Lens-Artists Challenge #300 – Delicate
Ann-Christine brought us a tremendous challenge this week, and what a celebration it is to mark 300 Lens-Artists Challenges! She invited us to think about the word delicate’s meanings: “Exquisite, Fragile, Subtle, Elegant.” One thing immediately became apparent as I was thinking about my challenge response. I wanted to focus on the exquisite, fragile, elegant, and ephemeral beauty that butterflies bring to our lives. Since spring flowers have bloomed widely in the Northern Hemisphere, butterflies can be seen everywhere. I have photographed most of the photos you will see here in the last couple of months while biking on some of my favorite trails. I used the websites Butterflies at Home, Butterflies and Moths of North America, and Wikipedia for fact gathering. As with my last post, I am providing a slideshow at the end. If you do not want to read the text, go directly to the slideshow.
Most butterflies only live 2 to 4 weeks on average. However, a Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) can live up to nine months when wintering in Mexico. Monarchs have a wing spread of approximately 3.5 to 4.0 inches (8.9 to 10.1 cm). They are known for their long migration journey of 3,000 miles (4,828 km).
Since butterflies don’t have teeth and cannot chew, they have a long, straw-like proboscis they use to sip nectar from flowers. On the other hand, they have compound eyes made up of thousands of lenses. This gives them excellent vision, especially for seeing ultraviolet light invisible to humans. As with Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis) butterflies, they taste food with their feet! They have tiny taste receptors on their feet that help them find food sources. Hackberry Emperors are North American butterflies. Their wing spread is 1.5 to 2.5 inches (3.8 to 6.3 cm), and they live only 6 to 14 days.
Like a Hackberry Emperor, the Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton) is also native to North America. It lives 6 to 14 days and has a wing spread of 1.62 to 2.75 inches (4.2 to 7 cm). This photo shows the Tawny Emperor’s tattered wings, which can be attributed to several factors, such as wind damage, flying debris, and age.
I was unaware of this before I started this post. The vibrant colors on butterfly wings aren’t pigments but light reflecting off the many tiny scales covering their wings. The wings themselves are transparent! Checkered White (Pontia protodice) butterflies are approximately 1.25 to 2.00 inches (3.1 to 5.1 cm) in size. As an adult, they only live about 6 to 10 days. They can be found in much of the United States, some parts of Canada, and northern Mexico.
This Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) also has some minor wing damage. Its wing spread varies from 1.75 to 3 inches (4.5 to 7.6 cm). Like most butterflies, it has a very erratic and rapid flight. They can live from 6 to 20 days.
Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon) butterflies live for only four days. They have a wing spread of 0.75 to 1.5 inches (1.9 to 3.8 cm). They are tiny. They can be found in North Carolina, the Gulf Coast, and sometimes southern California. They can also be seen outside the USA in Guatemala, Cuba, and Mexico.
The Common Buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia) is about 2.0 to 2.8 inches (5.1 to 7.1 cm) in size. It can be easily seen in the USA and south Canada in the spring. It cannot live in freezing temperatures, though. An adult Common Buckeye will live 6 to 20 days.
In closing, I leave you with this flying Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor). Its wing spread is 2.75 to 4.0 inches (7 to 10 cm). An adult Pipevine Swallowtail only lives 6 to 14 days. It is commonly found in the southern USA, from the Gulf Coast and north, near Chicago. It covers a wide area from the Atlantic seaboard all the way to Arizona.
I enjoyed seeing all the hopeful images you used for Patti‘s challenge last week. You shared such inspiring and beautiful art when she asked us to reflect on what makes us hopeful.
This week, Ann-Christine led with Delicate. She provided wonderful examples, including photos from her recent trip to Japan. Be sure to check her post if you haven’t already done so. You might have also noticed I did not use any flowers in this article. The reason is very simple: next week, Sofia will go Floral. It will be a beautiful challenge and just in time for spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Be sure to check her blog on Saturday, 12 noon (EDT in the USA). Stay tuned. Please see this page to learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge and its history.
Slideshow
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Sofia Alves
Wow, Egídio. Firstly, I love you focused on one subject. You definitely have the depth to get an excellent post on butterflies. Secondly, thank you for all the info, I’ve learnt a lot 🙂 Now, IF I had to pick a favourite it would have to be the last one. That had to be a hard one to get and it’s stunning!
Egidio Leitao
Thank you so much, Sofia. That last one was the good shot among several blurry ones. Thank God for camera’s burst modes!
SoyBend
You captured them well, Egidio. I especially liked the Monarch photos.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you for your feedback, Siobhan.
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
Amazing photos of beautiful, delicate butterflies, taken and edited with skill. Love them
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the kind words, Ritva.
ropmann
This is a wonderful collection of butterflies! I think the Pipevine Swallowtail is my favorite.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Roland. Yes, the swallowtail is so colorful, but they are very fast. I see them in my backyard, but I seldom have a chance to photograph them.
I.V. Greco
Very beautiful!
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, I.V.
Marie A Bailey
Wonderful photos! Butterflies can be so hard to capture. Just getting one good shot is cause for celebration.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Marie. I always use my camera’s burst mode in order to get one good shot out of many bad ones.
Marie A Bailey
Good advice 🙂
Cee Neuner
Your butterfly photos are so delicate looking and, of course, gorgeous 😀
Egidio Leitao
Cee, your words are much appreciated. Thank you.
