Buckeyes Tease

Posted November 14, 2016

Filed under Buckeye, Eatonton, GA, Flowers Loved by Butterflies

Buckeye butterfly photographed by Jeff Zablow at the Butterflies and Blooms Habitat in Eatonton, GA

Shooting a Buckeye butterfly with a Macro- lens requires that you approach within about 18″. Now how are you going to do that, with such a skittish butterfly? They are especially wary, and your careful approach is usually rewarded by . . . gone! flew! gone!

A fool’s errand is trying to make approach to a Buckeye resting on your trail, or here, at the Butterflies & Blooms in the Briar Patch (Eatonton, Georgia, A 5 **** butterfly destination), catching a breather on one of the paths. You approach robotically, you have a good feeling about your chances, and then nada! zilch! for it’s . . . . gone!

This Buckeye was nectaring on Lantana, that southeastern and southwestern cultivar that releases its sugar juices periodically over the course of the morning.

I made my Technique (see above) approach. Good. So far. Now comes the Buckeye Challenge. Meaning, Bet you can’t get all of those eyes, and Florida orange bands, and golden ring margin borders, and forewing wider bands, and forewing chevrons and forewing margin dots and wing background color, and abdomen, thorax, head, eyes, palps and antennae, together, and all in focus!

So this image is returned from Kansas, and the slide taunts. I love most of the eyes, I love other hindwing color action! but, the head, eyes, palps and more, nope!

Decision time that night. I decided to share this, for I still love those hindwings, and who knows when Virginia will once again dish up such a shmeksy! Buckeye?

Jeff

Going Back to Try Again

Posted June 13, 2014

Filed under Mourning Cloak, Mt. Meron, Israel

So beautiful, and so difficult to photograph. This image of a Toronto, Canada Mourning Cloak is the most satisfying one that I have in my slide storage cabinet. . . and yet when I examine it, I long for the next opportunity to improve on it. This species of butterfly is among my favorites for many reasons. Totally unexpected when you meet one, at times approachable and often very skittish, colors that dazzle, and that session I had with one some years ago, after my wife passed.

Last year, in June 2013 I was on Mt. Meron, in northern Israel. I was there to meet for the first time with another bedazzler of a beauty, the Two-Tailed Pasha (Charaxes Jasius) butterfly. OMG! I only saw 3 during my 4 days on the mountain. They must have been trained by the IAF (Israeli Air Force). Each was resting on the trail, each would not allow me any closer than 30 feet, and each disappeared to Eastern Strawberry Trees at incredible speed.

I am going back to Israel again, on June 18th. Back to Mt. Meron, back to capture images of Two-Tailed Pashas. I will not be posting on wingedbeauty.com until my return to the States on July 17. Hopefully we will have celebrated the birth of a grandchild, and I will return with photographs of many butterflies, including Two-Tailed Pashas. Also . . . hopefully Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Iran will not ‘boil over’ while I am there, or forever, for that matter.

Au revoir!

Blue-Spotted Arab Butterflies Loathe Being Approached by a Person with a Camera

Posted March 17, 2013

Filed under Blue-Spotted Arab, Ein Gedi, Israel

Our second post to-date of Colotis Phisadia in Wadi David at Ein Gedi, Israel. He has spent a good deal of time scouring his tight territorial perimeter for suitable female mates, and he’s now taking a brief rest.

Followers of wingedbeauty.com will now understand that Blue-Spotted Arabs are loathe to be approached. Are they skittish? Yes. So with 3 mornings of photography fieldwork, this is the dorsal (upper) exposure that I will share with you.

Is he flying in an oasis? Sounds like a dreamy existence. Don’t we often view television and video commercials teasing us with the vices of oasis life: drink, sun, and sensuality? Our boy butterfly doesn’t quite seem to have it that good. Nevertheless, he looks pretty handsome, well nourished, and content that he doesn’t have to spend a $$$ ransom to travel to his Wadi from the U.S. or Brazil or the U.K. or Tokyo or Sydney.

They sure gave them a name, didn’t they?

For our followers, 2013 will be a fine year. I am looking forward to photographing butterflies from the National Butterfly Center near the Texas/Mexican border, and if the military situation doesn’t change, from Israel’s northern-most part of Golan– plus a surprise or two.

Good.

Jeff

Enjoy this Red Admiral Butterfly Photo with Clear Upper Left Wings, Head, Antennae and Proboscis

Posted February 6, 2013

Filed under Ramat Hanadiv, Israel, Red Admiral

You’re working the paths in the perennial gardens of Ramat Hanadiv, in Israel. It’s a wonderful time to be there, after all in March butterflies typically are fresh, not damaged by preditors, and fun to photograph.

Suddenly, in zooms just such a butterfly, Vanessa atalanta. Now we know that Red admirals can be very skittish, and usually leave within seconds of appearing. But, it’s morning, the sun is out, there is little wind and flying as much as they do requires lots of carbohydrates. End result, our Vanessa a. remains on these flowers for a long enough time for me to shoot away, and enjoy this image with upper left wings, head, antennae and proboscis.

Compare this image taken of an Israeli Vanessa a. with our images of U.S. Vanessa a.’s (click on Butterfly Types – Admiral). 6,300 miles apart and don’t they look great? Red Admirals sure are adaptable.

Jeff