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 Butterfly
Lady’s Private Zoo on Monday, May 11, 2009
Featuring
the Photography of Julia Wade
On
one of those rare May days when the weather doesn't know if it wants to
be winter or spring, Julia and Jonathan Wade, a husband-and-wife team of
local photographers, visited Butterfly Lady's private butterfly zoo in Cary,
North Carolina. Because it was cool—in the mid-50s F (about 13 C)—the
butterflies were happy to be relatively still. When the Wades’ cameras met
the butterflies, they liked what they saw. Here for your enjoyment is a
selection of brilliant images they skillfully captured that day.
To
see more of Julia’s work, go to
Julia-Wade.com.
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Monarch on
camera lens
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Zebra Heliconian with Passion Flower |
Female Monarch feeding on
Tropical Milkweed |
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Monarchs with Blue Porterweed |
Monarch trio on Tropical
Milkweed
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Female
Monarch and Red Penta |
Trailing edge — Monarch nectaring on
Tropical Milkweed |
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Zebra Heliconian on Milkweed
viewed from above
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Monarch posing on a round floret of Red Penta
Monarchs in hand |
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Newly
eclosed Zebra Heliconian clings to
the empty shell of its chrysalis. When butterflies first emerge, their wings
are soft and crumpled while the abdomen is plump with extra fluid called
meconium. Its first task is to pump the wings full of this liquid before
they dry and harden while still misshapen. Once the wings are completely
filled, the butterfly expels excess meconium, as this butterfly is in the
process of doing. Observe the single drop of amber liquid still hanging on
at the end of its abdomen. Newcomers to butterfly rearing sometimes see
drops of colored liquid below a fresh butterfly and mistake it for blood
or another vital fluid. They take it as a sign that the butterfly is in
trouble. On the contrary, it is perfectly normal and to be expected. |
Two
Zebras Heliconian with
Tropical Milkweed
Male
Monarch on Hand |
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Tropical Milkweed is the
perfect venue for a Monarch banquet |
Monarchs dining on Blue
Porterweed
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Scientific names
of the butterflies and plants
shown on this page are as follows:
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
• Zebra Heliconian, formerly known as Zebra or
Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charithonius
tuckeri)
• Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica)
• Blue Porterweed (Stachytarpheta urticifolia)
• Red Penta (Pentas lanceolata)
• Passion Flower (Passiflora sp.)
Our thanks
to Julia and Jonathan Wade
as well
as to the butterflies which could not have been
more cooperative. |
Enjoy the Butterflies!
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