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Orange Tip


Orange Tip
Photo Information
Copyright: Joe Kellard (joey) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2001 W: 226 N: 6845] (24727)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-05-17
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon Powershot S3 IS, Digital ISO-100
Exposure: f/2.7, 1/640 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-12-11 3:10
Viewed: 649
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 48
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I dragged this out of my archives.

I hope you like it!

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

So named because of the male's bright orange tips to his forwings. The males are a common sight in spring flying along hedgerows 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 camouflage 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 hindwings at rest. 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, probably in response to climate change.

The female lays eggs singly on the flowerheads of Cuckooflower Cardimine pratensis and Garlic Mustard and many other species of wild Crucifers. Females are attracted to larger flowers, such as Hesperis matronalis, even though some such species are poor larval hosts. Selection of foodplants is triggered by the presence of mustard oils, which are detected by chemosensory hairs on the fore-legs. Reproductive rate of females appears to be limited by difficulties in finding suitable hosts. As a consequence, the species has evolved to use a wide range of 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 almost exclusively on the flowers and developing seedpods there is rarely enough food to support more than one larva per plant. If two larvae meet one will often be eaten by the other to eliminate its competitor. 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. There are five larval instars. The green and white caterpillar is attacked by several natural enemies (notably Tachinid flies and Braconid wasps). Pupation occurs in early summer 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.

Thanks :)
uleko, mariki, Adanac, eqshannon, Jamesp, Argus, ridvan, fartash, Juyona, LordPotty, pierrefonds, angybone, phlr, nirmalroberts, anel has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To flashpoint: Thankyoujoey 1 12-13 04:28
To PaulH: Weatherjoey 4 12-11 05:03
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1978 W: 6 N: 5527] (19673)
  • [2007-12-11 3:37]

impressive details and sharpness,the wings are so perfect that seems a geographical card.eeheh.thanks for share this fantastic work,have a nice day,Luciano

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3813 W: 190 N: 11346] (34981)
  • [2007-12-11 3:40]

Hello Joe,
Glad you 'dragged' this one out!
It's a really great shot of a male Orange Tip, showing us the underside of the wings. Excellent sharpness, deatil and composition against a green natural bokeh.
Well done and thanks,
Ivan

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1351 W: 0 N: 5494] (16522)
  • [2007-12-11 3:57]

Hi Joe

Great pose and great selective focus. I also like the contrast with the green BG.

James

PS I sent you an email

  • Great 
  • PaulH Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1110 W: 23 N: 3656] (13083)
  • [2007-12-11 4:00]
  • [+]

Hi Joe,
Great result from searching your archives! Excellent DOF and some super sharp detail - hope you get some sun soon and can get back outside mate.
Paul

What a beautiful specie this is! Those little one look like a flower! You caught excellent details on this lovely butterfly in a good exposure and composition. If you could have used a smaller aperture, its whole wings could have been as sharp as the rest but it is a nice effect anyway. Well done and TFS,
Claudine

As a strange coincidence I was just going through some online , straight from Germany, Xmas cookies of olden recipes..as my great grandmother cook such, I have an interest at this time of year...and the colors of the cookies then turning the page to you unusual combination of colours was a bit of Christmas magic,. Well done Joey. Very nice.
Bob

  • Great 
  • Adanac Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1169 W: 1 N: 5208] (17609)
  • [2007-12-11 5:40]

Hello Joe,
Amazing wing patterns and colors are shown well by your excellent macro work here, thanks Joe.
Rick

Ciao Joe,
che occhi!
L' A. cardamines è ottimamente presentata, ma la cosa che colpisce di più sono appunto i suoi splendidi occhi verdi!
Complimenti,
Marcello

Hello Joe,

Nice capture of this butterfly. Very good composition. Very good sharpness. Wonderful colours.
Cheers,
Mariki

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2991 W: 162 N: 949] (2787)
  • [2007-12-11 6:56]

Hello Joe,
Very fine capture óf the Orange Tip from your archives. Great focus on the eye and I like the way the orange shows through the wing. I expect it was moving but most of it is in focus showing sharp details. I like its pose on the flowers and the green background too.
Well done.
TFS and cheers, Ulla

salut joe
voila encore une belle photo,peut etre un peu trop accentué mais tres joliement colorée.
le POV est bien dhoisit.
laurent

selam joe; Excellent macro shot of this orange tip .Nice composition.Good POV and sharp image whit nice details.splendid Colors. well done.
TFS ridvan

Hello Joe,
Excellent composition indeed in good size posting to enjoy the real closeness of this beauty!
awesome sharpness, vivid colour and so much details to view
well done and TFS
best regards
Tony

Hello Joe
Excellent shot of this Orange Tip,
Perfect focusing ,composition and BG,Welldone.

Good Luck
Fartash

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2262 W: 10 N: 2630] (15565)
  • [2007-12-11 11:53]

Hola Joe,
espléndida macro,
detalles y sensacional pov,
excelente trabajo,
saludos

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2386 W: 94 N: 5517] (17564)
  • [2007-12-11 12:34]

Hello Joe,
Fantastic photo of this butterfly. Perfect focus and sharpness. The contrast against the green BG is great. Great vivid colours and marvelous composition.
Regards,
Peter

Hi Joe, splendid butterfly with superb details and excellent sharpness, great composition with wonderful colors, very well done, ciao Silvio

Lovely capture, beautiful composition Joe.
Nice work.
Steve

SUPER SHOT Joe
fantastic sharpness and great texture
of wings.great focused on the eye!!!!

best regards sERGIO

Hi Joe,

A nice image of the Orange Tip butterfly, the photo has a good composition, sharpness and beautiful colors. Thanks for sharing.

Pierre

Splendid sharpness...wonderful clarity. Just beautiful!

  • Great 
  • EOSF1 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1381 W: 126 N: 5246] (23469)
  • [2007-12-13 8:45]

Hello joe, great macro my friend ! Crispy sharp image, great exposure and colors. Very well done, thanks !

Mario

Hi Joe,
Very interesting butterfly. Good POV. Sharp focus on the head, the tip of the wings is slightly out though.
Thanks for sharing this colourful insect.
- Nirmal

  • Great 
  • anel Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1723 W: 0 N: 3903] (15686)
  • [2007-12-19 2:27]

Hello Joey,
Looking at your gallery I found this marvellous shot of the Orange Tip. These butterflies are not easy to photograph, being always in movement. You caught it with excellent sharpness and fitting so well in the green surrounding. Really well seen.
Best regards
Anne

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