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Silver-washed Fritillary - female
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Hello today!
Some time ago I've posted some photographs of Silver-washed Fritillary males, this one is taken the same day in the same place as the other ones- by the forest road near Mragowo.
Females has the same patterns on wings but much darker- almost black colours instead of nice orange males. Still very beautifull I think.
Picture cropped, some shadow reduction and added contrast, then resizing, sharpening and framing.
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Informations taken from Wikipedia:
The Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) is a European species of butterfly, which was in decline for much of the 1970s and 1980s but seems to be coming back to many of its old territories.
The Silver-washed fritillary butterfly is deep orange with black spots on the upper side of its wings and has a wingspan of 54-70 mm, with the male being smaller and paler than the female. The underside is green and unlike other fritillaries has silver streaks instead of silver spots, hence the name silver-washed. The caterpillar is black-brown with two yellow lines along its back and long reddish-brown spines. Adults feed on the nectar of bramble, thistles and knapweeds and also on aphid honeydew. The silver-washed is a strong flier and more mobile than other fritillaries and as such can be seen gliding above the tree canopy at high speed. It preferred habitat is thin, sunny deciduous woodland especially oaks but has been known to live in coniferous woodland.
The male possesses scent scales on the upper side of the forewing that run along veins one to four. The scent produced from these scales attracts females and helps to distinguish it from other species. Unusually for a butterfly, the female does not lay her eggs on the leaves or stem of the caterpillar's food source (in this case violets) but instead one or two meters above the woodland floor in the crevices of tree bark close to clumps of violets.
When the egg hatches in August, the caterpillar immediately goes into hibernation until spring. Upon awakening it will drop to the ground and feeds on violets close to the base of the tree. The caterpillar usually feeds at night and usually conceals itself during the day away from its food source but during cool weather will bask in the sunny spots on the forest floor on dry, dead leaves . It will make its chrysalis amongst the ground vegetation and the adults will emerge in June.
Cheers for watching and any comments,
have a nice day! |
vanderschelden, uleko, Hormon_Manyer has marked this note useful Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes. |
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| Discussions |
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- Dando
(3080) - [2008-06-13 5:52]
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Nice angle and DOF, well done and thank you for your visit! TFS.
Dean.
- Amadeo
(3323) - [2008-06-13 5:54]
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Hola Adrian, una toma nitida y con con buen color. La composición es atractiva, quiza le falte un`poco de luz?. Un saludo
- Argus
(26168) - [2008-06-13 7:57]
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Hello Adrian,
The Silver-washed Fritillary is not rare, but this dark greenish form of the female, called form valesina, is!
Congratulations on this fine capture that is technically excellent and seen from a fine POV. I have not seen this form on TN before.
Well done and thanks for sharing this!
Regards, Ivan
- batu
(11590) - [2008-06-13 12:24]
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Hello Adrian,
an elegant view requiring exact focusing. Light is peculiar and well balanced.
Colour nuances are perfect.
Best wishes, Peter
Hi Adrian,
Wonderful butterfly and you photographed it very well especially in terms of point of view and lighting..
TFS
Annick
Hi Adrian, fascinating composition with splendid butterfly and lovely flowers, fantastic details, great focus and excellent sharpness, I like a lot, ciao Silvio
- Mana
(17302) - [2008-06-14 4:28]
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Hi Adrian,
Wonderful shot of this Silver-washed Fritillary with very impressive sharpness and lovely colours. Great handling of available lighting and you have managed this difficult POV to get precise DOF. Very nicely composed. Kudos.
TFS.
Sumon
- uleko
(26185) - [2008-06-14 5:05]
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Hello Adrian,
Excellent capture of this beautiful dark form of the Silver-washed Fritillary. I love your composition where details are very sharp and the colours beautiful. A fine background too!
Many thanks, Ulla
Hi Adrian,
Fantastic capture of the butterfly. Nice natural colors, good sharpness, great diagonal composition. Also do like the DOF / bg and the shadows / light. A top notch image of You again, bravo, my Friend.
Best wishes from Wladyslaw :)