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Danaus chrysippus.


Danaus chrysippus.
Photo Information
Copyright: Peter Stoeckl (peter_stoeckl) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1539 W: 272 N: 3370] (9377)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-10-30
Categories: Insects
Camera: Nikon Coolpix 4600
Exposure: f/4.9, 1/380 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): Butterflies of India 3 [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-11-05 3:58
Viewed: 1205
Points: 44
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Danaus chrysippus.

Plain tiger, male.
Pushkar, Rajasthan.

Danaus chrysippus (Linnaeus 1758)

Genus: Danaus
Subfamily: Danainae
Family: Nymphalidae
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Order: Lepidoptera

This butterfly seems to be the most common butterfly in India.

Danaus chrysippus, the Plain Tiger, is medium sized with a wingspan of about 70 – 80 mm. The body is black with many white spots. The wings are tawny, the upper side being brighter and richer than the underside. The apical half of the fore wing is black with a white band.

The Plain Tiger, also named Lesser Wanderer Butterfly, is widespread in Africa and Asia. Its range extends from North Africa to Greece, China and Sulawesi. It is found throughout India, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, in every kind of country including the deserts, and up into the mountains till 9000 feet. The species is migratory and has no recognisable subspecies.

Danaids have a number of secondary sexual characteristics. In the case of the Plain Tiger, the male has a pouch on the hindwing. This spot is white with a thick black border and bulges slightly. It is a cluster of specialised scent-scales used to attract females.

The butterfly seems to be well protected against attacks by unpalatable alkaloids ingested during larval stage. So the butterfly is allowed to fly slowly and leisurely, generally close to the ground and in a straight line. This gives a to be predator ample time to recognise and avoid attacking it. An inexperienced predator may try an attack, but will learn soon enough to avoid this butterfly as the alkaloids in the butterfly's body cause vomitting.

The butterfly also has a tough, leathery skin to survive such occasional attacks. When attacked it shams death and oozes nauseating liquid which makes it smell and taste terrible. This encourages the predator to release the butterfly quickly. The butterfly thus has the ability to recover 'miraculously' after the predator thinks it has been killed.

By the way - the species is believed to be one of the first butterflies to be depicted in art. A 3500 year old Egyptian Fresco in present day Luxor shows the oldest illustration of this species.

The above information has been taken from Wikipedia.

For a closer look at the "Tiger", please klick here.


Camera:
Nikon E4600E, 2288 x 1712 pixels. sRGB, 6mm, f / 4.9, 1/370sec., ISO-50, 30.10.2006, 09:14, handheld, no flash.

Postwork:
Photoshop Elements, slightly cropped, downsized to the web, selective sharpening, selective noise removal.

The location:
The picture was taken at the roadside on my way back to my tent when returning from a morning jogging to the Pushkar camel market, having seen 30,000 camels and 200,000 beautiful people, most of them nomadic ones from various Rajasthan tribes, a congregation as colourful as a bunch of the prettiest butterflies.

Thank you for looking.
Have a very good day.
wallhalla15, pankajbajpai, uleko, phlr, Argus, ramthakur, jmp, Alex99, horia, anel, pvb, eruyanik, SkyF, RAP, marhowie, dew77, Janice, pilonm has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes.
Add Critique [Critiquing Guidelines] 
Only registered TrekNature members may write critiques.
Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To pilonm: ... he's a wandererpeter_stoeckl 1 11-06 06:56
To ramthakur: ... days in Rajasthanpeter_stoeckl 1 11-05 10:45
To anel: Joggen mit Fotoapparatpeter_stoeckl 1 11-05 10:03
To horia: jogging with camerapeter_stoeckl 1 11-05 09:49
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2580 W: 170 N: 7866] (24875)
  • [2006-11-05 4:08]

Hello Peter,
This is truly wonderful! Fantastic to see this very clear butterfly on a flower in context of its environment! I like the light illuminating the wings and the colours are brilliant!
Many thanks and regards, Ulla

hi peter,
nice shot of plain tiger. the focus and the sharpness is excellent. the colours look natural. the pov is good. the composition is nice.
well done.
tfs
regards
pankaj

Hallo Peter,
jetzt weiß ich wo Du abgeblieben bist!!! Toll, da bin ich einfach platt. Zeigst uns hier ein famoses Andenken aus Indien. Gratulation! Zum Foto kann ich nur eines sagen: perfekt!!! - Ich habe diese eurasische Monarchart dieses Jahr noch nicht einmal im Schmetterlingshaus gesehen. :-(
Ich kann mir sehr gut vorstellen, dass Du einen wunderbaren Urlaub hattest.
Einen lieben sonntäglichen Gruß aus dem regengrauen Ostwestfalen.
Heinz

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2757 W: 147 N: 7955] (24769)
  • [2006-11-05 4:34]

Great shot, Peter!
Nice to see what the BG is like without it disturbing the subject, taken in fine side-lighting.
Excellent!
Best wishes, Ivan

Hi Peter!
Happy to know you are enjoying Pushkar Fair at the moment and have also managed a lovely picture of the Plain Tiger in-between your jogs! The picture is an absolute stunner with that back-lit perspective.
Did I tell you I worked for 12 years at Mayo College Ajmer way back in the seventies and eighties? I recall my days in Rajasthan including visits to Pushkar Fair every year with great fondness.
Have a nice time in India, my friend.
Ram

  • Great 
  • jmp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1836 W: 94 N: 2340] (8406)
  • [2006-11-05 5:00]

Hi Peter,
Wonderful butterfly capture with soft and bright light, beautiful colors and very good details. Excellent pov, pose and composition.
Best regards mf,
José M.

