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Anthocharis cardamines in love!


Anthocharis cardamines in love!
Photo Information
Copyright: Harm Alberts (Harm-digitaal) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 108 W: 7 N: 1846] (7017)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-05-03
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon EOS 300D, Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L USM Macro
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): European Butterflies 3, Lepidoptera: Butterflies and Moths 2, Mating, Copula of Lepidoptera and Odonata [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-05-05 4:37
Viewed: 859
Points: 24
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Names:
Anthocharis cardamines / Oranjetipje / Orange Tip / Aurorafalter / L'Aurore.

Distinguishing marks:
White wings with orange colored tips (male). Don't confuse the female with an ordinary White. Underside of the lower wings marbled green. Upper wing 19-24 mm.

Flying time:
April till early june.

Appearance:
Common. Grasslands and verges near forests.

Foodplant caterpillar:
Various Cruciferae, like Cardamine, Sisymbrium, etc.

The Orange-Tip is resident throughout almost all of Europe. It's bright orange colors attract attention in spring.
Source:http://www.vlinderstichting.nl/butterflyinfo/species/acardami.html

The Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines) is a butterfly in the Pieridae family.

Appearance, behaviour and distribution:

So named because of the males bright orange tips to his forwings. The males are a common sight in May flighing along hedgrows and damp meadows in search of the more reclusive female which lacks the orange and is often mistaken for one of the other 'White' butterflies. The undersides are mottled green and white and create a superb camaflage when settled on flowerheads such as Cow Parsley and Garlic Mustard Alliaria petiolata. The male is able to hide his orange tips by tucking the forwings behind the hinwings at rest(like on this picture!). If you look closely at the mottling you will see that the green colour is in fact made up of a mixture of black and yellow scales. It is found across Europe, and eastwards into temperate Asia as far as Japan. The past 30 years has seen a rapid increase in the range of the Orange Tip in the UK particularly in Scotland and Ireland.

Lifecycle and foodplants:

The female lays her eggs on the flowerheads of Cuckooflower Cardimine pratensis and Garlic Mustard and occasionally other species of wild Crucifers. The eggs are white to begin with but change to a bright orange after a few days before darkening off just before hatching. Because the larvae feed exclusively on the deveoping seeds there is rarely enough to support more than one larvae per plant. If two larvae meet one will normally be eaten by the other so ensuring that at least one of them survives. Newly hatched larvae will also eat unhatched eggs for the same reason. To stop eggs from being laid on plants already laid on the female leaves a pheromone to deter future females from laying. Pupation occurs in June or July in scrubby vegetation near the foodplant, where they stay to emerge the following spring. Recent research suggests that the emergence of the butterfly may be delayed for as much as two years, thus ensuring the species against unfavourable conditions in a given season.

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Tip

Harm
dkaved, coasties, hansh, phlr, limier, AndyB, Christopher_PL, ALIRIZA, firelord, jmp has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Harm,
Almost looks like a mirror image this one...well caught!Such a pretty image with lovely spring colours, nice and clear and the detail superb.A very informative note.
regards, david

A great job here Harm. Good saturation of colours, well composed, good POV, excellent DoF and exposure. Crisp, clear and sharp.

  • Great 
  • hansh Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 212 W: 1 N: 138] (574)
  • [2006-05-05 5:43]

Hoi Harm.
Ook deze staan er weer prima op. De bovenste lijkt me in het wit iets te licht maar over het geheel een mooie plaat.
Gr. Hans

  • Great 
  • phlr Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1241 W: 129 N: 881] (2814)
  • [2006-05-05 6:09]

WOW!
Words for what?
An image that "speaks for itself"!
Above scale photo!
TFS!

Hi Harm
Lucky or not your job it excellent.
You are trying a lot and I can see it to all your photos.
This one is something better than excellent.
Thanks for posting

  • Great 
  • AndyB Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1391 W: 32 N: 1350] (3982)
  • [2006-05-05 9:40]

Hello Harm,
An excellent double capture.I've not got close to any yet this year!
Very good detail and POV,great DOF.
Great shot.

TFS

Hi Harm,
EXELLENT!!!
Lack of word. :-)
Very well done.
TFS Malgosia

Wow! It's not easy to capture ONE cardamines and you've a pair! Excelent shot - good colours and sharpness.

Chris

Marvelous and amazing shot, Harm. Very nice macro. Point of view, clear details, sharpness and nice colors are wonderful. Best regards.
Ali Rıza

  • Great 
  • osse Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 962 W: 0 N: 89] (7801)
  • [2006-05-05 19:20]

Hi Harm
Great compositin and shot. Excellent colours, details,sharpnes, BG and POV.
well done

osse

  • Great 
  • jmp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1740 W: 95 N: 2273] (8411)
  • [2006-05-06 6:56]

Beautiful shot: details, sharpness and colors are very good. And these butterfly in love are lovely.
José M.

Hi Harm
Nice color and great details.
Confratulations!

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