Tiny Butterfly (Western Pygmy-Blue)
Dec 23, 2020 13:59:03 #
I was out with the camera October 20th and saw one of these really tiny butterflies, quickly darting about as they always do. Too fast for me -- I've never been able to photograph one before! They almost look pale white to the eye as they fly around, but when they stop and open their wings the top patterns have really rich dark orange and blue colors. All photos I've taken of the top of its wings so far are not good, but I included a small one next to the "Info" panel to kind of show what they're like.
I didn't know until yesterday what kind of butterflies these are. Our daughter looked it up for me. I get lost in those insect ID web sites. There needs to be something like facial recognition, you know -- like those TV detective shows where someone is identified even from a blurry reflection in a dirty car window. Without something like that some of us blurry bug photographers don't stand a chance!
These are even much smaller than a Skipper so a lot of magnification is needed for a photo ... and they usually fly off before the camera can get close enough for that.
During the Summer, several kinds of insects gather at these clumps of plants having yellow daisy-like flowers the size of a nickel. At the time of this photo all that had dried up. The center of that nickel-sized flower has a pad underneath that is slightly less than 3/8 of an inch in diameter. That small 3/8" pad is what the butterfly is sitting on -- just a bit of help for "how tiny is it?".
I didn't know until yesterday what kind of butterflies these are. Our daughter looked it up for me. I get lost in those insect ID web sites. There needs to be something like facial recognition, you know -- like those TV detective shows where someone is identified even from a blurry reflection in a dirty car window. Without something like that some of us blurry bug photographers don't stand a chance!
These are even much smaller than a Skipper so a lot of magnification is needed for a photo ... and they usually fly off before the camera can get close enough for that.
During the Summer, several kinds of insects gather at these clumps of plants having yellow daisy-like flowers the size of a nickel. At the time of this photo all that had dried up. The center of that nickel-sized flower has a pad underneath that is slightly less than 3/8 of an inch in diameter. That small 3/8" pad is what the butterfly is sitting on -- just a bit of help for "how tiny is it?".
Dec 23, 2020 16:53:24 #
dar_clicks wrote:
I was out with the camera October 20th and saw one... (show quote)
Super sharp capture in Utah. Thanks for sharing it's identity. Happy Holidays. Stay safe and well. Stan
Dec 23, 2020 21:28:44 #
A delightful post, Dar! I enjoyed the gorgeous download of your Western Pygmy-Blue as well as your dialog and info. Just beautiful!!
Dec 24, 2020 09:46:14 #
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