Hi. I caught this buterfly resting on some flowers in a park. I read somewhere about butterflies warming themselves? What time of day does this happen? I also read about putting them in a refrigerator but don't want to do this (it sounds cruel) to get a shot. I'd like to get a shot with the wings open. What other techniques should I use? Thanks Scott

-- Scott Abrams (sta@eagle.ca), September 04, 1999

Answers

You could prepare an aquarium with plants and totally control the lighting and environmental conditions. Sugar water will nourish tem, but I'd release them as soon as I could to minimize harm (as well as reading as much as I could to understand the species).

-- August Depner (apdepner@uswest.net), September 05, 1999.

Butterflies warm themselves early (around dawn, give or take). They bed down overnight and become dew-covered, leaving them flightless, and defenseless. If you can find them (and a lot of other flying insects) in the evening just before dusk, they're generally less mobile. In the morning, they need to wait for enough heat/light to dry their wings and allow flight. They also become more active throughout the day as temperature rises, so they're easiest to photograph in the mornings/evenings.

Butterflies can be kept in a refrigerator without damaging them; however, they must be handled first, which most folks don't do well. Capture of any sort starts to tread on slippery ethical ground (as far as nature photography goes); that's entirely your decision. As far as getting a good shot with spread wings, use a bunch of film. It's a matter of timing; practice for a while. And not all good butterfly shots have to have spread wings...

I haven't mentioned flash at all; I don't use one for butterflies. I'll let someone else advise you there. Good luck.

-- Scott (bliorg@yahoo.com), September 05, 1999.