<< Previous Next >>

Buckeye butterfly !!!


Buckeye butterfly !!!
Photo Information
Copyright: Stephan Duchesne (iglootrek) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 102 W: 10 N: 463] (1615)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-07-18
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel, CMOS ISO 400
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/400 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Travelogue: The crazy long drive trip
Date Submitted: 2006-09-06 19:23
Viewed: 1203
Points: 24
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia)

Identification:
The buckeye is a medium-sized butterfly with two large multicolored eyespots on hindwings and one large eyespot on forewings. The background color of the buckeye is mostly brown. Its forewing has 2 orange cell bars and 1 large eyespot inside the wide white area. The hindwing has 2 eyespots. The upper one is the largest and contains a magenta crescent. The two eyespots touch the light orange band at the bottom of the hindwings.The underside of hindwing is brown or tan in the wet season (summer) butterflies and rose-red in the dry season (fall) butterflies . Their wing span is 1 5/8 - 2 3/4 inches (4.2 - 7 cm).

Life history:
Male buckeyes perch during the day on low plants or bare ground to watch for females. They fly often to patrol their territory or to chase other flying insects. The buckeye is often seen perching on protruding branches or resting on bare ground. Females lay eggs one at a time on leaf buds or on upperside of host plant leaves. The caterpillars are solitary and eat leaves. Caterpillars and adults overwinter but only in the south where it is warm.

Caterpillar hosts:
Buckeye caterpillars like to eat plants from the snapdragon family including snapdragon (Antirrhinum) and toadflax (Linaria); the plantain family including plantains (Plantago); and the acanthus family including ruellia (Ruellia nodiflora).

Adult food:
The adult buckeye butterflies favorite nectar sources are composites including aster, chickory, gumweed, knapweed, and tickseed sunflower. Dogbane, peppermint, and other flowers are also visited by them for nectar.

Habitat:
Buckeyes prefer open, sunny areas with low vegetation and some bare ground.

Range:
They live all over the southern United States and north along the coasts to central California and North Carolina. They also live south to Bermuda, Cuba, Isle of Pines, and southern Mexico. Adults from the south's first brood migrate north in late spring and summer to temporarily colonize most of the United States and even parts of southern Canada.

Comments:
The eyespots may be used to scare away predators.

Source: http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/kkhp/1insects/buckeye.html
blakitan, coasties, marhowie, scottevers7, RAP, jmp 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]

Bonjour Stéphan
La prise est tres belle avec une jolie composition de ce joli papillon, très nette, très "pure".
les couleurs sont superbes.
bravo et merci du partage...JP

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2006-09-06 22:54]

Hello Stephan

A beautiful image.The colours are well saturated and the DOF is sharp.Excellent details and clarity.Very nice perspective.TFS

Rob

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3103 W: 234 N: 5930] (20016)
  • [2006-09-06 23:37]

Striking designs and colors on your buckeye butterfly, Stephan.
Deeply saturated colors and sharp details.
Perfect POV revealing all the "eyes'.
Great shot and TFS. : )

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2138 W: 224 N: 3959] (13149)
  • [2006-09-07 3:50]

Hi Stephan

A true splendor! WOW...look at its colors and shapes!
Perfect POV, showing the inner side of its wings very nicely, great sharpness, very nice light and framing.
Very well done!

Bravo and TFS
Horia

Hello Stephan

Beautiful work. Nicely composed with all the technical stuff looking spot on. :-)

  • Great 
  • Zeno Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 475 W: 0 N: 926] (7979)
  • [2006-09-07 5:15]

Hi Stephan,

I like the pattern on the wings of this butterfly. Its like many eyes staring at you.
Great shot!

regards,
Zeno.

Hi Stephan,
that's a real beauty and you captured it so sharp and with brilliant colours.
I love it, thanks
Sabine - wishnugaruda

wow - you get some beautiful butterflies over in the states and this one is stunning adn you have caught it very well.

DOF and sharpness are excellent.

TFS
Emma

Hi Stephan,
Superb macro shot!Nice colours,sharpness,details,POV and composition.
Well done TFS.Hilmi

Hi Stephan,
It's a real beauty! Amazing colors and detail in this perfect expousre. You have really brought out the intricate detail in the wing here. Nice shot!

Scott

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2006-09-07 15:16]

Hello Stephan, nice butterfly

Composition: ****
Sharpness: ****
Color: ****
Lighting ****
Background ****
DOF: *** (the ends of the wings appear something soft)
POV: ****
Note: *****

TFS and greetings... Ricardo

  • Great 
  • jmp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1836 W: 94 N: 2340] (8406)
  • [2006-09-07 17:25]

Hi Stephan,
I like a lot this butterfly. Perfect details, color and pov.
TFS, José M.

Calibration Check
















0123456789ABCDEF