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Tiny Grass Blue


Tiny Grass Blue
Photo Information
Copyright: Ram Thakur (ramthakur) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3015 W: 112 N: 8001] (25869)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-08-22
Categories: Insects
Camera: Nikon D200, Sigma 70-300 4-5.6 APO DG MACRO, 58mm UV
Exposure: f/7.1, 1/640 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): In Tandem With My Muses: Photography [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-12-10 5:55
Viewed: 519
Points: 42
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Friends, I shot this small butterfly during my summer trip to Himachal Pradesh. I have already posted a two-image combination picture of this species. It was a restless little thing, so I had to use the 70-300mm to shoot it from a distance.
While looking at my archives, I found that I had actually succeeded in taking a single shot with its wings open. It was a long shot, as a result of which I could not get an uninterrupted view, as you can make out from the picture. Anyway, here it is.
The following note is taken from Wikipedia:

The Tiny Grass Blue, Zizula gaika, is a species of blue butterfly.

Description

Male Upperside: dull violet-blue, which changes to a brighter tint of violet in certain lights. Fore wing: the costa very narrowly, the termen much more broadly dull brown; this edging to the termen in most specimens decreases in width from apex to tornus, and is outwardly followed by an anticiliary darker brown line. Cilia brownish anteriorly, posteriorly brownish at the base with the apical portions white. Hind wing: the ground-colour brighter than on the fore wing, the costal and terminal margins much more narrowly edged with brown, which edging is merged in the anticiliary dark brown line. Cilia: brown along their basal halves, white apically.

Underside: grey. Fore wing: a dusky brown lunular line on the discocellulars; two subcostal spots above the cell, one on either side of the discocellular lunule; a very strongly curved discal series of five spots, of which the posterior three are somewhat lunular in shape and placed obliquely en echelon, the next above these hook-shaped, the anterior spot round; both the subcostal spots and the spots of the discal series are black, each narrowly encircled with white; beyond these are inner and outer subterminal dusky lines, which anteriorly are continuous, posteriorly somewhat broken and macular, followed by a very conspicuous jet-black anticiliary slender line. Cilia greyish white, traversed by a medial transverse blackish-brown line. Hind wing: with the following small white-encircled black spots:—a subbasal transverse series of three, followed by a highly curved series of eight spots, that curve across the disc of the wing to the costa and along the latter towards the base; discocellulars with a dusky short lunular line as on the fore wing; terminal markings and cilia similar, but the outer and broader subterminal line more broken and macular than on the fore wing. Antennae black, the shafts ringed with white; head, thorax and abdomen dark brown, with a little violet pubescence on the head and thorax; beneath: palpi, thorax and abdomen greyish white.

Female Upperside: glossy brown, without any violet tint whatever; the anticiliary darker brown lines on both fore and hind wings well marked. Underside: very similar to that of the male, the ground-colour a shade darker, the markings slightly larger and more prominent. Antenna, head, thorax and abdomen as in the male, but the latter three without a trace of violet or blue on the upperside.

Distribution

The Tiny Grass Blue is found in several races throughout tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia, and Oceania, including India, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Swaziland, north and east coasts of Australia and also in southern Australia.

TFL
Jamesp, Silke, JORAPAVI, SunToucher, Adanac, uleko, JoseMiguel, rcrick, Debz, pablominto has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • Adanac Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1095 W: 1 N: 4452] (14946)
  • [2007-12-10 6:05]

Hello Ram,
Nice capture with amazing colors and composition, thanks for sharing.
Rick

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1815 W: 243 N: 5988] (21340)
  • [2007-12-10 6:17]

What a pretty little butterfly!
I love the way the blue is diffused into the brown.
Well composed with good composition and POV.
Sharp and detailed.
Well done my friend,
Joe

Hello Ram,
This beautiful specie looks like a flower by itself! What a beautiful capture with nice details and colors. I wish we have those little beauties here as well. Well seen and well done. Regards,
Claudine

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2543 W: 170 N: 7734] (24475)
  • [2007-12-10 6:37]

Hello Ram,
Somehow I don't associate the small blue butterflies with India, but I remember seeing some at a high altitude in Ladakh, perhaps it was the same species as this one! I like the half-open wings of this one and its position on the flower. Apart from the grasses that blurr a bit of the front it is very sharp and the colours are beautiful. Good note too!
Many thanks and best wishes, Ulla

Hi Ram,
A beautiful capture of this beauty!
I like very much the composition made with the pink flower behind, and the inclusion of the vivid greens added by the grasses.
Exposure choice worked pretty well for this DOF.
Congratulations and thanks for share it.
My best regards,
JM

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2707 W: 139 N: 7809] (24333)
  • [2007-12-10 7:28]

Hello Ram,
It isn't often one sees tropical lycaenids, especially blues, with their wings open or partially open. So it is nice to see this shot of a male Tiny Grass Blue showing his colours. You depict him with sharpness and good DOF in a fine composition.
Well done and thanks,
Regards, Ivan

Hello Ram,
Most of all I like the colours in this photo. Very beautiful contrasts. Also the composition is very good. The butterfly is sharp with good details. Nice POV.
Regards,
Peter

Dear Ramthakur, Does any butterfly miss your eye. I have never seen this butterfly in my life. Great looking shot of this tiny butterfly. Excellent details.

- Murali Santhanam

Hi Ram,
What a wonderful photo of this very beautiful little buttefly sitting on this stunningly colored flower.
I like the shinny look of its wings and your top down approach. It gives a real sense of depth and shows the most beautiful part of a butterfly.
TFS,
Niek

Bonjour Ram
Cet étonnant papillon ressemble étrangement à une fleur ! Les herbes au premier plan perturbent un petit peu, c'est dommage.

Hola Ram,
Una bonita captura de bella composición, con luz y colores muy agradables, saludos
José Ramón

  • Great 
  • Silke Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 753 W: 108 N: 1729] (5398)
  • [2007-12-10 14:13]

Superb colours and textures -- lovely PoV
TFS
silke

hello sir,
its very dofficult to shoot this butterfly with open wings and you have captured it well, nice pov, liked the composition too,
tfs & regards
pankaj

hi ram,
very good capture. looks as if the wings are petals of some flower. tfs.
manoj

  • Great 
  • gannu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 985 W: 4 N: 2516] (11695)
  • [2007-12-11 1:41]

Ram Sir, Nice capture for a moment I thought it was a flower and when I looked at it closely then it is a superb fly. Excellent focus and lovely color. Thank you sir. Now I am really making myself to participate. Hard pressed for time. Ganesh

Great take, even with a little cover by the leave, yet nice color and composotion. I like it.
TFS
Best regards,
Kean

Hi Ram lovely composition with splendid butterfly, superb colors, very well done, ciao Silvio

Excellent macro shot with this great colours. Perfect pose
Best wishes,
Achim

  • Great 
  • rcrick Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 647 W: 42 N: 1198] (3854)
  • [2007-12-11 19:34]

Hello Ram,
Beautiful specie & a beautiful image, excellent POV, the colours are stunning excellent exposure nice work all the best Cheers Rick :)

  • Great 
  • Debz Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 582 W: 0 N: 866] (3283)
  • [2007-12-12 2:13]

Hi Ram, I don't think I have seen this very attractive Butterly before, so elegant with a lovely pov. Beautful colours and tones and the Butterfly is nice and sharp, it looks well on the flower. Perfect focus and dof. Great compositon and nice work.
tfs
debz

Hello Ram,
I like this composition, it is so well balanced in all aspects!
A tiny butterfly on a tiny flower, both very well reprodused with attractive colours and fine details!
Greetings,
Pablo -

:-) OK-

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