<< Previous Next >>

Monarch at home


Monarch at home
Photo Information
Copyright: Michel Pilon (pilonm) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 542 W: 99 N: 813] (2647)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-08-13
Categories: Insects
Camera: Panasonic DMC FZ - 20 LUMIX
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2006-11-10 14:55
Viewed: 853
Points: 34
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Hello!

Today I want to present you my first picture of a Monarch butterfly. I took this picture early in the morning on my patio. Drinking my coffee, I saw this great butterfly flying over my Marygold flowers. I took a chance and run for my camera, take the time to do the adjustments and did a series of pictures. This one is the first one (more to come ;-) ).

Hope you'll enjoy :-)

Michel

-------------------------

Monarch Facts

In addition to being beautiful, monarch butterflies have an amazing life cycle. Many people—students, naturalists, scientists and others—have made it their life’s work to learn more about this incredible insect!

In the entire world, no butterflies migrate like the monarchs of eastern North America. Individuals travel much farther than all other tropical butterflies, up to 2,000 miles.

Monarch females can lay several hundred eggs, usually laying a single egg on a plant. The eggs hatch about four days after they are laid.

Monarch caterpillars eat plants only in the milkweed family. There are over 100 known species of milkweeds in North America. Monarchs have been reported to feed on 27 of them, but they undoubtedly feed on others as well.

Adult monarchs drink nectar from many species of flowers. Nectar contains sugar, which serves as the main energy source for monarchs.

Monarchs have an effective chemical defense to protect them from predation; when they eat milkweed, they sequester the poisonous cardiac glycosides in the milkweed. Cardiac glycosides are poisonous to vertebrates; as a result, most monarchs face little predation from frogs, lizards, mice, birds and other species with backbones. Their bright colors also serve as a warning to predators that they contain these poisonous chemicals.

Several species of birds—most particularly black-headed grosbeaks and black-backed orioles—can eat adult monarch butterflies in the overwintering colonies. While grosbeaks are relatively insensitive to the cardiac glycosides, the orioles have figured out which parts of the monarch bodies are safe to eat and avoid the most poisonous parts. Grosbeaks and orioles can kill more than 10% of the total monarch populations in a winter.

The monarch caterpillar stage is also known as the larval stage; the caterpillar is an eating machine, taking few breaks even for resting.

The monarch larva molts, or sheds its skin, five times before entering the pupae stage. The entire larval state lasts from 9-14 days under normal summer temperatures.

The pupa stage is often called a chrysalis and usually lasts from 8-13 days (the lower time corresponds to warm conditions. It is not a cocoon, since it has no silken covering.
Alex99, SkyF, Pentaxfriend, dew77, RAP, gelor, pankajbajpai, vanderschelden, ramthakur, jeanpaul, jcoowanitwong, coasties, livios has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes.
Add Critique [Critiquing Guidelines] 
Only registered TrekNature members may write critiques.
Discussions
None
You must be logged in to start a discussion.

Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2991 W: 148 N: 4435] (14369)
  • [2006-11-10 15:02]

Hi Michel.
Next your brilliant picture with amazing diagonal construction. I like its rich, perfect saturated colours, interesting lighting, impressive blurred BG and precise details of the cute butterfly. Superb done and TFS,
Alexei.

astonishing shot. I loved it.

Regards,

Dori

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2390 W: 194 N: 1991] (8113)
  • [2006-11-10 15:17]

Hello Michel,
excellent sharpness, very good composition and I like those vibrant colors.
Very well done.
Sky

Hi Michel,

Exellent shot
superb sharpness, details, colours
Great POV, DOF and BG
nicely framed and good notes

TFS Thijs

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5171 W: 297 N: 4050] (13069)
  • [2006-11-10 15:55]

Hello Michel,
Wonderful butterfly close up.ı liked POV,vivid colors,clear details,lighting and composition a lot.
Excellent work!
TFS..:-)

HI Michel,
it's soooo beautiful, I love this pretty butterfly with the brilliant colours and the good sharpness. Very well done, thanks
Sabine - wishnugaruda

  • Great 
  • Maite Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 978 W: 64 N: 1189] (4886)
  • [2006-11-10 16:35]

Hello Michael
Not for much seen this butterfly is less interesting, overall when the capture is so brilliant. Perfectly sharp and with a nice background which embosses the foreground. A very beautiful and well done job. Congratulations
Best wishes
Maite

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2006-11-10 17:36]

Una hermosa imagen Michel con excelente agudeza e intenso colorido como puntos fuertes.
Me agrada el POV captado con gran luminosidad, que a pesar de la misma, no ha provocado sobre exposición sobre la mariposa.
Buen encuadre y presentación.
Saludos... Ricardo

Beautiful image Michel with excellent sharpness and intense colors as strong points.
I like POV captured with great brightness that in spite of the same one, it has not provoked over exposure on the butterfly.
Good framing and presentation.
Greetings... Ricardo

bonjour michel
bonne exposition,le pov est bon.
les couleurs tres jolies,bonne netteté egalement.
enfin bravo.
laurent

  • Great 
  • gelor Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 128 W: 3 N: 12] (517)
  • [2006-11-11 4:38]

Bonjour Michel,
Très belle présentation de ce papillon ! Techniquement superbement réalisé. Bravo et merci.
Gérard

hi michel.
lovely shot of this beautiful butterfly. the colours look perfect. the pov is very good. nice dof. blurred bg suits the shot well.
very well done.
tfs
regards
pankaj

Hi Michel,
Beautiful image.
I like the sharpness and colours.
Compo okay too...
TFS
Annick

Hi Michel,
This is your best butterfly picture till date. You were in luck to have this creature visiting your marigolds and obliging you with a photo shoot.
Excelllent point of view, DOF, colors, sharpness and details.
Very well framed diagonal composition.
Congratulations and TFS.
Ram

Hi Michel,
Perfect pov, dof, exposure, and sharpness. Wonderful to see a Monarch and able to take a series picture. Very well done and tfs.
JC

Hi Michel

Impressive shot! Perfect light, POV, colour and detail. Very high quality! Congrats! TFS.

Bonjour MichelUne merveilleuse photo que ce Joli papillon,Très belle composition, les couleurs et le cadrage et les détails sont tous très bons.

Bravo et merci...JP
Les sourires demain

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2306 W: 324 N: 4306] (16850)
  • [2006-11-12 18:05]

Michel, great title, excellent photo.

Lovely colors, excellent sharpness, pov and composition.

I do enjoy saturation and warm shades too.

Congratulations.

Hi Michel,
Wonderful capture with great details and colors. The BG and the colors of the butterfly compliment each other very well
TFS
Goutham R

Calibration Check
















0123456789ABCDEF