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Small Tortoiseshell


Small Tortoiseshell
Photo Information
Copyright: Peter van Zoest (PeterZ) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2398 W: 94 N: 5543] (17640)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-08-01
Categories: Insects
Camera: Nikon D300, AF Nikkor 70-300mm f4-5.6 G, Digital JPEG
Exposure: f/8, 1/500 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2009-08-11 6:32
Viewed: 451
Points: 64
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
The Small Tortoiseshell (aglais urticae)

Identification
This species should be recognisable to most observers, with both sexes similar in appearance. An unusual colour form (known as semi-ichnusoides) may be encountered occasionally. This forms results when an individual is exposed to high temperatures during the chrysalis stage; it’s appearance shows reduced amounts of orange and the dark spots smudged together producing a less strongly marked and blurred effect. The camouflaged underwings are useful in concealing individuals that have begun hibernation. The caterpillars range in colour from black to variegated yellow, with spiky growths emerging at intervals along the back. Even though this colouration deters most predators, a good number of caterpillars are lost to parasitic wasps and flies.

Behaviour and Ecology
The daily behaviour of males centres around the need to nectar during the morning and to find a mate. To do this, males will set up a temporary territory which they will defend for an hour or so. If no female has entered the territory within that time, the male will move on and try his luck elsewhere. Both sexes spend the night deep within patches of nettles and are late risers (typically on the wing from 10am).
Once fertilised, the female will spend the rest of her life searching for suitable sites at which eggs can be deposited. The females lay their eggs during the afternoon, selecting patches of young nettles in sheltered but sunny locations. Both common and small nettle are used as a food plant by the caterpillars but the females reject most clumps as being too small, too sheltered or not young enough. An ideal nettle bed is one that occupies a large part of a sunny border and which has been cut in early June to promote tender regrowth – not exactly the sort of thing tolerated by many gardeners. Because the eggs are laid in groups, the caterpillars are initially gregarious, living within an untidy web. When they are nearly fully-grown, they will disperse and live singly, still on nettle. This stage may last for about four weeks from egg to pupa.

If you encounter a Small Tortoiseshell fluttering about in your centrally-heated house in the later part of the year, then ‘rescue’ it to an outbuilding or shed (and not outside) where the temperature will remain more stable and help secure a successful hibernation.
parasbhalla, techranger, horias, siggi, Jamesp, uleko, cloud, Arjun, goatman04, bahadir, Gert-Paassen, marianas, Luis52, boreocypriensis, goldyrs, Noisette, KOMSIS, xTauruSx, Hormon_Manyer has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • zetu Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 652 W: 15 N: 1622] (6301)
  • [2009-08-11 6:45]

Hello Peter
wonderful capture with vivid colors and sharp details. well done
regards
Razvan

  • Great 
  • joska Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 411 W: 0 N: 1023] (5522)
  • [2009-08-11 6:51]

Very nice colors and details!

Hi Peter,

What a lovely macro shot of the Small Tortoiseshell butterfly!
The colors are so bright and wonderful, stand well against the green BG. The sharpness and POV are ideal whereas the DOF is exceptionally fine.
Very well done!

thanks and regards,
Paras Bhalla

Gorgeous capture Peter. Composition, clarity of detail, lighting, DOF, etc. all well done. Thanks for the image and the wonderful notes too... :)

Larry

Peter,
Wonderful Small Tortoiseshell...sharp, natural colors, great capture...you are all time in top!
Congratulation!
Horia

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1380 W: 56 N: 4759] (16364)
  • [2009-08-11 7:09]

Hello Peter,
Lovely butterfly close up.POV,vivid colors,sharpness,lighting,and composition are excellent.
TFS.Best regards Siggi

Hello Peter,

I like this photo.
The colors are very sharp and intense and
it has a good sharpness.

Groeten, Mike

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1351 W: 0 N: 5494] (16524)
  • [2009-08-11 7:23]

Hi Peter

Lovely shot - well placed in the frame - good colour saturation and off bg too.

Best wishes

James

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3824 W: 190 N: 11393] (35107)
  • [2009-08-11 7:41]

Hello Peter,
It's nice to see a butterfly shot from you!
This is a fine capture of a Small Tortoiseshell taken from a great POV to show its open wings with fine sharpness, lighting and colours against a good neutral natural Bg. It's perch is excellent so that the whole BG is OOF, almost as if you caught it in flight!
Thanks and best wishes,
Ivan

Mooie foto van deze Vos? Ik ben hier en beetje verzadigd met vlinder fotos maar deze vond ik toch wel de moeite waard

gr
Jeroen

La pequeña desviación en el enfoque es compensada :-) por el buen encuadre y los espectaculares colores de esta bella mariposa.
Saludos Peter: J. Ignasi.

