Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Lovely Lepidoptera



This Monarch arrived early in the morning just as the sun was getting up into the sky and it took a relaxed tour of my echinacea.  Since I am teaching myself to use the manual settings on my camera,  it was nice to have a cooperative subject.





     I love how the body polka-dots coordinate with  the design on the outer edges of the wings.  Reminds me of a woman dressed to kill with matching scarf and shoes!





               Finally,  a look at the whole package.





      Look how the sunlight shines right through some places on the wings.





      The butterfly  hung around the coneflowers for a long time, allowing the clumsy left-handed photographer plenty of time to shoot.  Unlike other butterflies that dart around frantically,  the Monarch can afford a leisurely float from flower to flower since it tastes terrible and predators avoid it.






I hope he(she) stays all summer.  I planted a second butterfly bush, some more butterfly weed, lobelia, flocks, snapdragons  and a trumpet vine to entice the Lepidoptera to visit.  These same flowers will also bring in a few Ruby-throated Hummingbirds later in July. (I hope.)


Today's Thought - 

         Thank you God for this Monarch Butterfly, decorating my garden with elegant symmetry.




10 comments:

  1. great pics, nice job with the manual camera shooting

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  2. Is the butterfly on your butterfly bush? I've wanted to buy one but hadn't move forward yet. Your photos are striking for a left handed shooter and a new camera. What kind of camera is it? I love shooting, mostly water and sky because I have no garden yet, and my writing/self-publishing have taken residency in the front seat. Your polka-dot simile brought a smile. Nice blog! :)

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    1. Hi, thank you for your kind words. It's so nice to 'meet' you.
      The flowers are purple cone flowers , not butterfly bush. I do have two butterfly bushes and the butterflies (and hummers) love them.
      My camera is a Canon SX30IS and I've had it for a few years. It can be used on auto or manual settings. The biggest disadvantage is, I can't change to a more powerful lens. The lens is fixed. That is a problem when I try to shoot birds. However, it is easier to carry and I chose it because it was the easiest camera to manipulate as a lefty!
      Good luck attracting butterflies and shooting them.

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. You'd never know that was a new camera. Those photos are great!

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    1. Thank you. I've had the camera for awhile but I've mostly used the automatic settings. It has taken me this long to try the manual settings!

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  5. These are great photos, Barbara! Like Nancy, I liked the polka dot comments. It struck me, too, how much like stained glass windows the butterfly's wings are.

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  6. Thanks you Denise. Welcome to my blog. The stained glass window effect is even more inspiring when the light comes through the wings! Beautiful creatures, aren't they?

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  7. Ostatnie zdjęcie jest wspaniałe, skrzydełka są ślicznie oświetlone promieniami słońca. Pozdrawiam.
    The last photo is great, the wings are beautifully lit by the sun. Yours.

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  8. Thank you. I love these butterflies.

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