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Common Lime


Common Lime
Photo Information
Copyright: Jusni Nasirun (jusninasirun) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 822 W: 59 N: 1717] (5644)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-07-19
Categories: Insects
Camera: Nikon D80, Sigma 70-300 F4-5,6 APO DG MACRO
Exposure: f/13.0, 1/200 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-07-29 0:35
Viewed: 394
Points: 50
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Hello friends in TN.

Although this Common lime is believed to be widespread, it is a rare sight around my house and there were a few in the past weeks and I've never seen them again. The wings never stop flapping made it more difficult to capture. This is another post after being assisted by Ivan (Argus) with the ID.

The Common Lime or the Lemon Butterfly (Papilio demoleus) is a common and widespread Swallowtail butterfly. It gets its name from its host plants which are usually citrus species such as the lime. It is also sometimes called the Chequered Swallowtail. Unlike most swallowtail butterflies it does not have a prominent tail.

Wingspan 80-90mm. A large tailless swallowtail that is mostly creamy yellow and black. Sexes alike. In freshly emerged specimens, the cream yellow is almost fluorescent, but this lovely brightness gradually changes into a dull rusty orange with age.

It is widely distributed except in the highest hills. Individuals are seen throughout the year but their populations peak before the onset of the heavy monsoon rains. It is a butterfly of the open spaces and prefers full sun to partial shade. It is found wherever its larval host plant, citrus, grows. It is not a butterfly of the high canopy and is more likely to be seen on low bushes and shrubs. It flies very fast around noon, being somewhat sluggish in the early morning hours. The male frequently settles on wet soil, often keeping his wings in motion, ready to fly away if disturbed. Both sexes visit flowers with delight where they will spend a few fleeting seconds before moving on to the next flower. While feeding, they keep their wings in rapid motion, only occasionally keeping them still, particularly the older specimens that are probably tired and weary. They rarely visit Eupatorium odoratum, which is popular with many other species of swallowtails.

It is very common. It is perhaps the most widely distributed swallowtail in the world. It is particularly abundant during and after the monsoons. As the butterfly ages, the yellow markings on the wings deepen to orange. Its range indicates the butterfly's tolerance and adaptation to diverse habitats. It is to be found in savannahs, fallow lands, gardens, evergreen and semi-evergreen forests and shows a preference for stream and riverbeds. In India it is mostly found in the plains but can be found on the hills of peninsular India and up to 7000 feet in the Himalayas. It is common in urban gardens and may also be encountered in wooded country.

This butterfly is an avid mud-puddler and visitor of flowers. It basks with its wings held wide open on tufts of grass, herbs and generally keeps within a metre above the ground, even on cloudy days. It relies on its quick flight for escape.

It is an interesting butterfly in that it has a number of modes of flight. In the cool of the morning, the flight is slow considering that it is an edible and unprotected swallowtail. As the day progresses, it flies fast, straight and low. In the hotter part of the day, it may be found settling on damp patches where it will remain motionless, except for an occasional flutter of wings, if not disturbed.

It is also a frequent visitor of flowers in gardens, where it shows a preference for flowers of smaller herbs rather than larger plants such as the ubiquitous Lantana with its plentiful blooms. It can be found swarming in the groves of its foodplants. While resting, the butterfly closes its wing over its back and draws the forewings between the hindwings.

Scientific classification -
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Subfamily: Papilioninae
Genus: Papilio
Species: P. demoleus


WORK FLOW
Shot JPEG fine
Adjusted White balance, brightness and contrast in Lightroom
Export to ACD for sharpness, level and curve adjustments.
Resized and framed.



EXIF Data
Make NIKON CORPORATION
Model NIKON D80
Software ACD Systems Digital Imaging
Exposure Time 1/200
F-Stop f/13.0
ISO Speed Ratings 100
Focal Length 195 mm
Date Taken 2008-07-19 10:48
Metering Mode Spot
File Size 243 kb
© jusni nasirun 2008
gracious, rousettus, pilonm, CeltickRanger, Heaven, eqshannon, GLEM, jaycee, Ken52, marhowie, Argus, pekkavalo1, ramthakur, maurydv, loot, Alex99 has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To jaycee: Thanks Janejusninasirun 1 07-29 09:31
To Argus: Tipsjusninasirun 1 07-29 09:29
To loot: Very Goodjusninasirun 1 07-29 02:09
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3139 W: 148 N: 4732] (15289)
  • [2008-07-29 1:10]

Hi Jusni.
You have created a very nice art picture. Subject is amazing as well as a quality of the image. Combination of the fine flowers and so wonderful butterfly cannot be better. BG is very impressive too and supplements the main subject perfectly. Bravo. Well done.
Alexei.

hi jusni,
very decent image of this lime, details on its wings are superb. only the dark bg is not helping your subject as its merged with it. a light bg would have made it better. good capture along with radiant flowers. your notes are very helpful. tfs.
nagraj.v

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 412 W: 9 N: 1195] (4190)
  • [2008-07-29 1:22]

Hello Jusni,
this is a very nice shot from the Domoleus. Very good POV, good colours, details and exposure. Thank you for posting.
Best regards Siggi

  • Great 
  • loot Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5731 W: 606 N: 3479] (9335)
  • [2008-07-29 2:03]
  • [3] [+]

Hi Jusni

Now this is one image that is absolutely fresh, pleasing and joyful on the eyes. The red flowers stand out in stark contrast against the dark background, but that is not all – as it presented a lovely base for this great looking Common lime butterfly.