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2999 W: 162 N: 984] (2877)
  • [2009-08-11 9:20]

Hello Peter,
A lovely view of the Small Tortoiseshell against a fine background. Great sharpness and beautiful natural colours. We've seen so few of this normally very common butterfly here this year.
TFS and regards, Ulla

  • Great 
  • cloud Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 297 W: 71 N: 758] (4689)
  • [2009-08-11 9:37]

Hello Peter,
Perfect pose,saturated colours, very good sharpness also BG is nicely blurred. very good work.
Regards, Pawel

  • Great 
  • mishe Gold Star Critiquer [C: 105 W: 0 N: 3] (922)
  • [2009-08-11 9:51]

Zdravo Peter!
Colours,BG and compo are excellent.Tfs.
With best wishes,Mishe.

hallo Peter
een zeer mooi foto met goede details en super kleuren met een zachte BG.
mooi plaatje
groetjes lou

Hello Peter,

An excellent shot with brilliant colors, sharpness & details. Well done & TFS.

Regards

Umar

Hello Peter, great shot of this beautiful butterfly with wonderful composition.
TFS and greetings,
Bahadır

Hallo Peter,

een mooie foto van deze Vos.
Mooi scherp en goede detailering.
De kleuren komen mooi uit tegen deze groene achtergrond.

Gert

Peter,
Lovely capture this Small Tortoiseshell.
Wonderful colors.
Great sharpness.
Mariana

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1978 W: 6 N: 5527] (19673)
  • [2009-08-11 13:03]

Hi Peter,simply fantastic.This perspective is great,it seem that the butterfly is suspended in the air,impressive quality of sharpness and colors and great composition too.One your best butterflies of this year! Thanks for share,have a nice day,LUCIANO

  • Great 
  • Luis52 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1110 W: 5 N: 3457] (12761)
  • [2009-08-11 16:40]

Hola Peter.
3D. Macro, great sharpness, well framed and nice colors.
Saludos
Luis52.

Excellent shot! The bright orange stands out well against the lush green bg. The shallow dof looks perfect. Good composition with rich colours. Thanks for sharing.

Hi and good morning Peter,
A fine close-up shot of this spectacular and rarely seen butterfly which i also ssaw it while i was in E Anatolia.
Perfect focusing and excellent composition.
TFS and cheers,
Bayram

An excellent macro with the subject in beautiful sharp focus and the BG very subtle and beautifully blurred!
Bravo!

Helo Peter
great composed shot of this Small Tortoiseshell captured in a perfect pose, the colors of the buterfly and the BG are so beautiful
Excellent details and interesting note
Have a good night
Jacqueline

  • Great 
  • KOMSIS Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 238 W: 0 N: 588] (2001)
  • [2009-08-13 12:44]

Hi Peter,
Of this butterfly, so I went after ...
Aglais urticae, has very good exposure.
Light, depth of field, color and great detail.
Hopefully, I'm taking this year to a good exposure.
Best wishes,
Seyfi

Superb image of this beautiful butterfly Peter.
i love it.
TFS and regards
Deniz

Hello Peter,
a very beautiful picture of the Small Tortoiseshell taken in a wonderful pose, good sharpness and splendid colours, excellent POV and composition with a marvellous BG.
TFS
Best regards
Maurizio

  • Great 
  • foozi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1339 W: 0 N: 2582] (9107)
  • [2009-08-17 3:40]

Hi Peter,
this is indeed very captivating. the sharpness and details are superbs. i like the orangy colour contrast with the blurry greenish background very much.
An excellent presenteation of this pretty butterfly.

Regards,
Foozi

Hi Peter,

Beautiful capture of the Small Tortoiseshell, one of the No. 1. butterflies on my wish-list - I still didn't manage to make a useful shot of it. Yours looks great - maybe the right wings are a little oof, but the sharpness on the antennas and on the left wings are OK, while the carpet-alike blurry green background's wonderful. Nice job overall. Tfs.

Congratulations also for reaching 15.000 points on TN. Best regards from Hungary, László

Ciao Peter. Lightning and coloured compo here. I like the vertical pose and the BG.

Roberto

Ciao Peter, beautiful Aglais with splendid colors, excellent sharpness and fine details, perfect focus and wionderful blurry BG, very well done, ciao Silvio

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