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3167 W: 148 N: 4793] (15465)
  • [2006-11-05 5:22]

Hi Peter.
What a beautiful substantial composition. I like its rich, light and bright colours, interesting and expressive lighting, crisp sharpness and great details. Richness of BG content, soft blurriness of BG correspond with main subject very well. Nice, clear and esthetic picture. Bravo.
Alexei.

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2137 W: 224 N: 3956] (13137)
  • [2006-11-05 5:31]
  • [+]

Hi Peter and welcome back!
Hope you had a nice trip...and hope to see many baeutiful pictures from there :)

A very beautiful shot of this lovely "tiger".
The details are very clean and sharp and the colors superb. I really like the way its spotted body looks against the lovely yellow flower.
Also, great POV, including a bit of the horizon in the frame...something quite rare in a macro :)
Very well done!

Bravo and TFS
horia

PS: do you always jog with your camera on you? :))
Have a great Sunday, my friend!

bonjour peter
ce papillon est tres bien presenté avec un bon pov,et de belle couleurs.je trouve tout de même que les ciel vient perturber l'oeil car il me semble trop blanc.
laurent

  • Great 
  • anel Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1240 W: 0 N: 2225] (9374)
  • [2006-11-05 5:45]
  • [+]

Hallo Peter,
Sehr interessante Beschreibung dieses schönen Schmetterlings, den Du uns auf Besuch bei einer gelben Blume präsentierst. Der Hintergrund ist mir ein wenig zu unruhig, aber eben man kann ihn ja nicht immer auswählen. Ich frage mich auch, ob Du beim Joggen den Fotoapparat immer mitnimmst.
liebe Grüsse
Anne

Hi my friend!
i see that you have a great journey to the India! i love the butterflies of that region. This is really a well known species but this composition is rarely seen Peter! With your pov and landscape style bg this composition looks beautiful. Maybe a little bit harsh light but still you have not any oe parts on the flower. i like the baclit effects on the wings also.
Thank you and best regards!
Ersin

  • Great 
  • pvb Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 381 W: 20 N: 522] (1815)
  • [2006-11-05 5:46]

Hallo Peter,
Great picture. Perfect light, colours, sharpness.
Very nice composition and pov. And I also like the bg.
tfs paula

  • Great 
  • Maite Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1005 W: 64 N: 1242] (5082)
  • [2006-11-05 6:32]

Hello Peter
Beautiful capture with an inteligent composition, and very interesting coment. Thank you very much for posting.
Best wishes
Maite

Hi Peter,
nun weiß ich, weswegen ich Dich länger nicht mehr gesehen habe - hast Dich aus dem Staub gemacht und mir nix-dir nix nach Rajasthan abgesetzt???
Ein toller Falter, ist Dir bei der Fülle der Architektur, Land une Leute doch noch Zeit für Insekten geblieben?
Wie hat's Dir gefallen, ich liebe dieses Land - arm aber wunderschön.
Hast Du eine Rundreise gemacht?
Viele Grüße
Sabine - wishnugaruda

Peter,

Great job here. I like this iamge alot.
I think a more blurred background would have worked better.

TFS

tab

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2390 W: 194 N: 1991] (8113)
  • [2006-11-05 8:09]

Hallo Peter,
Eine klasse Makroaufnahme! Sehr schoene Schaerfe und prima Farbenvielfalt! Die Gestaltungist prima; gefaellt mir gut, Deine Aufnahme! Gruß und ein schoenes Wochenende.
Sky

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2006-11-05 8:38]

Hi Peter... many days without knowing about you.
Very nice composition with great sharpness and colors.

I like it a lot: composition, sharpness, color, DOF, focus, POV, lighting, framing, notes.

I like it: background.

I don't like it: nothing to argue.

It is always pleasing see images of a member with as much passion as the one of oneself.
Best regards... Ricardo

Well done Peter,
This is another of your "signature" shots, with the BG landscape pulled into the shot. It creates a shared status of landscape and near subject that is pleasing to me..I like the backlight, and you handled the exposure well.
Have a Great Day!

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5171 W: 297 N: 4050] (13069)
  • [2006-11-05 15:45]

Hello Peter,
Magnificent close up.POV,use of light,colors,sharpness,details,3D effect and composition are wonderful.Excellent work.Ich wünsche auch ein schönes Wochenende.
TFS...:-)

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3464 W: 145 N: 5943] (17792)
  • [2006-11-05 19:14]

Hi Peter, looking good! So similar to a Monarch, but also quite different. The focus is good, and the BG makes it all the more interesting. Lovely summery colours too. TFS
Janice
PS I hope you're enjoying your time in India...

Hello Peter,

What a great picture of this butterfly! I'm happy also to see another Danainae. The only one we have in North America is the Monarch! On your notes you are saying that that butterfly migrates (like our Monarch). Do you know if migration is apart of this sub-family?

You got a great pov with a lot of interesting details! The bg is maybe a little bit busy but it is minor! Great picture and notes! TFS!

Michel

Peter, when did you go to India:) Very nice capture of this Plain Tiger. See you later:)

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