Sunny
My apologies for my lack of participation, but work seems to be taking all my time, plus my infrared studies. Also I have 14 monarch caterpillars on the go. Two in chrysalis.
It has been a rainy summer up here, so I thought this was a good counterpoint. Textures from Flypaper Textures and Belles Fleurs. Cropped to square.
Truly gorgeous! Captivating composition of the sunflower with the flow of the petals forward and the green sepals backwards, with the lines of each flowing over each other and gracefully intertwining. The slight glow is lovely and the textures just perfect.
Fascinating about the monarch caterpillars you are raising. Do you do something special with them once they emerge into butterflies?
Yes, Jackie, truly gorgeous. I love the curving sepals and petals and the placement of the flower with it looking slightly away from the viewer. Textures are perfect for the image and I think the square crop is perfect also. I'll be interested to hear about the monarchs
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly" - The Little Prince
http://tuscawillaphotographycherylslechta.zenfolio.com/
Summer doesn't last that long up here enjoy it. I like the image, its a little tight for my taste but a great angle on the flower. Look forward to more infrared images. Ciao for now
Above comments good. Yes, it is a tight crop, but that makes it a great art piece. Keep us posted on the Monarch. Where did you get them?
Nancy, Hazel, and Cheryl,Originally Posted by Nancy Bell
I raised five Monarchs about five years ago. This year I have been out four times and no eggs to be found on milkweed anywhere. A friend of mine has about 100 so she gave me 14. Three are now pupa. The entire process takes about a month from egg, to pupa, to butterfly. With each stage taking about 10 days or a month in total. I picked milkweed and keep it in the fridge. They get very hungry just before they turn into a pupa, so you must clean your jars and add more leaves daily (everyday). When hatched, I have a plant that butterflies like, and once they have dried out after emerging I place them on the plant. They remain there four 2-3 hours as they need the sun to finish drying and to warm up. This is a great time to photograph as they gently flutter their wings and are quite still. Predators don't like them as the milkweed makes them poisonous. It really is fun. I hope to get pictures of each phase which I started doing this morning.
Very lovely. I like the tight crop. The colors are beautiful. Really nice angle and composition. Lovely texture work.
Jackie,
Greetings. Beautiful, Jackie. I guess I have to say I prefer how it comes up in Internet Explorer, which is to say a bit brighter and a bit more saturated. In either case the shapes of the petals against the greenery (whatever you call those parts) is very appealing, with the texture a nice touch.
Interesting about the monarchs. We live near a monarch aggregation area (for lack of what to call it)... the termination point of their migration from Western Canada. They gather in a few eucalyptus trees in the thousands on a good year.
Thanks for posting.
Cheers,
-Michael-
Very attractive! I might be tempted to play with a little more contrast (black and white points) but this has an interesting feel as is. It never occurred to me that someone could raise butterflies -- best of luck with them! Hope to see some great pictures!
The areas Michael refers to are like swarms of bees -- amazing!
Jackie, I really look forward to your future butterfly posts! So interesting!
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