What Do You Want?

Posted May 29, 2019

A friend and butterfly photographer suggested today that I consider revamping my blog goals, and begin chronicling where and when you and I see butterflies, west of the Mississippi River. She pointed out that audiences change and people seek new formats and new sharing.

I chewed on that for some time after. The suggestion went on to ask me to think about becoming more involved with butterfly groups and their web sites. And more. Provocative stuff that. True enough that when we began wingedbeauty.com, we had fewer than 30 “Followers” and we now boast several hundred. I do sometimes recall some early followers, who no longer come and see what we share. Many of the newer followers do not seek to interact or pursue discussion with me, their visits are shorter and I’m not so sure I know what that means.

So, what do you want here? I can tell you that I responded to her at length, with some of my early and ongoing goals. I started photographing butterflies seriously, some 25 years ago. From that time forward, my primary goals were to score and share images of butterflies that were more pleasing to the eye than the photos in the best of the butterfly field guides. I am pleased that I have realized that goal, many times.

I wanted to bring photos of butterflies to people who might not otherwise ever see them, and I really really wanted my captures to look just like the butterflies do in real time, in the field. I spend hundreds of hours each year in wild habitat, and my eyes know what they looked like when I found them. That is the primary reason that I shoot film, Fuji Velvia slide film, ASAS 50 mostly. The color is so true.

My most critical goal is to remind. Remind y’all that the beauty of a fresh butterfly, like this one, met in a meadow bordering the Neve Ativ village, on the slope of mighty Mt. Hermon in the Israeli Golan, far exceeds the best craftsmanship ever to come out of the workshops of Cartier, Tiffany, Van Cleef & Arpels . . .

G-d fashions these winged beauties, and H-s work is exquisite.

So, then, what do you want when you pay us your visit?

Jeff

My Birthday Butterfly

Posted November 27, 2018

Filed under Mishmarot, Israel, Tiger

My Fuji slide film (Velvia 50)? I love it, even as its price continues to climb. My eyes are so attended to the hundreds of hours that I spend in the bush. When I get my images back from Parsons, Kansas, the rich color pleases me, for it is 100% true to the real-time butterflies that I see.

Yes, tomorrow is my birthday, and it will be a quiet one. On the eve of B-day, I’ve decided to share an image taken in the HolyLand, at Mishmarot, Israel, north of Tel Aviv and 15 minutes from Caeseria, and the Mediterranean Sea.

This Plain Tiger butterfly (Danaus chrysippus chrysippus) is closely related to North America’s Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). This Israeli one is much more difficult to approach than our Monarch. Scoring the image was not easy, and closer approach was not to happen.

I often wonder how you entertain my frequent sharing of HolyLand butterflies? Me? I think of Who? and How? Th-y saw them back then, and truth be told, I am moved by that. But with my Birthday hours away, I am going to hope that . . .

Jeff

Gulfs . . . No. 1 Or # 2 In The Southeast

Posted September 13, 2018

Filed under Fritillary, Wildlife Management Area, Kathleen, GA

Gulf fritillary butterfly sipping nectar on thistle, photographed by Jeff Zablow at Wildlife Management Area, Kathleen, GA

These 4 years shooting butterflies in Georgia have been a joy. So many butterflies, they flying in rich, verdant habitat, from Cloudland Canyon to Jekyll Island. Best of all there are so many of them.

Used to be that I’d struggle to find butterflies in southwestern Pennsylvania. That made finding a fresh butterfly a very exciting experience. In Georgia, the fraction of fresh, beautiful butterflies is so much higher.

Which southern butterflies are most numerous Jeff? Gulf Fritillary Butterflies and Cloudless Sulphur butterflies, so says my hundreds of hours in the field.

Do you get glazed over when you have seen dozens of Gulf fritillaries in a single morning? Nope. Huh? I am forever searching for fresh Gulf Frits, and that accomplished, I want to capture an image of the sunlight reflecting from the dazzling ventral white spots. Not easy to get. Not easy.

Here our Gulf Frit’s lower wing spots are 100% brightened by the morning sun, and the thistle flowers dazzle too. Oakey Woods Wildlife Management Area, guided by Mike.

Jeff