A Butterfly in Motion!

Silver-Spotted Skipper      Epargyreus clarus      

Well I wish I could say that I planned this shot but I snapped the shutter just as the skipper decided I was a little too close. You might say that I did plan the shot, but this was not the outcome I intended. But hey, sometimes we get lucky and while it was an accident it is a very unique look at the wing motion of the butterfly taking off from it's perch.  At least I was standing in the right place! See quote below.

" A good photograph is knowing where to stand."

               Ansel Adams(1902-1984):American Photographer and environmentalist

On Heavens Breath!

The butterflies are out in force in the deep south and

while clicking the shutter on a few flutterbys last week

this little guy happened along. Although it has obviously

been through a tough time, it was still trying to carry out

its mission here on earth. I couldn't help but feel a little

sorry for it and wonder what happened to cause the wing

damage. Did it get caught out in the storm and wind? Did

it have a bad encounter with a predator? Or perhaps did

it have a run in with a motor vehicle on a highway? It is

really amazing if you notice the number of butterflies that

meet their demise on the highways and byways.

Pipevine Swallowtail     Battus philenor

Although its damage is pretty severe, it still carries on!

I wrote this poem and used on another post some time ago

but thought it was just too fitting for this little fellow.

On Heaven's Breath

On Heaven's Breath I flutterby
Pressed against her deep blue breast
Over lake and stream I tarry nigh
Through field and wood I rest

True course I hold through wind and storm
A journey far from start to end
Constant dangers are endless born
Waiting, lurking, round every bend

I cast my lot upon the breeze
And pray a gentle hand it give
By fate it carries me where it please
Through countless battles I must live

And when I cross your path one day
On Heaven's Breath I flutterby
Cast your eyes upon my way
And say a pray for butterfly

Randy Schultz August 24, 2010

Tiger Swallowtail!

I spent a little time at Tishomingo State Park this weekend and I found a small area with a few flowers blooming, not an easy feat in late July in the south. Needless to say the butterflies were enjoying their selves immensely. Here are a few pics, more to come later.

 Such beautiful patterns and colors.

And the sun added a little light at the right time to illuminate this fine specimen.

They are so delicate and beautiful, both the butterfly and the flowers! 

"May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun

And find your shoulder to light on,

To bring you luck, happiness and riches

Today, tomorrow and beyond."

      Irish Blessing

A Cup of Blessing!

 Well I had a little fog on my lens when I snapped this shot but I thought it was still worthy of sharing just because it looked so lovely.

But when I looked away and turned back to the flower a few seconds later, look who paid a visit! A Sulphur Butterfly decided to adorn an already beautiful flower and make it even more worthy of sharing. How awesome to witness first hand a relationship in God's natural world as it was meant to be. The butterfly seeks the flower for its nectar; we seek it for its beauty. I think God must smile when two of His own come together at the same time and recognize our seperate need for His wonderful creation!

"Never lose and opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting-a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing."
     Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882): American Philosopher, Essayist and Poet

More Swallowtails!

Black Swallowtail  (Papilio polyxenes)

"Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it."
                   Confucius ( 551BC - 479BC): Chinese thinker and social philosopher.

Who Called the Meeting?

Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)

     Caught these bunched up on an ole rotten, punky, piece of driftwood along the bank of the Tennessee River in northern Alabama. Seems they like each others company or they all like something on the piece of wood. Maybe just resting before they take flight again. Notice the very orange top side of the wing but the bottom side is all yellow. These are all the same specie in this picture.
          
"The difference between what the most and the least learned people know is inexpressibly trivial in relation to what is unknown."
                      Albert Einstein (1879-1955): German born American Physicist

What is Beauty?

Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)

Thought I would throw a little orange at you. How awesome are the colors on this beauty? The picture to the right is a little out of focus but I wanted you to see the contrasting patterns and color of the bottom side of the wing verses the orange and black topside.

"Beauty as we feel it is something indescribable; what it is or what it means can never be said"
                 George Santayana (1863-1952): American Philosopher, Poet

A Sign of Summers End

Cloudless Sulphur(Phoebis sennae)

I wait with anticipation for August every year when the first little yellow sulphurs begin their migration. It starts slowly with only a few noticed every now and then, but gradually toward the middle of the month, the numbers increase and they seem to be everywhere. Can fall be far behind when these little beauties begin appearing along field and road as you travel most anywhere in the south. 
                               
"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
               R. Buckminster Fuller(1895-1983):American Inventor, Poet, Philosopher

Would you have noticed the little lavender flowers had a butterfly not graced them with it's presence?

Do You See the Beauty?

Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)

Everyone is quickly drawn to the beauty of this colorful butterfly of the brushfoot group, but did you notice it had suffered some damage to it's left wing? Did you notice the beautiful round shapes on the wings? Did you notice the orange bars outlined in black on the fore wings? Did you notice the fuzzy, hairy appearance of the caterpillars body? Did you notice the beauty of the flower it rests on? Did you notice that more flowers are getting ready to burst open?

"Beauty in things exists in the mind which comtemplates them."
                   David Hume (1711-1776): Scottish philosopher and historian.

Awesome Transition

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

The eastern tiger swallowtail belongs to a genus that contains around 200 species around the world. Different patterns of blacks and yellows dominate the color pattern of swallowtails but many other colors are present also.

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."
                 Maya Angelou (April 4, 1927-present): American biographer and poet

Butterfly or Flutterby?

Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)

If you are like me, you probably never give much thought to butterflies as you go about your daily chores. I haven't either until I bought a book and started trying to capture a picture of the little creatures. I thought there were only 5 or 6 different kinds but there are literally hundreds of different butterfly species and they are some of the most beautiful of God's creatures. I never dreamed of so many colors and patterns. And just think, all this beauty came from a little ole worm or grub looking critter. The fall migration is on and I am going to try to capture as many different species as I can in the coming weeks.  I will share them as I can. Notice the orange spots on the

underside of the hind wings but are not visible on the top side.

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience"
             Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882): Philosopher, Poet, Author, Essayist

On Heaven's Breath

Tawny Emperor (Astercampa clyton)

A member of the Hackberry Butterfly group decided to lite upon my truck bed so I was obliged to grab a quick shot of this beautiful member of God's creation. Thanks for stopping by and sharing a moment with me long enough to admire your beautiful coloration. Butterflies go through an extradinary migration every year and they are at the mercy of everything they come in contact with, thus the poem below.

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when persued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you sit down quitely, may alight upon you.

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864): American Novelist

On Heaven's Breath

On Heaven's Breath I flutterby
Framed against her deep blue breast
Over lake and stream I tarry nigh
Through field and wood I rest

True course I hold through wind and storm
A journey far from start to end
Constant dangers are endless born
Waiting, lurking, round every bend

I cast my lot upon the breeze
And pray a gentle hand it give
By fate it carries me where it please
Through countless battles I must live

And when I cross your path one day
On Heaven's Breath I flutterby
Cast your eyes upon my way
And say a pray for butterfly
                            Randy J. Schultz    August 24, 2010