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Fall of Echinacea


Fall of Echinacea
Photo Information
Copyright: Grzegorz Wieczorek (red45) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2705 W: 74 N: 8864] (30243)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-07-12
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon Powershot S2-IS
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2006-07-13 2:25
Viewed: 1037
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 36
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Some of you maybe remember my photos from Summer 2005. Most pictures of butterflies was taken taken on Echinacea flowers. It was brightest star of last summer. Yesterday I found new champion. It is called Wood Betony [Betonica officinalis] and attract butterflies with enormous power. I found cluster of Wood Betony flowers in queit part of The Botanic Garden. It was full of butterflies, mainly Inachis Io. Sun was low so I had to be quick. I took many pictures, expect Peacocks' flood next few days.

The Wood Betony (S. Betonica according to present-day nomenclature, though nemed Betonica officinalis, by Linnaeus) was held in high repute not only in the Middle Ages, but also by the Greeks who extolled its qualities. An old Italian proverb, ' Sell your coat and buy Betony, ' and 'He has as many virtues as Betony,' a saying of the Spaniards, show what value was placed on its remedial properties. Antonius Musa, chief physician to the Emperor Augustus, wrote a long treatise, showing it was a certain cure for no less than fortyseven diseases.

Throughout the centuries, faith in its virtues as a panacea for all ills was thoroughly ingrained in the popular estimation. It was largely cultivated in the physic gardens, both of the apothecaries and the monasteries, and may still be found growing about the sites of these ancient buildings. Robert Turner, a physician writing in the latter half of the seventeenth century, recounts nearly thirty complaints for which Betony was considered efficacious, and adds, 'I shall conclude with the words I have found in an old manuscript under the virtues of it: "More than all this have been proved of Betony." '

In addition to its medicinal virtues, Betony was endowed with power against evil spirits. On this account, it was carefully planted in churchyards and hung about the neck as an amulet or charm, sanctifying, as Erasmus tells us, 'those that carried it about them,' and being also 'good against fearful visions' and an efficacious means of 'driving away devils and despair.' An old writer, Apelius, says:
'It is good whether for the man's soul or for his body; it shields him against visions and dreams, and the wort is very wholesome, and thus thou shalt gather it, in the month of August without the use of iron; and when thou hast gathered it, shake the mold till nought of it cleave thereon, and then dry it in the shade very thoroughly, and with its root altogether reduce it to dust: then use it and take of it when thou needst.'

Many extravagant superstitions grew up round Betony, one, of very ancient date, was that serpents would fight and kill each other if placed within a ring composed of it; and others declared that even wild beasts recognized its efficacy and used it if wounded, and that stags, if wounded with a dart, would search out Betony, and, eating it, be cured.

From my favourite Botanical.com
AndyB, valy67, ramthakur, dew77, Janice, Christopher_PL, extramundi, aido, wallhalla15, liquidsunshine, coasties, thistle, firelord, Oz1 has marked this note useful
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ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To extramundi: Wishlist????red45 1 07-13 05:30
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • AndyB Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1391 W: 32 N: 1350] (3982)
  • [2006-07-13 2:56]

Hello Greg,
A very nice capture of this Peacock b/fly.
Vivid colours and excellent detail.
An interesting note about the Betony plant.
Great shot,well done.

TFS

Witaj,
Piekne zdjecie.
Cudowny model i swiatlo.
Zywe, naturalne kolorki i bdb ostrosc.
Pozdrawiam Malgosia

Hi Greg !
Another wonderful capture from you ! This butterfly looks awesome ! I see a lot of them around my house, but I never gt such a wonderful shot ! I love the vivid colors and the pose of the butterfly, with the wigs wide open. These blue "eyes" on the wings are very beautiful. Very interesting note too. Very well done !
Valérie.

Amazingly beautiful picture, Greg.
POV,DOF, sharpness and colours are just out of this world.
TFS.

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4774 W: 294 N: 4020] (13209)
  • [2006-07-13 4:23]

Hello Greg,
Excellent capture.Vivid colors,POV,sharpness,lighting and composition are wonderful.
TFS...:-)

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3315 W: 148 N: 6113] (18648)
  • [2006-07-13 5:01]

Yes, I do your photos from Summer 2005, and this fellow too. And I loved your Echinacea flowers Greg. Awesome looking Peacock butterfly Greg, and I am so pleased it isn't a D/D fly!
Janice

Hi Greg
It's another your wonderfull capture. Perfect composition and colours. Thanks

Chris

This is a very nice capture. Everything is lovely and under control. Good composition and a beautiful specimen.
This one is on my wish list :)
Good work.

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2241 W: 47 N: 3167] (10926)
  • [2006-07-13 6:05]

WONDERFUL shot for this superb "Paon de jour" ! Colors, details, exposure and sharpness are excellent!!! Congratulations my friend and thank you for sharing this beauty.

Hello Greg, excllent capture, perfect colors, Bg, POV DOF the details are very crisp, evething is spot on, TFS Kyle

  • Great 
  • aido Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 1044 W: 156 N: 1218] (4046)
  • [2006-07-13 9:00]

Hi Greg,
Excellent shot, a beautiful Butterfly. That deep red colour on the wings is amazing. Great detail, perfect exposure. From the thumbnail I thought the BG would be distracting, but the detail and bright colours on the Butterfly make stop it from being a distraction. Really nice shot and a great note too, very interesting.
Cheers,
Adrian

Hello Greg,
excellent butterfly macro. Brillant colours, great sharpness and details. I like it very much. This is a great composition. Thank you for posting.
Gr.
Heinz

Nice capture Greg,
The details are nice, clear and sharp.
Good colours, lighting and exposure. The DOF is spot on and the POV is good.
Well composed and nicely framed.
Thanks for posting, have a great end to the week.

  • Great 
  • phlr Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1241 W: 129 N: 881] (2814)
  • [2006-07-13 17:54]

Wonderful photo of this beautiful Nymphalidae!
Rare in Portugal.
Perfect on colours POV, DOF and details!
5* photo!
Keep on going and TFS!

Hi Greg

Congrats on an excellent shot. Impressive visual impact. Well done. Nice to view :-)

Hello Greg,
Lovely shot! I don't think I've seen this plant anywhere here. Sounds interesting ... for a butterfly lover of course ;-)
The picture has beautiful colours and great quality.
VERY WELL DONE!

  • Great 
  • Oz1 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 76 W: 2 N: 173] (994)
  • [2006-07-15 12:03]

Hi Grzegorz,
WOW!!!
A perfect capture of the beautifull io!!
colors are outstanding and so are details.
BG,POV all are superb...
what more can I say? aq favorite of mine.
deserves much more than 2 points (comment is ecxellent too!!).
keep going and TFS!!

This is absolutely gorgeous, the colors and pattern on the butterfly are incredible and the background with its colors really intensify the image even more. :)

  •      
  • OzBY Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 182 W: 2 N: 312] (1085)
  • [2006-07-21 10:38]

Hi Grzegorz,
Great picture of this butterfly.
Great POV, color, DOF, sharpness and color.
Wonderful !!!

Oz

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