Happy butterflies

A very short session in the grove today, as I found my blip almost immediately. It was a full belly squirm to get the shot that I wanted, the approach took about five minutes, walking on my elbows. I had planned on looking for something new for Beth's competition as today was the last chance for a submission, but this blip was too good to throw away.

Obviously depth of field was going to be a big issue. I had plenty of time and tried lots of settings, including smallest aperture focused at the centre, but even this threw the face out of focus. Just like when photographing human subjects, I believe the most important focus point is the face, particularly the eyes. I could have shot the blip from above and got the whole subject in focus, but then it would lose its character and become just another butterfly shot.

Some butterflies grow false antennae off the trailing edge of their rear wings. These false antennae have developed over millions of years to the extent that they can actually be moved on some species and yet the only purpose they serve is to fool a predator into attacking the wrong end, giving it a mouth full of papery colored cells, leaving the juicy bit intact.

This particular butterfly has taken Darwinian evolution to the next stage. Using the same principle of misdirection, the butterfly has developed a false body and a second pair of wings. Such is the complexity of the defense mechanism that the butterfly can actually move the false wings, giving the impression of a copulating couple. Insect predators are so gullible, but you can't fool me.

Dave