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Dainty Sulphur


Dainty Sulphur
Photo Information
Copyright: Ken Slade (Ken52) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 636 W: 93 N: 1243] (4195)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-10-05
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon 350D (Digital Rebel XT), Canon EF 75-300mm 1:4-5.6
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/800 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Butterflies [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-11-28 21:11
Viewed: 3241
Points: 30
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I photographed this tiny butterfly at Grapevine Lake in Texas.

Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole)

Alternate name: Dwarf Yellow

Family: Pieridae, Whites and Sulphurs

Description: 3/4-1 1/8" (19-28 mm). Smallest N.A. pierid. Variable, yellow above with broadly black FW tips and diffuse black bars along costal and inner margins of HW and FW, respectively. Black more extensive on female, which often also has black borders; HW above of female may be orange. Below, orange area lies along FW costa, black along inner FW and in submarginal spots; yellow undersides olive-scaled lightly or heavily.

Similar Species: Fairy Yellow is larger, reddish or whitish, but not olive beneath.

Life Cycle: Caterpillar, to 5/8" (16 mm), deep green with purple back stripes and parallel black and yellow side stripes; uniquely among our pierids, feeds on weedy composites, such as sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale), bur marigold (Bidens pilosa), and garden marigold varieties (Tagetes), as well as many flowers in the pink family, such as common chickweed (Stellaria media). Chrysalis green, smooth, lacks drawn-out head horn possessed by virtually all other pierid chrysalises.

Flight: Any month in southern, year-round range; progressively later farther north, usually distributed in migratory range by June or July and lasting until frost.

Habitat: Disturbed areas, grazed drylands, canyons; particularly corridors such as rivers, roadsides, railroads, and rights-of-way.

Range: Resident in S. California, Arizona, and Gulf States, south into Mexico. Emigrant most years throughout Midwest to Manitoba, rarely into Northwest and Northeast.

Discussion: Each year, if conditions are favorable in the South, cadres of Dwarf Yellows advance northward from Mexico and the southwestern desert, reaching as far as interior Canada. Recently, a much less frequent or obvious emigration to the Northwest and Northeast has been detected, recorded many years and miles apart, but always along major river courses such as the Snake and the Shenandoah. The secret of the Dwarf Yellow's remarkable travels is its ability to follow such river corridors, colonize weedy spots, and breed very rapidly. Whether individuals travel great distances themselves, or leapfrog northward through successive broods is not yet clear. Unable to withstand the frosts of winter, the Dwarf reenacts its invasion of the North each year, only to perish with the coming of autumn.

Source: http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=BU0144
cecilia, shal, undoredo, Hil, uleko, coasties, pankajbajpai, anel, mikou, phlr, scottevers7 has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Wow! such a lovely image, with wonderful colours.
Stunning...
Cecilia

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2006-11-28 22:35]

Hello Ken

A lovely composition.The colours are very complimentary.Excellent POV.TFS

Rob

  • Great 
  • shal Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 256 W: 64 N: 481] (2140)
  • [2006-11-28 23:21]

Hey Ken,
lovely colours and the yellows look soo pleasing,
great composition and details :)
Cheers :D

Hi Ken,
This is a beautiful photo with lovely colours.
Very well done!!
Excellent capture!!
Regards,
Kevin

Dear Ken ,
lovely shot.
it has very nice colors.
i like it so much.
thanks
Saeed

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3396 W: 172 N: 3310] (10940)
  • [2006-11-29 1:52]

Hello Ken,
What a lovely "sunny" image! Beautiful butterfly very nicely portrayed and I like the blurred background very much!
TFS, Ulla

Hello Ken

Impressive camera work. Vibrant colours, good POV and nicely composed. TFS.

  • Great 
  • batu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1079 W: 293 N: 4497] (16383)
  • [2006-11-29 2:18]

Hello Ken,
nice and sunny picture of this small 'white'. Good focus on the butterfly and nice pastel-coloured background.
Best wishes, Peter

Deliziosa foto, Ken!
Bellissimi dettagli e colori delicati.

Ciao e grazie.
Franco

hi ken,
nice post,
lovely colours,
well composed,
nice pov, good dof,
tfs & regards
pankaj

  • Great 
  • anel Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 3053 W: 3 N: 8715] (40574)
  • [2006-11-29 5:26]

Hi ken,
Your picture looks like coming out of a dream or some lost paradise. Just beautiful!
Best regards
Anne

  • Great 
  • mikou Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 869 W: 68 N: 1479] (6093)
  • [2006-11-29 9:13]

Hi Ken.
It are splendid warm colours.Really much nice to lighting.I like him very much composition,used angle look and also blurry background.Nicely work.
TFS
Regards Milos

  • Great 
  • Hil Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 696 W: 13 N: 1407] (5035)
  • [2006-11-29 14:21]

Hi Ken

What a beautiful composition, with a lovely pose of the butterfly feeding, the lovely sunny colours are just wonderful with a very nice blurred BG.

TFS Hilary :o)

Ken,

great job,
love this shot,
beautiful colors,

fototab

Hi Ken,
This one rocks! Excellent exposure has the colors looking rich and beautiful. Nice detail in the butterfly, yet the shallow DOF leaves everything else in nice soft OOF scene. Your choice of composition and framing is superb. Great job!
Scott

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