I first spotted this small Common Buckeye Butterfly (Junonia coenia) as it was flying low above a grassy patch at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetlands Refuge. Periodically it would stop and I would attempt to get a shot of it. It was probably hilarious to watch our little pas de deux—the butterfly would fly and perch and I would bend my knees and crouch, which served as a signal for the butterfly to take off again.
I’m pretty patient, so we danced this way for quite a while before the butterfly decided to perch on some low vegetation rather than on the bare ground. I was finally able to capture a shot, though the butterfly didn’t pose long before taking off again.
As I continued the chase, my knees started getting a bit sore. I was thinking of giving up the chase when suddenly the butterfly flew higher into the air and landed on a buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). These bushes are a virtual magnet for butterflies and I love the spiky spheres of the plant. I wasn’t able to get very close to the buttonbush, but captured this image that I really like.
The chase ended here and we went our separate ways. I hope that I never get too old or too self-conscious to chase butterflies, a pursuit that makes me feel like a carefree child again.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Wow very nice
Lovely. Your patience paid off nicely.
Thanks, Chris. I think it was more a result of persistence than patience–I think of patience as waiting for the action to come to me and persistence as a more active version of patience, i.e. chasing after the action. (I suspect that in reality patience and persistence are so interrelated that they are separately indistinguishable.)
Many times, I’ve seen a butterfly posing, just out of effective range and thought about getting closer, only to have it take off and flutter around me for what feels like ages. Many times, I’ve just walked away, only to have it land , beautifully perched, right where I had just been standing. The nature of butterflies 🙂 Nice images Mike. Patience payed off.
The chase is half the fun, just can’t run anymore. A beautiful reward.
Oh it’s lovely 😀 Similar to Wall butterflies. Fantastic markings!!
A truly beautiful portrait!