Lepidoptera, a photo from Isle of Wight, England

Photographer's Note

Lepidoptera are a large order of insects that include moths and butterflies. The term was coined by the Swedish scientist, Carl Linnaeus in 1735 and is derived from ancient greek words for scale and wing.

Having had two glorious days on the Isle of Wight the heavens opened on Sunday and a major storm pushed through the UK (the worst September storm for 30 years). Butterfly World promised some shelter so we headed for there. We were immediately faced with a hefty entrance fee and a notice about the butterflies not flying because of the cold temperatures. Anyway, with nothing else to do we went in and in the first 5 minutes saw a lot of foliage and no butterflies. However, once our eyes became trained we realised that they were everywhere, and because they were not moving much, they were fairly easy to photograph. I have no experience with photographing butterlflies so tried all sorts of settings with and without flash. This one did not need flash because the butterfly was very still and there was enough light. I have spent a long time on the internet trying to identify this butterfly but had no luck. If anyone can identify it I would love to know what it is. The butterflies were from around the world which makes it harder.

Thanks to John (Tyro) this is now identified as a Zebra Longwing.

tyro, Budapestman, bukitgolfb301, bukitgolfb301, SnapRJW, pajaran, delpeoples, abmdsudi, snunney, bayno, Graal has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

lousat (57626) 2012-09-29 8:56

Hi Ann,i'm a butterflies fan and this is a great gift to me,a perfect pic for treknature too of this black anc white specie very common in the caribbean countries.Magnificent capture whit the best wings position for the best details and very good exposure too.Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

GREGG (8243) 2012-09-29 9:03

Hi Ann,
wonderful shot,lovely hero
good composition,
technically perfect,
Greg

claudeD (24173) 2012-09-29 9:20

Hello Ann,

very fine nature picture of this very interesting butterfly. like the very good colors and the perfect sharpness. Very well done. TFS.

With regards from Luxembourg

JC

mjw364 (3680) 2012-09-29 9:46

Ann

What a beautiful image. A very carefully controlled DOF and the clarity, as with all of your images is stunning. Orange and black contrast very well and stand out powerfully relative to the green of the background.

Great shot.

Mike

krzychu30 (8873) 2012-09-29 10:01

Hello Ann,
beautiful macro composition.The butterfly so sharp and clear captured and blurry background make really nice effect.Almost like 3D.Colors are delightful,vibrant and well-saturated.Magnificent picture.
Have a nice evening
Krzysztof

tyro (13073) 2012-09-29 10:02

Hello Ann,

What a glorious photograph of this handsome butterfly, its monochrome markings making a wonderful contrast with the bright orange flowers and green foliage. But, Oops, will the moderators like this or will they suggest you move it to TL or TN?

I did think that Luciano would spot this one and, of course, he has - he is an avid photographer of butterflies and has a huge collection of beautiful photographs of them on TN. And, as he says, this one is common in the Carribean, is the "state butterfly" of Florida and is called the Zebra Longwing as you can read here.

A beautiful photograph, Ann, and well taken while sheltering from a storm even although it did cost you a small fortune to get into this place!

Beautiful!

Kind Regards,

John.

cornejo (18054) 2012-09-29 10:03

Hi Ann, very nice picture of this beautiful and interesting butterfly and flower composition, both wonderful. Very nice picture with good sharpness, color and light. Very good and interesting job perfectly done, congratulations my friend. Tfs.

Good afternoon and happy Sunday.
Best regards and best wishes.
Angel.

mmohan (738) 2012-09-29 10:04

Hi Ann,
I love butterflies, when I go to India, I see so many of them in the open. In the UK, I think I should find a butterfly world nearer to my home.
Nice sharpness and composition.
KInd regards,
Manoj

yquem46 (32263) 2012-09-29 10:12

Hi Ann
Not often to see insects or butterflies on TE, where they are not given enough attention, IMHO
This one is a nice example and it looks like you'll be successful with it
Well worth being posted since it's beautiful and well presented on a neutral green BG
Razor sharp image with good light and natural colors not overdone
Bravo, have a nice WE
patrick

ManuMay (33343) 2012-09-29 10:26

Hi Ann!

Very good realization, excellent focus and superb colours. sharpness adn details are great too...

Congratulations...

