Six spot burnett moth

[Jonathan Ashton]

Handheld Canon 1DX Canon 180mm macro ISO 2000 1/320 sec f8
I went out with Barney the clouds were heavy I saw these burnett moths on a grass seed head - wrong place of course. I carefully snapped the stem and lassoed it around another flower head to obtain a clear background (wish I had taken the mickey mouse tripod!) I usually use the Philip Perold sharpening algorithm, modifying it for image size but on this one I used smart sharpen once reduced to presentational size.
All C&C welcome.

[Norm Dulak]

Hi Jon. Neat trick to get a great background, and the result is excellent. The subdued background and perch colors really set off the colorful moths. I like the positions of the beetles on the diagonal perch; well composed. And the colors and sharpness are great. Very nice.

[MiroslavMaric]

Hi Jonathan. Great light, like the natural color and tone. It' s enough sharp. The position on the grass is great but would like to rotate a little bit in CW direction. TFS!

Cheers!
Miro

[Diane Miller]

Wonderful! And great re-positioning. If I tried that with anything, it would take off. But maybe these were occupied?? The bit of translucence on the one wing is a lovely touch!

[Allen Sparks]

Jonathan,
Another wonderful behavioral catch. The subjects contrast nicely against the perch and background. Another winner.... -- Allen

[Arthur Morris]

Can you sex the moths?

[Jonathan Ashton]

Can you sex the moths?
It is my guess that the tatty one is the male because they seek out females for mating literally as soon as they emerge from the cocoon.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks but not sure of your reasoning.... There seems to be a size difference.