The shot has visual impact, great natural yet pleasingly rich colours, excellent sharpness of details, splendid contrasts between the dark and lighter colours of the subject, and a superb composition with various guiding rules for compositions clearly applicable and followed. I normally don't like frames (especially thick frames like this) on a photo as it tends to squash the actual photo into a much smaller size, but I must admit that for this photo that thick white border worked amazingly well.

Good work and TFS.
Regards
Loot

Ciao Jusni,
splendida cattura, eccellenti POV e composizione con prospettiva diagonale e stupendo BG scuro, un artistico "still life" con colori molto saturi e vividi, ottima nitidezza. Un ottimo impatto visivo.
Grazie e complimenti.
Maurizio

I agree with you, Jusni. This butterfly flaps its wings incessantly, making it difficult to take a sharp shot.
However, you have overcome that problem admirably well in this image. The focus is tack sharp with rich colours and the composition with lantana flowers is eye-catching.
Thanks and regards.
Ram

Fantastic picture, great compo, well done Jusni.

Hi Jusni,
Excellent picture of Common lime with nice composition and POV, sharp details, beautiful colours and BG.
TFS
Pekka

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2707 W: 139 N: 7809] (24333)
  • [2008-07-29 3:19]
  • [+]

Hello Jusni,
This is delightful! I like the combination of a dark BG and the Common Lime Swallowtail on the lantana flowers in an excellent composition and taken from a fine closed-wing POV.
A joy to see and thanks for sharing this.
If this is rare in your area it can mean that lime and lemons are not very commonly grown where you live. On the other hand if they are grown they must be heavily sprayed with pesticides!
Regards,
Ivan

Hello Jusni,
Beautiful colors with great exposure, DOF, and details here.
Well composed also, this "Common" Lime looks uncommonly good :)
Howard

  • Great 
  • Ken52 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 663 W: 98 N: 1260] (4181)
  • [2008-07-29 5:47]

Hi Jusni,
This is a very nice butterfly and flower presentation. Outstanding focus and DOF. Excellent detail on butterfly wing and throughout frame. Beautiful colors and nice composition. TFS.
Ken

Excelente trabajo con la luz sobre todo y los colores. ese fondo sobresaliente y los contrastes con la planta muy acertados. Preciosa !!!

Saludos Jusni: Josep Ignasi.

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1089 W: 6 N: 3022] (11184)
  • [2008-07-29 8:59]

Hi Jusni,a really great artwork,this wonderfull pic no need comment but just a lot of compliments,thanks to show us this beauty,have a nice day,Luciano

Hi Jusni,

This is one of those shots that I call picture perfect. You present the butterfly in all its glory with the wonderful colors and amazing details of the wing markings. The pose on the beautiful flowers is wonderful. Superb background and composition. An outstanding piece of work.

Jane

  • Great 
  • efsus Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 268 W: 17 N: 289] (1584)
  • [2008-07-29 9:06]

Merhaba Jusni,
Bir bir başka açıan çekilmiş diğer bir karesi de oldukça gözalıcı bir renkler ve kompozisyona sahipti. Bu da aynı şekilde güzel olmuş. Tebrikler.
Hüseyin

This is really lovely Jusni. One can't ask for sharper than that! I love the off center placement of the butterfly and main flower. The soft focus on the second flower is nice as is the dark background which makes the butterfly really pop!

TFS
Evelynn : )

  • Great 
  • GLEM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 524 W: 87 N: 693] (5741)
  • [2008-07-29 11:28]

salut Jusni,
très belle image colorée et finement composée, la prise de recul est vraiment bien vu. Cependant et honnetement le papillon manque légèrement de netteté pour que l'image soit parfaite.

gaetan

You REALLY are a fast learner there Jusni...the framing is very attractive. It isn't gaudy, remains simple but centers the eye onto the massive colours of the flora and the insect...Just top drawer work here...
Bob

  • Great 
  • Heaven Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 516 W: 85 N: 970] (3593)
  • [2008-07-29 12:36]

Hi Jusni!

You present us a marvellous picture that pleases to me especially for its delicate artistic aspect. This aspect is highlighted by the fine composition (although the main subject is a bit high) and the consistence of the abstract background. Moreover, the colours are fabulous.

Kind regrads

Markus

hello Jusni

what a beautiful shot you did of this butterfly and the flowers,
very fine POV, DOF and framing, wonderful colours,
great contrast, sharpness and details, TFS

Asbed

Ciao Jusni, superb composition with elegant butterfly and wonderful flower, fantastic colors, splendid sharpness and fine details, I like a lot, very well done, BRAVO! ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • gannu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 988 W: 4 N: 2528] (11735)
  • [2008-07-30 1:58]

Hello Jusni, Fantastic and superb. Just brilliant shot. Superb frame and great lighting. I like the sharp focus and the composition in the frame. Well done Ganesh

Hello Jusni,

The word "common" is always relative! For me, it is the first time in my life that I see this wonderful species! Colors are well saturated and you managed to do a great composition.

Look at those wings! They are splendid to say the least!!!

Great shot and TFS!

Michel

Salam Jusni,
wonderful beauty. I like very much Oriental region's butterflies. This is one of them. Your macro wonderful. Beautiful lantana supply great composition. POV and focus great. splendid colors. TFS, best wishes
Ahmet

Abang Jusni,
This is truly a beautiful composition in good quality of the Lime!
both the subject and flowers are perfect in sharpness, good lighting and superb details
very well done
cheers
Tony

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