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Joy of summer


Joy of summer
Photo Information
Copyright: Michel Pilon (pilonm) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 548 W: 90 N: 871] (2919)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-06-14
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon 40D, Canon 300mm F4L IS USM + 1.4x ext
Exposure: f/8, 1/500 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-10-15 5:14
Viewed: 1098
Points: 38
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
People indicated me that I should be able to photography insects with my new 300mm USM f4.0 + TC 1.4x of Canon. That is one of the reason I chose this lens instead of the 100-400mm zoom. So, they tell me the truth :-) Here is a Canadian tiger swallowtail (Papilio canadensis) photographied, hand-held, at East Angus (Quebec, Canada) last June.

He looks very similar to the european Machao isn't it?

What do you think of this full frame picture?

Thank you again,

Michel

---

Diagnosis: The Canadian Tiger Swallowtail is one of the best-known butterflies in this country because of its size (wingspan: 53 to 90 mm) and distinctive pattern. The yellow ground colour with wide, black tiger stripes catches the attention of even the most casual observer. It has a wide, black band along the inner margin of the hindwing. The underside is yellow, often with extensive over-scaling of orange, and black.

Subspecies: None (but see Western Tiger Swallowtail). Since 1906, when it was first named, canadensis has been considered a subspecies of the more southerly Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (P. glaucus), found throughout the eastern U.S. It was separated by Hagen et al. (1991), and others, based on detailed physiological and genetic characteristics. The more northern butterfly has only one generation per year, while glaucus has two. Another distinctive difference is that the Canadian Tiger Swallowtail does not have the black female form that occurs in glaucus. Oddly enough, the only exceptions to this rule are the occasional all-black females that have appeared in Newfoundland, despite the fact that they do not appear in New England (Morris, 1980).

Range: This butterfly is found in all provinces and territories. Its range extends north of the Arctic Circle in Yukon, and to Churchill in Manitoba, Little Shagamu River in Ontario, and to Schefferville in Quebec. It has not been reported from Labrador.

Similar Species: The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (P. glaucus) is best recognized by geographic location and the width of the black stripe along the anal margin, which is considerably narrower in glaucus. The Western Tiger Swallowtail (P. rutulus), the Pale Swallowtail (P. eurymedon), and the Two-tailed Swallowtail (P. multicaudatus) differ as described under those species. [compare images]

Early Stages: The mature larvae are dark green, with two spots that look like eyes on the swollen section of the body behind the head; this creates a snake-like profile. Immature larvae are brown and white, resembling bird droppings. The larvae use a wide variety of trees as foodplants, including willow (Salix spp.), cherry (Prunus spp.), poplar (Populus spp.), and ash (Fraxinus spp.).

Abundance:The Canadian Tiger Swallowtail is common to abundant through most of its range.

Flight Season: This species has only one generation per year, usually appearing in mid-May and flying to late July depending on latitude.

Habits: This is mainly a species of open woodlands and adjacent areas, but it also flies north of treeline in Canada where stunted trees and dwarf willows can be found. It can even be seen on the wing in city backyard gardens. The Canadian Tiger Swallowtail is an avid mud-puddler and sometimes hundreds will gather at the same small puddle, jostling for position.

Remarks: Although a relatively large butterfly, particularly in southern Canada, extremely small examples can be found. PWH captured a small male with a 50 mm wing expanse in the Cypress Hills of Saskatchewan that appeared not much bigger than a large sulphur. A number of striking semi-melanic specimens have been taken, including one near Ottawa by RAL in 1976 that was mostly black.
thor68, ellis49, Alex99, crs, Argus, boreocypriensis, Juyona, horia, jaycee, SelenE, peter_stoeckl has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Silvio2006: Thank you Silviopilonm 1 12-02 14:05
To jaycee: Thank you Jaycee,pilonm 1 10-16 14:39
To Argus: Thank you Ivan,pilonm 1 10-15 12:27
To ellis49: Thank you Gert,pilonm 1 10-15 09:17
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Critiques [Translate]

yeah, awesome, a "macro"-shot with 300mm (x1.4)! :-) the "joy of summer" brings us great pleasure, what a beauty and she´s
showing us her full wingspan. perfect capture with excellent sharpness, wonderful colors and great details and the pretty
purple flowers serve as a good background - i guess i gotta trash my 100-400 after all.*g* superb job & best wishes, thor.

Hi Michel,
this is a good shot using the 300mm + 1,4 converter,
the BG is in very nice blur.
Sharpness and details are very fine, so are the beautiful colours.
Only nit it the big black border, the butterfly look a bit tight and the wings nearly touch it.
Very nice work, my friend.

