It seems like I have seen fewer butterflies this year than in previous years, so I was especially thrilled to spot this Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus) last week during a trip to Green Spring Gardens with my photography mentor Cindy Dyer. Normally by this time of the year I have seen lots of Monarchs and Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, but I have not seen a single Monarch yet and only a few swallowtails. This butterfly was the only large butterfly that I saw that day—all of the others that I spotted were the much smaller skipper butterflies.
Generally I prefer to have a natural background when photographing wild subjects, but that was not possible in this case. The blurred background is part of the welcome center of the gardens. The bands of color at the bottom of the image add some visual interest without being distracting, so I am not all that dissatisfied with the way the shot turned out.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
You certainly should not be dissatisfied with this photo. The clarity and background really emphasizes the beauty of the butterfly which is the star of the photo. A stunning swallowtail portrait!
Thanks, Ann. Like most photographers and artists, I tend to be my own worst critic. 🙂 I suspect that if I had not said something about the background, few would have even noticed it. As you rightly said, the butterfly is the star of the photo.
I agree with Ann – great shot!
Thanks. It’s hard the match the beauty of a colorful butterfly.
True!
Beautiful picture ! Great week-end
Merci.
I do appreciate you pointing out things like the variation in the background. I often admire photos but can’t always figure out what makes the photo so special and effective. I would not have seen the contribution made by the subtle changes in the background.
Thanks, Ann. I try to share my perceptions with folks because sometimes it helps to guide them see the details better or to capture similar effects if they are fellow photographers.
Nice Mike! I also have noticed fewer butterflies around this year. Used to get many at our home, but only saw a couple of cabbage white butterflies so far.
It’s strange, Reed. A Facebook friend of mine noted that he has also noted fewer fireflies.
I could easily count the number of Butterflies that I have seen this year, even with the Flutterby Petite Butterfly Bush in bloom! This is a gorgeous Swallowtail photograph. When fully enlarged, I can envision a gorgeous watercolor…hint 😉 !! Thank-you, Mr. Mike!
Thanks for the encouragement, Ellen. At the moment the butterfly might be a bit beyond my capabilities, but perhaps in the future I can give it a go.
I think it is a beautiful image. I think the way you have handled the lighting is perfect because I like the way the wings almost glow with translucency. The purple of the flowers against the creamy-yellow of the wings is also visually appealing because of them being complementary colours. I don’t think the artificial nature of the background is problematic because the hues are so neutral.
Thanks, Laura. As you can probably tell, I was looking mostly into the light, so the backlight was what made the wings glow a bit. I’d love to take credit for the use of complementary colors, but that was a happy coincidence.
I should say so! This is truly an outstanding composition, and I agree that the colors across the bottom add interest. Stunning photo of this marvelous butterfly. Why do you think they are fewer in number this year?
Thanks. I don’t have any real explanation. I was told at one botanical garden that there were fewer butterflies there because the volunteers who usually planted the flowers that attracted the pollinators were not able to be there because of the pandemic. Otherwise it’s a bit of a mystery to me.
Lovely catch and the background sets it of nicely.
What a fantastic photo!🦋
I actually found the image very intriguing, having zoomed in to inspect its details mid-reading then returning to reading. I wonder if your background improvisation added to that actually, since I was admiring the light especially.
When I first spotted the butterfly I noticed that the sunlight was shining through the wings and my main goal was to capture that “stained-glass” look–I wasn’t thinking too much about the background because I knew the butterfly would not linger very long.
That translucency really drew me in. 😍 So beautiful! I liked the light on the crisp flowers too.
You really took a potentially ordinary “seen one, seem ‘em all” butterfly moment and made it extraordinary.
Well done Mike. Really artistic shot.
Thanks, Chris. I consider it a big plus when I am able to capture a subject in an artistic way.
A huge decline in butterflies, bees and other insects. This is bad if this trend continues. At our butterfly club in NYC we all notice this.
Thanks for the additional information that suggests the trend is more widespread than I realized.
Sadly it is. I hear similar reports from Europe.
I’m still hopeful that I will see a resurgence as the summer goes on.
That would be good. Let’s hope.
I have seen only one Tiger Swallowtail this year and that was just yesterday. I have had a few Monarchs visit and lay eggs allowing me some up close and personal with the larvae. But our butterfly population seems quite dismal these last few years. The background being so soft,there is no reason for dissatisfaction at all. It’s pleasing and lets the butterfly’s color shine…almost like an 18% grey card. 🙂
It’s always a worry when fewer of any species appear than we would normally expect. I’m sorry that I can’t keep track of those that are keeping up the tradition in Minnesota this year–but I have great hopes for next year. It’s sad that you’ve not seen any monarchs. I’m still seeing a few here, even in winter. And that thought activates another: Have you read Barbara Kingsolver’s novel Flight Behaviour? If not, I recommend it to you most highly.
There is always some seasonal variation and I must admit that I have not been getting out as much as in past years. Still it is somewhat alarming. On a more positive note, I was heartened to see that a fellow local photographer posted a photo of a Monarch that he spotted this week. As for Barbara Kingsolver’s novel, it looks intriguing.