Here is an Australian Painted Lady Vanessa kershawi, which is very similar to yours.
Some of my 'entertainment' ..
Your Buckeye remionds me strongly of our Meadow argus Precis villida, although yours has much brighter colouring.
Thanks for the info, kennedyh. Magpye you are a very gifted photographer. Imway2dumb, I know the frustration. I will probably be able to buy a camera on September 1, God willing. Fixed income blues. Take care, all of you, Chuck
Good work kennedyh. Thanks! CBernard, maybe I'll get a credit card!?
This message was edited Jul 30, 2004 5:29 PM
Magpye those are WONDERFUL photos. Whew, I dont know how you get so close!
kennedyh, what referance (reference?) do you use to id these critters?
Magpye you are truely a terrific photographer.
This message was edited Jul 30, 2004 10:32 PM
In the year I spent in Canada, I bought a couple of books on North American butterflies. I have
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies, which illustrates with photographs
and
Peterson Field Guides - Western Butterflies by Tilder and Smith
I find the combination of the two books very helpful, usually with a web search as well once I am down to a probable species.
I took several butterfly pictures while I was in Canada.
Thanks kennedyh. I'm new at this butterfly thing and appreciate your comments. The north country is great isn't it? Spent 12 years in Alaska myself.
Magpye thanks for the helpful words and thoughts. i know I am much luckier than many in that my home is paid for and I virtually debt free. I keep reminding myself of how grateful I should be.
Your butterfly photos are just absolutely wonderful. I have never gotten a good photo of a butterfly. Donna
OK .. kennedyh .. (or anyone!?!) .. need your expertise once more. Confirm, or deny .. my determination of what these guys are .. here in these pics! Had to get 'down and dirty' to fetch these pics .. of these wee T ninecy itty bitty lil fellers!
Unfortunately, no matter how long I waited and how quickly I shot - I never EVER got any shots with any with their wings fully spread open. They don't open them, but for a fleeting super milli-second!! Just a couple of 'pretty close to its' .. LOL .. But that 'blue' is absolutely stunningly beautiful, when ya can see it!!!!!!!!
The closest that I can figure is that these are the Eastern Tailed Blue Elfins!! There'll be about 7 pics posted ...
Pic #1 ... I do manage to get progressively closer ..
Need expertise once again .. Pic #2
Need expertise once again .. Pic #3
Need expertise once again .. Pic #4
Need expertise once again .. Pic #5
.. just a wee tiny 'hint' of a glimpse of that beautiful blue!!
Need expertise once again .. Pic #6
LAST, for now .. Need expertise once again .. Pic #7
Wow.
I take it they are more blue on the 'top' side of wings... with them 'up' like most of pics, they look like made of porcelain!
Beautiful! I have no idea WHAT they are, though!
~'spin!~
Magpye, they look like one of the Hairstreaks...they use those little appendages on the hindwing to mimic antennae. Keeps predators from getting a bite of the business end of the butterfly! LOL Great pictures!
Edited to add link: http://images.google.com/images?q=hairstreak+butterfly&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&start=20&sa=N
This message was edited Aug 3, 2004 6:20 AM
This one is closely related to the hairstreaks, but it is called the Eastern Tailed Blue Everes comyntas. It is apparently one of the commonest butterflies in the Eastern US, all the way from the Rockies to the east coast, including Florida. A few are found west of the Rockies, but there it is mainly replaced by the less brightly coloured Western Tailed Blue. Its caterpillars feed on clover, beans and other legumes
Thanks so very much .. for the 'hep' !
I'd read about that also .. in my one butterfly book! However, (as the book and as was stated above .. about their being so 'common') .. I'm sure so! BUT, I tell ya .. the little ditties haint so doggoned 'easy' to get pics of though!!! Least, they weren't for me anyway!! .. lol ..
There was just a wee bit of moisture in the small indention in the ground, very near where they were sitting on the pebble ... and they seemed to 'congregate' near this moisture.
But that shade of blue .. is certainly beautiful. I doubt that mankind has been able to duplicate that shade/hue .. in our house paints, yet !!
Mag, beautiful pics. I was wondering how you got close enough to photograph without them flying away. I know even though you do have zoom, you must still have to get kind of close right? I haven't been able to get pics that close.
Well no wonder I couldn't quite match the butterflies to the pictures. Thanks Ken!
Congregating near moisture is called "puddling" among other things. Here's some info on it: http://www.wnrmag.com/stories/2001/aug01/butterfly.htm
magpye, you never cease to amaze me!
hemlady, I put overripe/rotting fruit in a clay pot saucer for them and they don't seem to fly away as quickly. I'd like to know how she does it, too. Tell us magpye or is it a "trade secret?" :) (Who wants shots of rotting fruit")
Want you to know .. that I'd long heard about using the rotting fruit to draw them in .. They do especially love the Bananas 'flavor' .. or, so I thought!
Hah .. They didn't yesterday! They couldn't have care less about one of the practically nastiest nanners I've ever had to handle!! (sort of went 'forgotten' about in the fridge drawer! Science experiment!?!) .. LOL Anyway, it was super-yuck-gross !!!
There was about 5 or 6 different species, that seemed to be more concerned with setting on our automobile 'bumpers' and any slightly damp pebbles and rocks! Also, had a raised interest in the doggie doodle, near the dawg house! I kid you not ... I sat and waited near that also .. but afraid that all of the other creepy crawlies were there 'feeding' also! (eee-yuk!)
