Moth wing

[Ken Childs]

Canon EOS REBEL XT
Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Av mode
8"
F8
ISO: 200
LR & CS3

This is a Luna Moth wing backlit by a candle. I rarely find living Lunas but it's not unusual for me to find perfect sets of wings which are probably the leftovers from a bat's dinner.

I had to save this at a really low setting (I think 3) to get it under the 200kb limit so it lost a lot of detail. I have some other shots of just the wing with no BG but I liked this one best.

[Charles Wesley]

Ken,

I've only found Luna Moths in the fall. Always near pine trees. This observation was only for Virginia. Not seen any here in Florida. Like the overall graphic design of your image. Looks good at the low jpg setting to me. Did you try to change the color temperature away from the candle setting? Just a thought of mine.

Thanks for sharing...
___________________
Charlie Wesley
St Augustine Beach, FL

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Ken,
very strong graphic presentation....I think the colors are fine for my tastes but perhaps a bit of dodging of the wing tip to give it some seperation at the very top edge.....just leading edge to make the fine hairs pop.

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Ken, very nice details on the moth's wing. I also like how the colors of the wing match those of the BG. Creative use of the light!

[Julie Kenward]

I've never seen Luna moths or even just a set of wings. I'm so jealous! I like the graphic composition and angles that this image presents but it feels a bit "burned" in some places - especially the center dot and diagonal to it. Those two areas I'd definitely tone down a bit. I think I'd also like this even more with about half of the BG gone - but I do like that it compliments the colors of the wings.

[Ken Childs]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. :)

I'll probably have another go at this one in the near future.

[Charles Wesley]

Ken,

Thought everyone would want to know more about Luna Moths.

Introduction

The luna moth, Actias luna (Linnaeus), is arguably our most beautiful moth. Examples of its popularity include its appearance on a first class U.S. postage stamp issued in 1987; its selection to grace the front cover of A Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (Covell 2005); and the use of an animated luna moth in the current (2007) television commercials for the sleep aid Lunesta.
postage stamp

Described and named (as Phalena plumata caudata) by Petiver in 1700, the luna moth was the first North American saturniid to be reported in the literature (Tuskes et al. 1996). The original Latin name of the luna moth which referred to the long tails was lost when Linnaeus converted the name to a binomial with the specific epithet luna in 1758.

The family name Saturniidae is based on the eyespots of some members of the family that contain concentric rings reminiscent of the planet Saturn (Powell 2003). The luna moth gets its name from its moon-like spots.

Distribution

Usually found in forested areas. In southern Canada it occurs from Nova Scotia to Saskatchewan. In the U.S., it is found in every eastern state from Maine south to Florida and west to eastern Texas and eastern North Dakota.
Description

Adults: The adult wingspan is 75 to 105 mm (Covell 2005). Adult luna moths are large green moths with a long tail on each hind wing and discal eyespots on both the fore and hind wings. The luna moth is univoltine (one generation) from Michigan northward, bivoltine throughout the Ohio Valley, and trivoltine southward (Tuskes et al. 1996). In Louisiana and Florida, adults may be found during every month of the year Also, reared specimens often differ in coloration from those in nature (Ferguson 1972).

They are considered endangered in the US....

[Ken Childs]

Good info! I've seen 2 flying during the day and they fly like jet fighter aircraft. These are not your fluttering type moths!

[Charles Wesley]

Ken,

Thanks. Your correct about their flight abilities. Totally awesome flight patterns. They're very strong at it.

I was living in the suburbs where artificial lighting and habitat destruction has really hurt this beautiful insect.

Glad to hear you live where the species is doing better...
_______________
Charlie Wesley
St Augustine Beach, FL

[Anita Bower]

Lovely use of creative lighting! Nice, warm colors. Great lines! I agree with Jules on reducing the size of BG. I'd like to see it at a higher 'save" setting to see the details. Could you achieve that by making the file smaller? :)