The guy behind the lens

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Monarch on Ironweed

Today's image is from a visit I had to Brookgreen Gardens in Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina. This ever familiar monarch had landed on this small flower that captured my attention. I had never seen a flower quite like this before. I was particularly taken by the tubular stamens that the butterfly was exploiting for nectar. In addition, the purple and yellow coloration was such a pleasing contrast to my eye. I certainly hope this unusual contrast bring pleasure to you as well.


Monarch on Ironweed
Monarch on Ironweed

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36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow - love the colours and clarity! Great capture.

Unknown said...

They may be common, but they're incredibly beautiful. Excellent photo. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

eileeninmd said...

Beautiful shot of the Monarch!

Vrinda said...

I find it very difficult to take shots like that, esp butterfly which is very quick and doesn't stays in a place for long.

All I can say is great capture.


Vrinda.

Jim Coda said...

Nice color and composition John.

Chubskulit Rose said...

Gorgeous shot!

Three Horses, have a great weekend!

Al said...

Excellent shot, I love the clarity and the colors.

Julie G. said...

Lovely image! Beautiful colors and bokeh. A most pleasing sight!

Coy Hill said...

Beautiful combination of colors John. Excellent dof give excellent subject/background seperation.

Marie said...

Just gorgeous -- I love butterflies -- even the common ones are wonderful in their coloration.

Visiting via Camera Critters

Marie
bonkersinbarnhart.com

Marvin said...

Excellent shot! Capturing the Monarch on that relatively small flower with its long slender stem could not have been easy.

Anonymous said...

what a stunning capture!

http://milepebbles.wordpress.com

Nellie from Beyond My Garden said...

I have great memories of Brookgreen Gardens from the early 70's
Thanks for bringing them back.
nellie

Amila Kanchana said...

Brilliant shot! I agree with you about the flower,you should have taken a macro of it too.

xinex said...

What an amazing shot!...Christine

BlossomFlowerGirl said...

Hi John,
This is an awesome shot. The butterfly looks like it posed just for you. It really is amazing.
Re visiting the shore - here at present it is 40ยบ C - what we call a "stinker".
Thank you for visiting and enjoy your week.

Willard said...

One of my favorite type of subjects, John and you captured it well. I have never seen that particular flower, but we do have the Monarchs, Swallowtails, and Tiger Swallowtails here. I often find them on different varieties of thistle and on Milkweed.

Johnny Nutcase said...

Oh! Excellent stuff all around! 2 great subjects into one - nice!

Liz said...

love it I have some shots of butterflies. so fun to capture.

EG CameraGirl said...

Wonderful shot of the monarch. Ironweed is very pretty.

Lisa said...

Amazing shot. Love the DOf . Stunning.
Thanks for your kind words. Be back in a Month or so and cant wait to catch up.

Maaike said...

very pretty butterfly
with great details

Gemma Wiseman said...

Incredible macro of the monarch! Love the pattern detail on the wings!

Hootin Anni said...

This photo takes my breath away. such a beautiful capture.

My Newest Watercolor Painting

http://hootin--anni.blogspot.com/2011/01/halloween-moon-in-february.html

Have a super day!!

Secret Mom Thoughts said...

Beautiful butterfly and shot.

Susan said...

What a stunning photograph! The color, the composition, the very cool flower, obviously the lovely monarch- everything! I love it!

Artlover said...

Not a realy macro but I like this photo after all. Very nice composed. Nice colors too. great shot.

Regina said...

Amazing!
Have a great new week.

Regina

Karen said...

It certainly is pleasing to the eye. A gorgeous capture of the butterfly, and that is such a dainty little flower.

Trish ~ ♥ ~ said...

great colors, it has a peaceful feel to it.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful composition & DoF

Dutchbaby said...

Fantastic image and a joy to see in the original size. Until now, I never realized that the Monarch's jacket matches the polka dots on the wings. Very fashion forward, don't you think?

Carletta said...

Beautiful!
It's hard getting those little guys to pose sometimes (in my experience). This is a great capture.

Thanks for visiting my "Icicle Beards" earlier this week. :)
Your photos are awesome.

Birdy Official said...

You have a beautiful blog. Enjoyed going through your pictures.

KaHolly said...

a crisp, clear, and stunning photograph! I had a monarch visit my property in Cape Breton last summer and I was estatic! I'd never seen one that far north before.

Janet said...

Love this one! I live in the Butterfly Capital of Alabama so am always on the lookout for great butterfly captures.