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"2006 Butterfly No. 11"


Photo Information
Copyright: Jorge Chemas (jchemas) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 553 W: 30 N: 749] (3396)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-07-15
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon 30D, Canon 100-400L 4.5-5.6 IS USM, uv haze
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/100 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2006-09-08 21:30
Viewed: 3667
Points: 18
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Monarch Butterfly(Danaus plexippus)

The Monarch Butterfly is the king of the insect world. Even though they are small creatures, they do phenomenal things. First, they develop from tiny eggs, to a caterpillar, become a chrysalis, and finally transform into a beautiful butterfly. They migrate, traveling great distances to over winter in a temperate climate. Amazingly enough, not one butterfly makes the entire round-trip journey. Winter butterflies are sluggish and do not reproduce. In spring they return to summer homes and breed along the way. Their offspring return to the starting point.

(Danaus plexippus) is the scientific name for the Monarch Butterfly. Related species in the family are found on all continents except the Polar Regions, wherever milkweed and related plants are found. It also provides the Monarch with an intriguing form of protection, since the milkweed juices assimilated by the Monarch make it poisonous to predatory birds. The beautiful orange color of the Monarch butterfly serves to teach predators that their intended meal might be toxic. Not all milkweeds produce cardiac glycosides, therefore not all Monarchs are poisonous. However, the warning orange color serves to disguise poisonous from the non-toxic Monarch.

Class: Insecta (insects)
Order: Lepidoptera (butterflies)
Family: Danaidae (Milkweed butterfly family)
Genus: Danaus
Species: Plexippus

The Monarch is a poisonous butterfly. Animals that eat a Monarch get very sick and vomit (but generally do not die). These animals remember that this brightly-colored butterfly made them very sick and will avoid all Monarchs in the future. The monarch gets its poison (cardenolide glycosides) when it is a caterpillar, from eating the poisonous milkweed plant (genus Asclepias) while in its larval (caterpillar) stage.

The female Monarch lays about 400 eggs on the underside of a separate leaves of milkweed plants. It takes the little yellow eggs about two weeks to develop. At the end of about two weeks, the eggs start to change colors from yellow to light gray. Eventually, the caterpillar's head is visible through its eggshell.

It takes about a month for the adult to develop (from egg to pupa to adult).

The life span of the adult Monarch varies, depending on the season in which it emerged from the pupa and whether or not it belongs to a migratory group of Monarchs. Adults that emerged in early summer have the shortest life spans and live for about two to five weeks. Those that emerged in late summer survive over the winter months. The migratory Monarchs, which emerge from the pupa in late summer and then migrate south, live a much longer life, about 8-9 months.


Thanks for visiting me and thanks in advance for your comments/critiques

JC
scottevers7, carper, dew77, jeanpaul has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3089 W: 230 N: 6774] (23770)
  • [2006-09-08 22:50]

Beautiful, Jorge.
Superb composition with sharp details and gorgeous colors.
A great POV of this monarch well contrasted against the deep purple flowers.
TFS. : )

wonderfull composition and very good macro;-)

Hi Jorge,
Superb macro.Great composition.Perfect picture.
Greetings.

hAyAti

Hello Jorge,

excellent work, Great details, very crisp, nicly composed and capture photo, nice use of DOF well done,

TFs kyle

Hi Jorge,
Flawless composition and framing on this Monarch. Beautiful colors and sharp detail from the spot on exposure. A very nice clean backround really shows it well.
Scott

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1973 W: 119 N: 2582] (8439)
  • [2006-09-09 13:52]

very nice Jorge,
a very good composition from this monarch butterfly, well taken shot and good in pov and a very nice job, well done.
gr. jaap

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4432 W: 248 N: 4028] (13270)
  • [2006-09-09 16:21]

Hello Jorge,
Wonderful butterfly close up.Vivid colors,POV,clear detailsiframing and composition are excellent.
TFS...:-)

Bonjour Jorge
Une merveilleuse photo que ce Joli papillon. C'est une oeuvre d'art .Très belle composition, les couleurs et le cadrage et les détails sont tous très bons.Très beau BG
Bravo et merci...JP

beatufiul butterfly...great POV, and a nice DOF..TFS
Donna :o)




Thanks for your comment on my photo "Stowe, Vermont" :o)

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