Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) Charles County, Maryland
It is not always possible to capture the detail of the rich dark chocolate brown scales symmetrically arranged in precise rows on the underside of the Mourning Cloak's wings unless one uses fill flash (which I don't for ethical reasons) or gets lucky with the butterfly posing in bright sunlight turned ever so slightly so that the sun illuminates the closed wings.
I got very, very low to get the shot of the underside of this very incredibly pristine individual. Butterflies usually emerge from their winter hibernation with numerous scars and faded wings, but this individual survived the harsh winter unscathed sheltering in some well-protected spot. Notice that his pale-yellow fringe is perfectly intact.
My other shot shows the top of the wings view of the species.
Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) Charles County, Maryland
It is not always possible to capture the detail of the rich dark chocolate brown scales symmetrically arranged in precise rows on the underside of the Mourning Cloak's wings unless one uses fill flash (which I don't for ethical reasons) or gets lucky with the butterfly posing in bright sunlight turned ever so slightly so that the sun illuminates the closed wings.
I got very, very low to get the shot of the underside of this very incredibly pristine individual. Butterflies usually emerge from their winter hibernation with numerous scars and faded wings, but this individual survived the harsh winter unscathed sheltering in some well-protected spot. Notice that his pale-yellow fringe is perfectly intact.
My other shot shows the top of the wings view of the species.