Tale of two butterflies

June 21, 2019 by Mike Powell

When I spotted a small patch of milkweed while exploring Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge earlier this month, I stopped and waited. I knew that numerous butterflies are attracted to this plant. Before long, several butterflies in fact appeared.

Here are photos of two of them, both swallowtail butterflies. The first one, a Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus), appears to be in perfect condition. Its wings and “tails” are intact and its colors are vibrant. By contrast the second butterfly, a Zebra Swallowtail (Protographium marcellus), is clearly a veteran. There are chunks missing from its wings and its long beautiful swallowtails are gone.

Do you find one of the butterflies to be more inherently beautiful than the other? Here in the United States, we tend to worship beauty and a standard of supposed perfection. We are daily bombarded with advertising messages that tell us we can look young again, that we can cover up our imperfections. The current focus on selfies and dating apps that allow you to judge others with a swipe encourages a kind of narcissism and attention to superficial appearances that I personally find to be unhealthy.

I remember watching a video several years ago about photographing nature. The photographer encouraged viewers to photograph only perfect specimens of flowers and insects, following the lead of those who say that in order to create beautiful photographs, you need beautiful subjects.

The photos here are my response to that kind of thinking. There is an incredible beauty to be discovered in the ordinary, everyday subjects that surround us, full of imperfections and blemishes. Take a moment today to slow down and truly experience that beauty.

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 50D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Papilio troilus, Protographium marcellus, Spicebush Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly, Tamron 150-600mm, Woodbridge VA, Zebra Swallowtail, Zebra Swallowtail butterfly | 17 Comments

17 Responses

on June 21, 2019 at 7:06 am | Reply Ms. Liz

Super gorgeous.. they are both worthy subjects.
- on June 21, 2019 at 7:20 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Liz. I wasn’t sure what I would say when I sat down this morning to write the posting, but somehow the words just started to flow when I contemplated the images of the two butterflies side-by-side.
on June 21, 2019 at 10:08 am | Reply Ellen

Benjamin is quite taken with the photos and the “story” about the two butterflies. He examined the details of both photos after we enlarged them. We discussed how the first butterfly looks “young and perfect”, but the second butterfly is “now older and imperfect”. Benjamin’s summation is that the second butterfly is just as beautiful as the first one, but in a different way : “Cause the second butterfly is perfectly imperfectly beautiful!” A clever boy indeed! Thank-you, Mr. Mike!!
- on June 21, 2019 at 6:56 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks for sharing Benjamin’s reactions. I love the way that he thinks and how he expresses himself. Thank you too for sharing my “story” with him. My goal in presenting the images in the way that I did was to get people to think a little bit about their own concept of beauty. It looks like the approach worked with the little guy (who I assume is getting bigger all the time).
on June 21, 2019 at 12:24 pm | Reply Eliza Waters

I heartily agree. Madison Ave. be damned! 😉
on June 21, 2019 at 4:34 pm | Reply Pete Hillman

These are stunning Mike!
on June 21, 2019 at 4:41 pm | Reply merrylbethelhouse

Thought provoking and very special. Thank you.
- on June 22, 2019 at 8:03 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. As you can probably tell, I was deliberately challenging some of the modern messages that we receive and asking people to assess what they believe and why.
on June 21, 2019 at 8:34 pm | Reply Molly Lin DutinaMolly Dutina

I love your comments! SO insightful. When was the last time most people looked at the natural world around them? Great photos!
- on June 22, 2019 at 8:01 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Molly. A lot of people tell me how lucky I am to see so many of the things that I photograph and are a bit surprised when I tell them how common they are. I am often saddened when I go to wildlife areas and encounter people with their heads buried in their cell phones.
on June 23, 2019 at 10:32 am | Reply nliakos

This post reminds me of this Peter Mayer song about the beauty of aging: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hta7R6ZXpk
- on June 23, 2019 at 12:41 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Wow. What a beautiful song–thanks for sharing it. Somehow I am more conscious of aging right now, at least in part because in a bit more than a week I become eligible for Medicare coverage.
  - on June 23, 2019 at 7:41 pm nliakos
    
    I know what you mean, Mike. I’m turning 70 next month, which is quite astonishing (after all, I’m still in my 20s inside! What happened?) So I love this song, because it reminds me to value the age spots and stiff joints and yes, even the cataract that has to be removed soon. Just shining bits of gold, medals from a long life. How fortunate we are to live as long as we do. Check out other songs by Peter Mayer, pastor turned singer-songwriter. I think you will also love Blue Boat Home!
  - on June 23, 2019 at 7:48 pm Mike Powell
    
    That song too is beautiful. Regarding cataracts, I had cataract removal surgery a couple of years ago on both of my eyes. The results are amazing. After wearing glasses for 50 years, I use them now only sometimes for reading and my ophthalmologist says drugstore readers are just fine (my distance vision is 20/20).
on June 23, 2019 at 7:42 pm | Reply nliakos

P.S. Happy birthday!
on June 24, 2019 at 6:47 pm | Reply Reed Andariese

Beautiful butterfly images Michael?
on December 31, 2019 at 12:56 pm | Reply Looking back at 2019—part one | Mike Powell

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