Elusive Butterfly
When we visited Butterfly Wonderfland, we were immediately captivated by the big beautiful blue butterflies that flew all around us, seeming to never land- except for on the sidewalk! We would come upon one here and there lying motionless on the walkway, seeming to soak up the warmth before speeding away. The sidewalk didn’t appeal to me as a very natural background, but I did finally snap a few photos of them this way. As I took the 800 plus photos of the thousands of butterflies among the flowers and leaves, I was so frustrated because of not being able to find any blue ones on the leaves and flowers. I tried to capture them in flight, and all I was able to get were little blue blurs in my photos.
Among the butterflies I photographed was this beauty above with its richly patterned wings. I mostly saw them feeding on fruit set out in dishes on the ground. It took almost an hour before I realized that these were the blue butterflies I had been looking for; their wings are blue on top and brown below! Named Blue Morpho, their contrasting wing colors make them seem to appear and disappear as they fly, confusing predators (and photographers!).
Linking up with Friday Finds today.
How gorgeous! Love that last shot that shows both color patterns!
April 24, 2015 at 8:33 am
Stunning shots. And I had no idea that’s what the underside of their wings look like. No wonder I couldn’t capture one in the wild.
April 24, 2015 at 10:00 am
Oh wow!!! I’m happy you were able to get the blue wings you wanted. He is so beautiful on top and underneath. I love the iridescent blue, and the dots on the underside. Oh my! 800 photos. What kens did you use! When I go visit ours I thought I’d take the 60mm macro as its my only true macro.
April 24, 2015 at 10:10 am
Beverly, I used my 85mm DX macro lens (my Nikon d7100 is a crop sensor) on most of my shots- I also took my zoom, which I think I used on the top image. I think the macro did best. Have fun!!!
April 24, 2015 at 10:33 am
Beautiful and it all looks so fun!
April 24, 2015 at 11:43 am
WOW , nice detective work ! and nice pictures !
April 24, 2015 at 4:14 pm
So glad you finally got him or it is a her! They are my favorites, actually any one that will sit still long enough is my favorite. 🙂
April 24, 2015 at 4:19 pm