If a butterfly takes to the air, would it not be butterflying?
Well, that is my semantic position and I am sticking to it. Especially, as I am seeking to do a better job of taking pictures of small flyers in the air (see, flying birds, swallow love & war).
With its proboscis partially unscrolled, a Pale Swallowtail Butterfly flies toward a source of nectar. I was struck by the position of the legs which are tucked up behind its head in a manner I had previously seen with dragonflies.
A Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly is about to visit a lilac.
Great photos of the butterfly to the lilac ..you must have a lot more patience than me..
What lens were you using for that shot?
Thanks
Brian
Abbotsford
Brian, butterflies present an interesting photographic problem. For most insects I get close and use a macro lens. For most birds, I use a telephoto lens. Butterflies lie in the transition between the advantages of one approach and the other. For the above pictures, the butterflies were visiting high in a lilac and so only a telephoto would do. However, my reactions are too slow to press the button once the butterfly lifts off. So, after it had fed for a short time, I started a continuous burst of pictures in the hopes that one shot would catch it in the air. Sometimes this worked.
So beautiful. I see them often in the gardens. Nice to know its name. Thank you!