I sat and spyballed all of these guys for better than an hour! Even afterwards, I'd keep a watch on the rotten banana from my kitchen window - still no interest!
Finally gave up on getting any more, or any better shots .. when I decided to go up to fetch our mail. And wowsers, what I found just across the highway over behind our box, was a whole slew of a variety of butterflies lighting and feeding on some wild flowers of which I've no idea what they are!!
Gonna submit a couple of those butterfly pics and the particular silvery 'leafy' flower heads they were nutzoid over .. in just a bit!! Hopin' that it's in my Arkansas Wild Flower guide .. but, if it's not: I'm gonna need some help IDing this bush, for sure!!
Thank you .. for enjoying my pics .. and the wonderful comments .. so much!
Magpye, I love your pictures! Thanks so much for posting them!
The butterflies are congregating on the mud to get both water and minerals. Their normal diet of nectar is very low in minerals so they need to get them from clay. Or, as you saw, even dog doo!
I remember when I was a kid, we had apple trees in our backyard. In the fall there were always way too many apples and a lot would fall to the ground and rot. (Plus we didn't want to pick the ones the birds had pecked anyway!) As the apples rotted they fermented, and Red-spotted Purple butterflies (Limenitis arthemis) would drink the juice, get drunk, and flop around and fly into trees and walls - it was funny to watch that.
Here's a few more butterfly pics ....
I want to stress too, that this pics are totally free of any editing, cropping, or enhancement .. what so ever! I'm posting a few here .. just exactly as my camera 'saw' and processed each ..
The natural light was 'right' .. and I guess I was perhaps cooperating with the flutterbyes too! ...
Haint sure if the light .. was refracting or reflecting, or something other wise - but, at any rate .. it was working well for me and this 'new' species of flutterbye .. LOL ..
( .. Take a view, and you'll see what I mean .. )
This message was edited Aug 4, 2004 10:46 PM
Here's a few more butterfly pics .... Pic #2
.. If you'll look closely, you can see that
the 'white' spots are changing to 'pink' ! ..
Here's a few more butterfly pics .... Pic #3
When I finally managed to get upstairs to upload my pics and view them .... I was just utterly amazed at how the light 'played' with casting the reflection(?) .. of the color from the pink Zinnia onto the white spots of this big beautiful Fritillary! ..
Hence, my fondly refering to it, as the 'new' variety .. hee
Here's a few more butterfly pics .... Pic #4
This message was edited Aug 4, 2004 11:07 PM
Here's a few more butterfly pics .... Pic #5
.. In this pic, you can easily see
that the proboscis is recoiled ..
END, of these - Here's a few more butterfly pics .... Pic #6
So, here he is .. the 'new' Pink Spotted Fritillary
in all of 'his/her' beautiful glory !! .. hee hee ..
Isn't that somethin'! All that beauty and in such incredible detail. Does the Gulf Fritillary visit your "homestead?"
Your wonderful comments are most graciously and humbly appreciated!!
I am no professional photographer, haint propurted to be, and won't ever attempt to 'claim' to be either!! I just shoot my pics .. of my family, my friends, all of our wonderful wildlife that we are so blessed with seeing here on our 55 acres of 'woods'; along with whatever else may crawl out from under a rock, out of a cave, from out of flowers center, or fall out of a tree - - for no one else, and for no other reasons, than .. for my own personal enjoyment!!
I enjoy my digital camera and taking pitters so much .. that I've even gotten to where I find myself teasing my hubby a wee bit TOO much .. about me being more compelled to ditch him before I'd ditch my digital !!!! .. LOL .. ha! .. He doesn't find it as humorous anymore of late! .. hee hee ..
I do want to chunk/share a most important peice of info with you and any others tho' .. about the Fuji S5000.
* The pics that I've posted to DG since I've joined .. are not enhanced, edited, or cropped in ANY WAY what-so- ever!!!!! The pics that folks see on here .. are exactly what the Fuji has produced .. with no touch up .. and for the vast 99.9% of the time - ALL on AUTO!!! What you see, is what you get!! NO - having to absolutely brighten this, sharpen that, crop this, alter color here or there ... NO Nothing has been done to them!! This .. is exactly why I find it just an ideal and relatively low priced little jim dandy ditty of a treasure!!
Gall darn it, we all work hard for our money, and our high tech computers and digital equipment are only some of our 'investments' .. that we want nothing less to see 'live up' to our expectations, and the manufacturers claims!
I thoroughly enjoy looking for and viewing everyones pics they post!! Some awesome veggie and flower gardens, pets and other critters .. and gosh knows what else!! hee Just a shame, that there never seems to be enuff time in a day .. to see everything ... But, whew! I am fervently workin' hard on doing just that !! .. LOL ..
Edited .. to remove info that was posted elsewhere, as it was related to 'Cameras' ... - magpye
This message was edited Aug 15, 2004 9:13 PM
What mite this here lil crawly feller eventually become, when he 'gwoes' up ? Pic #1
What mite he be, when he 'gwoes' up ? ... Pic #2
Some MORE 'flutterbye' pics ... The Spicebush Swallowtail .. Pic #1
Some MORE 'flutterbye' pics ... The Spicebush Swallowtail .. Pic #2
Some MORE 'flutterbye' pics ... The Spicebush Swallowtail .. Pic #3