Rupali
Beautiful gallery.
Egidio Leitao
Many thanks, Rupali.
Marie
Beautiful. It is so amazing that such a delicate creature can fly.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Marie. It’s really amazing they fly. They are so fragile.
Inside the Mind of Isadora
These are such beautiful butterflies you’ve photographed, Egidio.
The colors and markings are striking. You’ve inspired me to go an capture some.
We have a two lovely butterfly gardens here in Florida. I visited one
a long time ago. I wasn’t taking photographs at the time. I imagine
they must have to be captured with lightning speed since they’re flying around.
Speking of flying around, I didn’t stay inside the greenhouse too long since
they liked landing on me, and I was a bit jumpy as they did. 😳
Have a good week … Isadora 😎
Egidio Leitao
Isadora, I’m so happy that the post has inspired you to go make some beautiful butterfly photos. I often use the camera’s burst mode because butterflies move fast. I get a lot of bad shots mixed in with the good ones. Thank you for the compliment.
Inside the Mind of Isadora
You’re very welcome. I enjoyed seeing the sweet butterflies. 😍
Ingrid
Wow, absolutely beautiful captures. We have a butterfly pavilion at our local botanical garden, and it’s always a fun time seeing these delicate creatures.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Ingrid. Wow, I can only imagine what it is like having a dedicated pavilion with butterflies.
Aletta - nowathome
Oh, wow! Your photos are just so amazing Egidio! I love it! <3
Egidio Leitao
Aletta, thanks very much. I am glad you liked the photos.
I. J. Khanewala
That’s a wonderful collection
Egidio Leitao
I.J., thanks a million.
photobyjohnbo
Your collection of butterfly images is amazing, Egidio! They are truly delicate and short-lived, but they add immeasurable beauty to our gardens and outdoor spaces.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks so much, John. I appreciate this feedback.
Toonsarah
Brilliant butterfly shots, and perfect for this theme! The last one is particularly special 😮 And I never knew that butterflies taste food with their feet – thank you for that snippet of information.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Sarah, for these kind words. I learned a lot about butterflies, too, when I was researching for the post.
Rebecca Cuningham
Beautiful collection. Otimo!
Egidio Leitao
Muito obrigado, Rebecca. I appreciate your compliment.
Nicole Sara
Exquisite indeed… and such splendid photos!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks so much, Nicole.
Tina Schell
Such a beautiful subject for the challenge Egídio. The images are gorgeous and I loved the many facts about them. Hi sad to live only a few days! My husband and I visited a monarch stopover in CA one year. Many thousands hanging in butterfly chains almost like tinsel on a Christmas tree. It was fascinating and beautiful-a true miracle of nature.
Egidio Leitao
Tina, thank you for the compliment. I hesitated about including other things, but I know there’ll be other challenges I can use them in the future. You were so lucky to see so many Monarchs on a tree. I’ve only seen photos of them that way. Thanks again.
gapyearwithgrace
Beautiful images and super interesting!
Egidio Leitao
I’m happy you found the post interesting and liked it. Thank you.
Tranature - quiet moments in nature
Stunning images Egidio and such a wonderful variety of butterflies! Thank you so much for sharing 🦋
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Xenia, for your supporting words. I appreciate them.
sandyjwhite
Lots of delicate beauties here!
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Sandy.
sandyjwhite
Welcome!
eklastic
What a simply wonderful collection. I’ve never seen a buckeye butterfly but I think it is gorgeous. Of course, the flying swallowtail is stunning – catching it in flight is great and the colours are simply stunning.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you kindly for these compliments. I appreciate your feedback.
Tra Italia e Finlandia
Di tutte queste, l’unica presente in Finlandia è la Red Admiral.
Foto stupende e grazie per le informazioni.
Egidio Leitao
Grazie per il commento.
Writing to Freedom
Wonderful choice (and photos) for the delicate challenge Egidio. I learned some new facts about butterflies. Thanks.
Egidio Leitao
Brad, you are not alone in the learning department. I had fun learning new things about butterflies, too. Thanks for writing.
Writing to Freedom
My pleasure.
Leya
Thank you for a gallery of delicate beauties, Egidio! Many of them I had never heard of – but the Monarch is of course known world wide, and the Red Admiral is common in Sweden. You have captured all of them so beautifully – I always try, but they are too fast for me! Swallowtails are among the most beautiful butterflies, but we don’t have more than one in Sweden, the Machaon.
Egidio Leitao
Ann-Christine, thanks for your compliment and feedback. I sometimes struggle to photograph them. They do move fast. The burst mode on my camera helps me a lot.
restlessjo
Wow, you’ve spent a lot of time fact gathering for us, Egidio. I had no idea that butterflies experience taste with their feet. They always make me stop and follow their flight. Ephemeral is exactly right. Joy bringing too.
Egidio Leitao
Jo, thank you for your kind words. I learned a lot while getting this post ready, too. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
restlessjo
🤗🩵
Anne Sandler
I’m so glad you chose to concentrate on the delicate butterflies Egidio. It’s a pity these beautiful insects have such a short life span. We need to appreciate their beauty even more. Thank you for your beautiful photographs and information.
Egidio Leitao
Anne, I had a few options to highlight the challenge, but in the end, I chose to focus only on butterflies. Thank you so much for your on-going encouragement and feedback.