Manu

kiks (11373) 2012-09-29 10:45

impressive sharpness and such a beautiful composition with the butterfly and the orange flower framed by the off focus green leafs
Best regards
KIks

rychem (9203) 2012-09-29 10:48

Excellent shot of this attractive butterfly, perfect sharpness of details, beautiful colors, well presented
regards
Ryszard

mjdundee (4657) 2012-09-29 14:13

Hello Anne,
Somethimes names are not important to know. It is enough what your eyes see and this is a very beautiful butterfly and a extremely pleasing composition with fantastic colors and sharpness. Congrats.
Have a nice and sunny Sunday.
Thomas

Budapestman (82620) 2012-09-29 15:25

Hi Ann,
a beautiful close-up with very nice composition and fantastic details, splendid colours and sharpness, Tfs! Have a nice weekend! Kellemes hétvégét kívánok!
György

bukitgolfb301 (30065) 2012-09-29 18:00

Hi dear Ann

This is another wonderful image. Great nature shot!Marvelous vivid color touch is very preferable and comfortable. Clear and sharp image as usual. Thanks for your sharing and have a good Sunday!

Takero from Tokyo

SnapRJW (18722) 2012-09-29 22:38

Hello Ann - Good for you, making the most a wet day by stretching your photographic skills and experiences. The result is colourful and eye-catching. Very good focus on the wings and the gorgeous vivid colours of the flowers and soft green of the foliage add the perfect balance. A fine shot. Well done. Warm regards rosemary

pajaran (36224) 2012-09-29 23:27

Dobar dan.
Vrlo interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Lep leptir ...
Dobra ostrina i kontrast, lepe boje.
Dobra kompozicija, lep cvet, i trenutak sa leptirom.
Imajte lep dan za odmor, sve najbolje.
Paja.

Good day.
Very interesting and good text ...
A beautiful butterfly ...
Good sharpness and contrast, beautiful color.
Good composition, beautiful flowers, and a butterfly moment.
Have a nice day to rest, all the best.
Paja.

delpeoples (44904) 2012-09-30 2:27

Hi dear Ann

Your skills have gone up even further in my estimation after this shot (if that's possible). Having tried (and spetacularly failed) at taking butterfly shots, I really appreciate how much skill and patience went into this. The colours and definition are striking and you did so well with the focussing, re-focussing and shutter speed. I'd be absolutely stunned if this was deleted by the mods, butterflies are always being posted here and it's not as if your whole gallery is full of them. I think it's a great example of dipping into another photography genre, and doing it very successfully. Nice job, congrats.

Cheers and happy Sunday
Lisa

abmdsudi (26233) 2012-09-30 3:12

Hi Ann
Stunning close-up shot with the subtle soft background and the glow of vivid red to go along with black/white, the result is gorgeous! Details are fantastic, pin sharp that looks great against shallow dof with amazing contrasting colors. Great shot with the right treatment, Congrats.
Best regards

snunney (67334) 2012-09-30 3:43

Hello Ann,
You were lucky with the butterflies not continually moving, otherwise it's the devil's own job to photograph them. This is a superb capture that benefits much from the sympathetic ambient light. First class colours and sharpness.

Miguel82 (7790) 2012-09-30 5:27

Ann,
This is a high quality picture
you agree to share with us!
I like the butterfly color, look like the dress of a girl!
Sharp picture, excellent colors and light
Good sunday

Sergiom (39223) 2012-09-30 5:53

Bonjour Ann,

Tu n'as pas manqué ton coup avec celle-ci.Le papillon est d'une très grande netteté et l'arrière plan est flou à souhait. Les couleurs sont superbes.

Bon dimanche

Serge

dkmurphys (36801) 2012-09-30 14:22

Hi Ann,
Charming detail in great natural colors. Perfect close up, well taken.

Daniel

marabu61 (3914) 2012-09-30 14:55

Hello Ann
beautiful butterfly picture. I know how hard they are to photograph, I chase them around the fields in Finland too.
Technically perfect with pleasing colors and a nice blurred background, the butterfly has center stage here.
have a great week
Daniel

bayno (16195) 2012-09-30 22:13

Ciao Ann,
fabulous definition for this macro, the colors are fantastic and also the butterfly with open wings seems to have put posing for you...super nice...
regards,
Valter

Nard (6913) 2012-10-02 0:14

Hi Ann
Waou, a spendid macro well managed. The sharpness is perfect with the blured BG and the 3 major colors give a wonderful mixt. Nature is beautiful.
Regards
Bernard

Silvio1953 (98129) 2012-10-02 1:16

Ciao Ann, great macro of fantastic butterfly, lovely composition with beautiful flowers, fine details, excellent sharpness, wonderful colors and splendid light, very well done, my friend, brava, ciao Silvio

eldancer1 (17036) 2012-10-02 9:10

Even with soft lighting this butterfly look wonderful. Good use of the dof with nice details. Wonderful colors. Very well done, tfs.

Graal (88886) 2012-10-03 0:00

Hello Ann,
very good close up. Amazing species of butterfly. Unusual wings. Good colours and quality of photo. I like it.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

jemaflor (68913) 2012-10-04 12:56

Hi Ann,
Well presented, perfect sharpness and colors, a shot well managed, lovely result, tfs.

COSTANTINO (42746) 2012-10-04 22:19