Summer Azure butterfly

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Summer Azure butterfly

August 1, 2013 by Mike Powell

Tiny butterflies seem to be constantly in motion and their size and speed normally make them difficult to photograph.

However, this butterfly, which I think may be a Summer Azure butterfly (Celastrina neglecta), stayed perched on a Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) long enough to allow me and my fellow photographer, Cindy Dyer, to take multiple shots, including some with flash. There is a whole family of small Azure butterflies, which have a wingspan of about one inch (25mm) and look pretty similar, so please correct me if I have misidentified this insect.

We encountered this little butterfly on a recent trip to Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia. (You can check out Cindy’s image of this butterfly, along with her amazing photographs of other flowers and insects on her blog.)

I love large, colorful butterflies, like the Eastern Tiger Swallowtails that were virtually omnipresent in the garden that day, but there is something really special too about the delicate beauty and simple colors of this tiny butterfly. In this image, I like the way in which the muted tones of the butterfly provide a nice visual counterbalance to the bold colors of the flower.

Posted in Butterflies, Flowers, Gardening, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography | Tagged azure butterfly, Canon 50D, Celastrina neglecta, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, summer azure, SUmmer Azure butterfly, Tamron 180mm macro, Vienna VA | 12 Comments

12 Responses

on August 1, 2013 at 4:26 am | Reply Grace

Beautifully captured! So full of life.
- on August 1, 2013 at 5:58 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Grace. I love macro shots and this is the prime season for both insects and flowers for me, with lots of activity.
on August 1, 2013 at 6:28 am | Reply New Hampshire Gardener

I can’t think of anything that would make this photo more perfect.
- on August 1, 2013 at 6:49 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. It’s nice when the insects cooperate by posing, though it’s not too common an occurrence.
on August 1, 2013 at 6:41 am | Reply Judy @ GrandparentsPlus2

Both absolutely amazing shots – could be used in a text book they’re so beautiful.
- on August 1, 2013 at 6:48 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. it is fun sometimes to go out with my camera with another photographer and shoot some images side by side. There are so many choices that we make when taking a photo that the resulting images are different.
on August 1, 2013 at 1:04 pm | Reply lylekrahn

Great contrasting colours. It’s always nice when it sits and wait for the photos before flying off. How are you liking that new lens?
- on August 2, 2013 at 5:06 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I am loving the new lens and well as the new-to-me Canon 50D.The focusing is so much faster on the 50D that I will be tempted to try more shots of birds in flight, which will leave me “needing” a longer telephoto lens. And so the cycle continues.
  - on August 2, 2013 at 12:24 pm lylekrahn
    
    Yes typically it’s hard to go back!
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