Hello Michel,
Very good colours. Good focus and depth of field.
Good close up of the Canadian tiger swallowtail.
The combination 300+1,4 is okay, I see:-)
Well done
TFS
Annick

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3585 W: 143 N: 5669] (18533)
  • [2008-10-15 10:55]

Hi Michel, again.
What can I say about this shot? Only one word – Bravo. This image is so perfect as previous one. Great details and sharpness of a fine butterfly. Splendid nicely smooth BG. Superb colours. POV is wonderful. My congratulations.
Alexei.

  • Great 
  • crs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 523 W: 0 N: 920] (3543)
  • [2008-10-15 11:39]

Hello Michel,

You have rendered excelent colors in your photo. The sharpness you have shown the butterfly with is also impresive. There is a very fine contrast between the butterfly and the background.

Thank you for sharing,
Cristian

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3816 W: 190 N: 11348] (34987)
  • [2008-10-15 11:42]
  • [+]

Hello Michel,
A great open-wing macro of a Tiger Swallowtail taken with the same lens that I used plus 1.4 converter: much better than a zoom!:))
Excellent sharpness and full frame composition that illustrates the species well, though maybe I wouldn't have cropped it so tight.
Thanks for sharing this fine image,
Ivan

Hi My friend Michel,

Firstly, thanks a lot for your kind words on my break:). Secondly thanks for this fine and really great macro capture of this beautiful Canadian tiger swallowtail from dorsal POV with great clarity and sharpness.
TFS and Cheers,

Bayram

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2262 W: 10 N: 2630] (15565)
  • [2008-10-15 13:43]

Hola MIchel,
precioso trabajo,
selecto enfoque y color...
fina macro,
saludos

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1978 W: 6 N: 5527] (19673)
  • [2008-10-15 14:09]

Salut Michel,moi je suis tombe' amoureux des papillons et cette photo c'est un gros cadeau pour moi!!Une qualite' incroyable,un point de vue superbe et des details et couleurs fanatstiques!Mes plus gros compliments,cette fois 2 points ne sont pas suffisants,merci de partager et bonne journee',Luciano

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2172 W: 218 N: 4383] (14902)
  • [2008-10-15 14:36]

Hi Michel

A splendid macro shot with impeccable details and excellent POV for this beautiful butterfly.
On top of that, i really love the flowers it is one and the terrific way you controlled the DOF in this scene. A true master's work!

Bravo and TFS
Horia

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1899 W: 36 N: 5579] (18518)
  • [2008-10-15 23:05]

Hi Michel,
Outstanding shot of this beautiful Swallowtail with such lovely colours and sharp details. Great pose captured with beautiful lighting and perfect DOF. So pleasing to the eyes. Excellent composition.
TFS.
Sumon

Hi Michel,

What a contrast of colours and the real beauty swallowtail captured in good focus,and hand held too.Very well done.TFS.

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
  • [2008-10-16 14:30]
  • [+]

Hi Michel,

It looks like the perfect choice of lens and converter. You can't get better than this marvelous macro. The yellow and black of the Swallowtail are exquisite. The clarity is magnificent. The background with the pretty violet flowers is superb. I could do without the black frame though :-)

Jane

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2405 W: 63 N: 4227] (13822)
  • [2008-10-16 23:52]

Hi Michel,
Setting, focus, sharpness, POV, details and lighting look very nice. TFS
Greetings,
Selen

Allo Michel,
C'est vraiment une superbe photo de ce merveilleux papillon! Les détails, les couleurs et la composition sont parfaits. J'utilise ma 100-400mm pour les insectes (en fait les paipllons quand il y en a) car je n'en ai pas d'autre à part une fausse fonction macro dans ma 17-85mm mais ce n'est pas l'idéal. Cette lentille semble donner de très bons résultats!
Claudine

  • Great 
  • EOSF1 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1381 W: 126 N: 5246] (23469)
  • [2008-11-15 9:48]

Bonjour Michel, quel superbe papillon! Vraiment très bien photographié et composé. Beaux détails et jolies couleurs. Beau travail!

PS avec le 100-400 aussi t'aurais pu faire des insectes! ;-)

Mario

Ciao Michel, congratulations for all your splendid gallery, I like a lot this beautiful papilio with wonderful colors, excellent details and splendid sharpness, great composition with beautiful flowers, very well done, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • hains Silver Star Critiquer [C: 10 W: 0 N: 4] (685)
  • [2008-12-16 7:08]

Salut Michel

Si pret de chez nous, il existe de tel merveilles. Prise les ailes ouvertes avec une exposition a point c`est magnifique.

Mario

Hi Michel,
cheerfully colourful sunny document of summer, and a nice proof of your equipment's qualities. The frame filling composition is demonstrating that butterfly's impressive size in a nice way.
Thank you! With best regards,
Peter

Hello Michel,
Beautiful colors are the first thing that come to mind, and then the intricacies of the pattern of your beautiful subject that is well place within the frame.
Paul :)

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