Category Archives: Butterfly

See my Face

04 Friday Dec 2020

Posted by in Backyard Garden, Butterflies, Butterfly, Garden, Home Garden, Red Admiral

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Butterflies are a little easier than hummingbirds to photograph. Hummingbirds are always on the move. Butterflies will take a short nap in my garden. They pause on the flower and do not rush around like the hummingbirds when they visit my backyard.

Since butterflies are not very big, I cannot see all their detail. Looking back at these pictures, I can take my time to examine the butterfly’s face by looking back at the photo. Do you notice the butterfly’s long tongue sucking on the flower nectar? Notice the butterfly’s fuzz. I love the long antennae. See the butterfly’s eyes.

The bright yellow orange and deeper orange colors of the 2 butterflies are pretty cool. I love their natural stripe designs on the wings.

How did I catch the butterfly’s face in the second photo? In photography terms, I shot with “select focus” meaning I focused to get a clear shot of the face. By doing this, the body behind the face was not as focused. So I selected what I wanted to focus on with my camera to get the clearer shot.

In our old life, we would see lots of people as we walked the street. We saw people at work. We see people on public transportation. But do we look into the faces of people to empathize or notice who they are? Do we see the faces of the people we live with to understand their problems and emotions? When we visit with family we do not live with or friends, do we examine their faces to see the hidden messages they do not want to talk about.

Let’s “select focus” to notice other people’s faces to understand who they are and empathize.

Photos Teach!

 

Being upside down is not bad as a Red Admiral Butterfly

28 Saturday Nov 2020

Posted by in Agastache Blue Boa, Back Yard Garden, Backyard Garden, Butterfly, Garden, Home Garden, Red Admiral

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The weather has been cool and sunny in my backyard. When there is sunshine, there is a 2 hour window when the lighting is perfect to shoot photographs. So the sunshine motivates me to get myself outside to visit my flying friends.

This Red Admiral Butterfly is one of my favorite butterflies. It flew into my yard and hung around for about an hour. It even seemed to take a short nap around my flowers.

It was nice to pose for me upside down with it wings wide open. The antennae are perfectly up and straight. The butterfly is strong yet delicate. The bright yellow orange pattern almost looks like the outline of a turkey’s wings looking at the center dark brown tan colors. I am thinking a lot about turkey, as I am eating my delicious leftovers.

Our world seems like it is upside down with this pandemic, racial injustice, and economic hardships. This butterfly does not mind being upside down, since it can flip and be right side up again. It flies quickly and with ease.

We can be reassured there is a way to be right side up again. I was listening to the news where a scientific expert was exclaiming how amazing how a vaccine is available soon in such a short amount of time. In the past, vaccines can take years to be developed. This expert marveled at the relatively quick development of these vaccines.

This butterfly reminds me it may not be as big a hurdle for any of us to get right side up again.

Can we float and fly right side up like a butterfly to new heights?

Photos Remind!

The Elusive Red Admiral

09 Friday Oct 2020

Posted by in Back Yard Garden, Backyard Garden, Butterfly, Garden, Red Admiral

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The Red Admiral butterfly is one of my favorite butterflies. Since I was a child, I have loved butterflies. I love the interesting patterns in their wings. The wings’ unique patterns fascinate me.

During this pandemic year, I am having a good time trying to create a garden to attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. Working in my garden relaxes me and allows me to escape from the worries of the world. I can focus on the beauty of nature and watch my flowers grow.

I love the experience of watching out to see what creatures will find their way to my garden. This butterfly posed perfectly for me.

We could learn a lesson from the butterflies. They each look unique in the colors and the patterns in their wings. Do they exhibit preferences for each other depending on the pattern of their wings? Obviously not! Their goals are to exist by taking care of their essential needs to live.

Can man learn from the butterflies that color does not matter? It does not matter the color or the “pattern” of our skin.

Our goals should be to learn to take care of our essential needs to live and care for one another.

Butterfly Photos Teach Us About Life!

Butterflies are free but Grocery Workers are not!

29 Wednesday Apr 2020

Posted by in Butterflies, Butterfly, COVID-19, COVID19, Grocery Clerks, Red Admiral

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Red Admiral Butterflies are hard to shoot. They are fast and quick!

I rotated this picture, since I actually shot this Red Admiral 90 degrees with the vertical fence orientation. I am slowly growing my garden oasis to attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Since we are sheltering in place, we take my 99 year old mother-in-law to our yard so she can walk around in safety. She spotted this butterfly. So I used my Pixel 3XL to shoot this photo. I love my camera on the Pixel 3XL. But there are limitations on what it can do. I do love Red Admiral Butterflies. So I’m glad I managed to get a few shots before the butterfly left our garden. I hope to be more prepared to shoot with my Canon camera to get better photographs of the Red Admirals.

My wife remembered the expression – “Butterflies are free”. But she did not remember where she heard it from. I Googled it and found out it is an old movie and play from around 1972. Goldie Hawn was in this old movie.

Butterflies are free info

It is nice to remember when we had the freedom to go anywhere anytime. Now we need to be safe and remain at home as much as we can. So when I watched this butterfly frolic around our plants, I was a little envious of its freedom.

We are spending more time on video chat meetings with family and friends. We met recently with my parents and brother. They wanted to wish me a “Happy Birthday”. Bad events seem to happen around my birthday – like this pandemic.

But we are gathering a little more with family as a result of the pandemic. It is bringing us together more. My brother is an employee at our Bay Area supermarket chain. He is a cashier at the supermarket. In the past, we would consider this job as no-risk. It normally is pretty stress free.

Now, a cashier, at a supermarket, is encountering many people. Who knows which of these individuals could be infected with COVD-19 and not be aware they are spreading the virus. Who would think this job could become stressful and risky.

Most supermarkets have installed plexiglass barriers in front of the cashiers. But my brother is upset since the plexiglass is not providing enough protection. Many customers will not remain behind the plexiglass. They often will go to the side of the plexiglass to communicate to the cashiers. My brother is wearing a mask and gloves. But he is concerned about the possibility of catching the virus and bringing it home to my parents.

Unfortunately, we all are not free like the butterflies. I am fortunate to be able to work at home. My wife is able to work her job at home.

But my brother is forced to go to work and be at risk at the supermarket. He doesn’t even have a little booth to be imprisoned in for protection from the customers.

When we go to the supermarket, can we all please be considerate of the cashiers? Can we only talk to the cashiers from behind the plexiglass? Can we thank them for their service? Can we try to keep our distance?

One day, we will hopefully be as free as the butterflies. But until that day, can we be considerate to keep our distance from the supermarket cashiers?

Photos Teach!