Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Swallowtail Butterfly

From violent storms to gentle butterflies, I cover it all. I have for you today what appears to be an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. This one seemed to be begging for me to take its picture. And who was I to turn him down?

I was walking a new nature trail when I saw this big butterfly flit across the path in front of me. It landed on a high branch next to the trail. I knew this was a golden opportunity that I shouldn't pass up, so I got as close as I could, even though the shrubs there were very thick.

There were several problems though. First of all, the butterfly landed in a spot where the leaves concealed it too much. I just couldn't get a very good view. Then a swarm of flies decided that they liked the taste of my face. I don't have infinite patience, so I called it quits and moved on down the trail in a huff.

You may have already guessed because of the pictures that I got what I wanted. On my way back I saw the very same butterfly. It was sitting in the very same spot! I decided to try one more time. But then it got up and flew away across the path! I thought it was gone, but it quickly landed on a branch not far away.

This time I had an excellent view, the one you see at the top. I took several identical pictures of this beautiful creature before it flew again. It's next destination was another branch only a few feet away from the last. It thought it was hidden this time, but I was able to get a few more good shots of it behind the leaves.

Nature always presents a new surprise for an everyday adventurer. That's sometimes easy to forget. I'm glad for these little surprises. These are what keep me going. I will always love this.


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18 comments:

  1. The best time to take pictures of butterfly is during it is sleeping.

    So, the question is: How can you know it is sleeping?

    I'll tell you in my next post.

    Hahahahahahaha....

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  2. Nothing quite like a butterfly to brighten everyone's day! One of nature's purest treasures.

    Bill:www.wildramblings.com

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  3. I am seeing twice the number of butterflies this summer. Great shots, Ratty!

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  4. Chased one yesterday, but when it landed it moved its wings fast like it was using this to pump the necter.Got home and had 9 blurs and one off center.Ha! Next time swallowtail!

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  5. Wonderful! I think these are some of my favorites of the flutterbys. Well, maybe I like the pipestem swallowtail better for it's iridescent blue, but this one is great too.

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  6. Beautiful butterfly. I've yet to get lucky enough to get a picture of one.

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  7. Ratty, I've yet to capture a butterfly despite the numerous times I've seen them. They just don't sit still long enough. This is a fantastic capture.

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  8. beautiful, the first one is very clear and very vivid.

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  9. There is a great song with the same title (Swallowtail Butterfly)sung by a Japanese singer, Chara. beautiful pattern.

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  10. I love butterflies...so gentle and vibrant....it's a shame that their life as such a beautiful creature is so short lived!!

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  11. This is so lovely, Ratty. I've not been too successful at photographing butterflies except years ago at a butterfly garden where there were so many species in great numbers. I wish I knew what happened to those pictures. One of these days, also, I'll have to go to Monterey when all the monarchs are there. They even have a festival dedicated to those butterflies!

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  12. How beautiful! Ratty, you have a real gift for capturing nature at its finest. Have you ever considered putting it all together as a book?

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  13. Great shot Ratty, he is a beauty. I have swallowtails all over my yard right now but so far they won't stop fluttering around and pose for a photo.

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  14. That looks more colorful than our WESTERN tiger swallowtail. Too bad for us.

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  15. Almost like a painting.. so beautiful! You seem to be attracting nature's beauties a lot Ratty. lol

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