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They will Soon be Gone Until Next Spring

  

Category:  Photography & Art

By:  a-macarthur  •  6 years ago  •  27 comments

They will Soon be Gone Until Next Spring

… Butterflies, that is.

Summer of 2018 seems to have indicated a resurgence in the number of BUTTERFLIES when contrasted with the last three or four years, during which, there were alarmingly few!

When I began to notice Monarch Butterflies late in the summer, I watched for the appearance of their eggs on Milkweed leaves, then the caterpillars -- which I placed in large, mesh-covered, wide-mouthed bottles. In the bottles I placed fresh Milkweed leaves which the caterpillars devoured at surprising speeds.

As of three days ago, all of the caterpillars (6 total) in the bottles have formed their chrysalises (the pupa stage) and will eventually emerge a Monarch Butterfly adults. 

To date, I have released one Monarch, one Black Swallowtail and one Tiger Swallowtail … very satisfying. I will photograph the chrysalises soon as best I can since the bottles and Milkweed leaves will make that a challenge; once photographed, I'll post the results.

For now, I will share some of the butterfly shots I took recently.

2tigerswallowtailbutterflycosmosfloweragurmankin.jpg

Tiger Swallowtail on Zinnia Flower

© A. Mac/A.G.

monarchbutterflyonzinniafloweragurmankin.jpg

Monarch Butterfly on Zinnia Flower

© A. Mac/A.G.

leastskipperbutterflycosmosflowersagurmankin.jpg

Least Skipper Butterfly on Strawflower

© A. Mac/A.G.

tigerswallowtailbutterflyzinniaflowersummerdayagurmankin.jpg

Black Swallowtail, Zinnia Flower (Digital Art)

© A. Mac/A.G.


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A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
1  author  A. Macarthur    6 years ago

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." _ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
3  author  A. Macarthur    6 years ago

Hmmmm … seems butterflies are persona non grata …

… or I am.

 
 
 
lennylynx
Sophomore Quiet
3.1  lennylynx  replied to  A. Macarthur @3    6 years ago

Maybe when we finally get rid of the mentally retarded lunatic in the White House, people will feel more like relaxing and enjoying the arts?  Just a thought...

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
3.1.1  author  A. Macarthur  replied to  lennylynx @3.1    6 years ago

Excellent thought!

 
 
 
KatPen
Freshman Silent
4  KatPen    6 years ago

I especially like the Monarch butterfly on the Zinnia flower.  Thank you, AMac!   

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
4.1  author  A. Macarthur  replied to  KatPen @4    6 years ago

Thank you for thanking me, KatPen.

 
 
 
dave-2693993
Junior Quiet
5  dave-2693993    6 years ago

I miss the butterflies. My neighbors and I talk about their lack of numbers often.

I was in a rental car on Friday and hit one on the highway.

All I could do was cringe.

They and dragon flies used to be everywhere. Now there are few of each.

P.S. Thank you for making this available to comment on without having to join a group.

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
5.1  author  A. Macarthur  replied to  dave-2693993 @5    6 years ago

More to come.

 
 
 
dave-2693993
Junior Quiet
5.1.1  dave-2693993  replied to  A. Macarthur @5.1    6 years ago

Thank you.

I need to create some areas for them too.

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
5.1.2  author  A. Macarthur  replied to  dave-2693993 @5.1.1    6 years ago

Plant Zinnias and Milkweed in sunny locations.

 
 
 
charger 383
Professor Silent
5.2  charger 383  replied to  dave-2693993 @5    6 years ago
dragon flies

I have seen lots of dragon flies in my garden this year, this has been wettest summer I can recall.  

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Principal
6  Perrie Halpern R.A.    6 years ago

Pretty butterflies

Bounce from flower to flower

Until the seasons done

Love all your photos.. so I wrote you a poem instead. 

 
 
 
TTGA
Professor Silent
7  TTGA    6 years ago

Really nice shots Mac.

Hummingbirds are also pretty much gone for the winter.  Some of them left hungrier than they wanted.  This little gal (one of the juvenile females)

PICT0012.JPG

was a total bully.  She constantly drove her brother and both sisters away from the feeder so she could have all the syrup.

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
7.1  author  A. Macarthur  replied to  TTGA @7    6 years ago

Well done! You have become quite adept at meeting a specific photographic challenge!

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
9  author  A. Macarthur    6 years ago

Posted a fourth image … a digital art butterfly image in sepia tone.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
9.1  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  A. Macarthur @9    6 years ago

All four are great photos.   Although, of course, butterflies and flowers may look best in colour, I'm knocked out by the sepia-toned fourth photo.

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
10  author  A. Macarthur    6 years ago

But wait … there's more!

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
11  author  A. Macarthur    6 years ago

It must be me 'cause it can't be the butterflies.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
12  Buzz of the Orient    6 years ago

Butterflies are so rare where I am that I have little to offer.

butterfly 4.jpg

Although judging from this tourist souvenir stand at Mount Emei (I posted a photo essay of my climbing that mountain) which is not that far from here, there is a variety of butterflies in the country, if not in urban areas.

emei 23.jpg

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
12.1  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @12    6 years ago

I KNEW I had taken this photo a couple of years ago, and spent hours looking for where I posted it.  I just found it on a photo-essay about a Taoist monastery at the foot of a mountain I had posted a couple of years ago.  It was a huge butterfly, about 6 inches across.

butterfly 6.jpg

 
 
 
dave-2693993
Junior Quiet
13  dave-2693993    6 years ago

Here we are in central Maryland, getting rain fallout from Florence and I saw my first Monarch of the season while putting out the trash.

Sorry, no pictures.

 
 
 
A. Macarthur
Professor Guide
14  author  A. Macarthur    6 years ago

JUST RELEASED INTO NATURE -- this Monarch butterfly!

This afternoon, one of the Monarch chrysalises, pupae formed by the caterpillars I've collected this summer, opened, and out emerged this beauty …

_UIG9801.jpg

Note the chrysalis at the right and the caterpillar at the far, mid-right; all told, I've released 4 Monarchs and two Swallowtail butterflies this summer. I currently have 5 chrysalises and 2 Monarch caterpillars in large plastic bottles.

It is very satisfying to be doing this.

 
 
 
Dulay
Professor Expert
14.1  Dulay  replied to  A. Macarthur @14    6 years ago

My buddy in Ohio had eye surgery the summer and was homebound for a while She decided to 'foster' Monarch Butterflies to keep busy. 24 Monarchs, from egg to butterfly with pictures to everyone on a regular basis. It was beautiful to watch. 

 
 

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