This butterfly has been frequenting my lilac tree all week now. He's been an illusive fellow, resisting all of my attempts to take his photo. I stood quietly, camera poised, for the longest time before I became just another part of the scenery. This allowed him to return from his safe spot high in the Linden tree, lured by the sweet blooms. My vigil was made even more difficult by the huge bumble bees that were also enjoying this fragrant part of my garden. I appreciate bees but would rather observe them from a distance. Standing still while they buzzed in my ear was a bit nerve racking. Did I mention they were HUGE?
When he finally fluttered into my viewfinder, I saw that he was a bit raggedy around the edges, something I have never before noticed with the other butterflies that I have been fortunate enough to glimpse. A quick search of "butterfly life span" in Wikipedia reveales that "butterflies in their adult stage can live from a week to nearly a year depending on the species" and so I'm thinking that maybe this one is approaching the end of his time. If that's the case, I'm so glad that he shared his beauty with me and I do hope that he is enjoying his final days in amongst the lilacs.
Photos: Tatiana Dokuchic (May 27, 2012)
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Photos: Tatiana Dokuchic (May 27, 2012)
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Find Tatiana Dokuchic on Google+
it's NOT easy capturing a butterfly! :) lovely shots.
ReplyDeleteI love how you've captured this moment! Just the other day, I was having a much overdue visit with a girlfriend and she was showing me her new lilac bush ... as we stood there, we both realized that when you stand still for long enough, you really notice how much life is right in front of your eyes! There were massive fat bumble bees and butterflies -- just like you've described here.
ReplyDeleteThanks ladies! This made me realize that I don't stand still & enjoy the moment often enough. Of course the neighbours probably were scratching their heads over the kooky lady playing statue in the shrubbery ;)
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