Bonnie Rannald's Photo-Explorations in focus with nature. : Lepidoptera

Monday, October 10, 2016

Grizzled Skipper on Autumn Flowers

A butterfly or moth, it's a Skipper!

With summer winding down and autumn slowly moving in, what could be more heart warming than finding a new species of butterfly on the late blooming flowers?

While I was observing a number of smaller butterflies fluttering on the Mexican sunflowers and Russian sage, I happened to notice one with different markings on its wings. I managed to get several exposures of the butterfly before it darted off, out of sight.

My butterfly identification book listed this as a Skipper, the Grizzled skipper, in the family Hesperiidae of the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). The Grizzled skipper has a black and white checkerboard pattern on its 1.1-1.3 inch (29-33 mm) wings.

The Grizzled skipper may be called a butterfly; however they are in the superfamily Hesperioidea with the moth-like Hdeyloidea. Butterflies are in the superfamily Papilionoidea from the genus Papilio meaning butterfly.

The visual difference between the skipper and butterfly lies with the larger, moth-like body of the skipper, its smaller wings and hook-like antenna tip.

Skippers are named for their fast, darting flight; and there are more than 3500 species across the globe.

I will continue to watch my flowering plants for more Grizzled skippers that might be passing through. What a treat to be there with my camera and catch this fascinating moth-like creature.

Subscribe to and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will take me. There are so many wonders in nature to explore!

For additional reading:

http://butterfly-conservation.org/50-1011/grizzled-skipper.html

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been. I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences.

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

"Reflecting Nature's Artistry"

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http://www.bonnierannald.com/

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Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The Mantis and Sphinx Moth

The Arms of Death

Late one September afternoon when dusk was fast approaching, I was out in my yard and as I walked by the large desert willow tree, I heard a loud vibration of wings. I looked up on a higher branch that was covered in flowers and saw a sphinx moth frantically fluttering its wings. When I took a closer look, I discovered that the moth was caught in the clutches of a preying mantis. I found this quite amazing since the mantis was out-sized by the sphinx moth.

The sphinx moth, Sphingidae, is in the family of moths, Lepidoptera and is also known as hawk or hummingbird moths. This moth can have a wingspan up to 3 inches (75mm) and is one of the fastest flying insects, reaching speeds of 30 mph, 50 km/h. The body size of the moth and mantis are about equal at around 21/2 to 31/2 inches (65-90mm).

Wanting to catch this rare event with my camera, I quickly rushed in and changed to my Nikon 150mm 2.8 macro lens, ever aware of the fading light. I set the D90 on Aperture priority at f/8 for depth of field and raised the ISO to 800 and fired the flash. My shutter speed was indicating 1/60 second and I was afraid that it was not fast enough to freeze the wings and give me a sharp image. Darkness was quickly replacing all light so I opened the aperture to f/5.6 and increased the ISO to 1600, at the same time fearful for digital noise that might ruin the photo. I guess when a photographer becomes desperate to get a photo they will go to any lengths. As a last resort, I had the light from my LED flashlight shining on the scene while I continued to fire the flash on my D90.

After processing the RAW images in Lightroom, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and lack of digital noise from the higher ISO.

To some, this may be a less than desirable scene to watch and take photos of a preying mantis eating a beautiful moth. And yes, I had to overcome the tremendous desire to take the fluttering moth from death’s grip. However as a wildlife and nature photographer, this is one occasion where I have to think with my logical brain and not my heart. Nature has its balance and I am just an observer, I must always adhere to the principles of taking only photos and leaving only memories.