BlueSkyRhino

Monarch Butterflies at the Blazingstar

Monarch butterflies are an iconic species, and a threatened one as well. I have food source plants in my yard to assist them, both milkweed for the caterpillars...
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Monarch butterflies are an iconic species, and a threatened one as well. I have food source plants in my yard to assist them, both milkweed for the caterpillars, and nectar sources such as this blazingstar for the adults. I pulled up a chair to watch with camera in hand to catch this shot of butterflies feeding on the nectar. I hope these orange beauties can continue to inspire us, in spite of all the challenges they face.
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SONY DSC-HX400V

settings

Aperture 50/10 ISO 125 Shutter 1/250 Focal Length 5562/100

upload_date

Sep, 2022

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo in the front yard of my house in Davenport, Iowa. I have planted a variety of native prairie flowers over the years, including these prairie blazingstars. Monarch butterflies are constant visitors when they bloom in high summer.

Time

In midafternoon I pulled up a chair, with a camera and a cool drink, to watch the summer butterfly show at the blazingstar blossoms.

Lighting

Although midafternoon light in high summer is strong and hot, the flowers themselves were in the dappled shade of a nearby magnolia tree. The butterflies danced and floated, fluttered and glided, landed and took off again, going in and out of sun and shadow. I added nothing, I simply kept trying to catch them just right.

Equipment

I used a hand held Sony Cybershot HX400V and no special equipment.

Inspiration

Monarch butterflies were much more numerous in the past, but as their numbers have dwindled, seeing one is quite special. And to see multiple monarchs drawn to nectar-rich blazingstars is quite a show. Well worth pulling up a chair to watch--with camera in hand to try for a well-timed shot.

Editing

No post-processing was done whatsoever. I simply sorted through the shots I made during the butterfly show and picked out the ones I liked best and saved them with a name.

In my camera bag

What equipment I have at any given time varies according to the day and the adventure-of-the-day. On this day, it was only the Sony camera. Just that and a cool drink for a hot day. Of course, I was just steps away from my own front door, so I really didn't need to carry a bag

Feedback

Get comfortable while watching "the nature show". (I had a chair and a cool drink.) If you are comfortable you can wait patiently while the creatures go about their business. (In this case they were seeking out blazingstar nectar.) If you are patient you are more likely to capture a shot where the flighty little beauties make a nice composition. Get comfy and enjoy the show!

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BlueSkyRhino

BlueSkyRhino

Monarch Butterflies at the Blazingstar

Monarch butterflies are an iconic species, and a threatened one as well. I have food source plants in my yard to assist them, both milkweed for the caterpillars... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow BlueSkyRhino

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Monarch butterflies are an iconic species, and a threatened one as well. I have food source plants in my yard to assist them, both milkweed for the caterpillars...
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.