is limited.

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  17. Bemused - It's a shame that butterflies are declining in the UK. Hopefully things like your garden will begin to reduce that trend.
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    Icy BC - I've just recently begun to see a lot of them, especially at this one park.
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    A.J.Johnson - That must have been a wonderful experience. If you were there alone, then they must have been sent just for you.
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    Sharkbytes - I've had truble with the look-alikes too. My quest to identify some of these butterflies is going to be slow and difficult for that very reason.
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    Nipsy - I'm really glad you enjoy them.
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    Lizzie - Thanks, butterflies are easy to make look good.
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    Rainfield - That's right. They look like almost nothing until we see their wonderful colors and patterns up close.
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    Betchai - I got really lucky with that first one. And you're right, it is a huge one. I always hope by getting closer I can get a better angle, but they always fly away then. I'm glad it held still for as long as it did.
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    PJ - Some time I hope to tell the full stories with more pictures of at least some of these.
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    SquirrelQueen - Swallowtails are some of the most beautiful, so that's a good thing right now. Hopefully time will bring even more variety though.
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    Steve - That is a cool idea! It would be fun to get to see some of the things he's doing with the moths.

    I understand completely. Family is supposed to come before anything else. I hope things improve for you and your family with time.
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    Poetic Shuttebug - I usually don't get so close to them, but I've been very lucky this year.
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    The Retired One - One thing I'm going to do is collect information on the differences between butterflies and moths, and then write a good post about it. Once you know exactly what to look for, they can be differenciated easily. There are actually things that show these all to definitely be butterflies.
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    Lin - I will definitely watch for an Admiral. As a matter of fact, I'll check to see what they look like before I do anything.
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    Ginnymo - Sometimes one lucky shot of a butterfly is all you need, or all anyone gets. I'm already well on my way with my info.
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    Rose - I probably need a better camera too. The only reason I have these photos is because I've been very lucky. These butterflies were all very close to me. Usually they stay far away, like yours.

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  18. Fantastic photos Ratty, I know how tricky it can be to get good photos of butterflies.

    There doesn't seem to be as many this year :-(

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