Eastern Tiger and Spicebush Swallowtail puddling R4019 Shawnee SF, OH (Long-winded blog-type message below)
Eastern Tiger Swallowtails (and one Spicebush Swallowtail) puddling.
Shawnee State Forest, Adams County, Ohio, USA.
April 24, 2015.
I know--not more Tiger Swallowtails!!
Growing up in London, Ontario as I did, I was totally infatuated with butterflies. Seeing just ONE Tiger Swallowtail back then was a rare treat. I might see one waft through my backyard every few days, if I was lucky.
My parents often took us picnicking at Waterworks Park in St. Thomas, Ontario. There, I might see a half-dozen of these beautiful yellow and black creatures on a good day, all soaring well out of reach--never seeming to land. That was as good as it gets, I thought.
I dreamed of seeing a cloud of Tiger Swallowtails dance around a puddle. I never really expected to witness that myself.
As an adult, seeing a large, bright yellow Tiger still evokes memories and dreams of my childhood. I never tire of seeing and photographing these "common" butterflies. No matter how many, or how often I see them, it's always very special to me.
Finding a group of puddling swallowtails is totally irresistible. Seeing an aggregation of this magnitude...is priceless. It's literally a dream come true, so I hope you'll humour me when I post all these images and videos. :-)
I've heard biologists refer to common butterflies as "trash species". I find that so offensive. Rarity does not impact beauty or value, as far as I'm concerned. In fact, the more common a butterfly is, the more successful it is, which should be celebrated, not denigrated. The fact that one species is common only means more people can appreciate it for themselves.
Whenever I'm tempted to think--oh, that's just another _____ , I think to myself, "What if this was so rare, that I only got to see one in my entire lifetime?" What if this is the very last I will ever see this?
I try to see each species anew every time I encounter it. Even the most ubiquitous, alien species, like the Cabbage White is extremely beautiful. The closer you look, the more you appreciate just how exquisite it actually is. It's not just black and white. There are subtleties you only see when you look more closely. Those gray/green eyes. Yellow scales mixed in with grey and white...they're stunning!
I hope these images of nature add peace, pleasure and beauty to your life. It is such a pleasure for me to be able to share nature with you. It brings joy to my life, and I hope these images bring you joy as well.
Thank you for taking the time to visit my Flickr site. :-)
Photographs, Text and Videos ©Jay Cossey, PhotographsFromNature.com (PFN).
All rights reserved. Licensing available.
Contact: Jay@PhotographsFromNature.com
Visit Jay's ALL NEW website at www.PhotographsFromNature.com
Eastern Tiger and Spicebush Swallowtail puddling R4019 Shawnee SF, OH (Long-winded blog-type message below)
Eastern Tiger Swallowtails (and one Spicebush Swallowtail) puddling.
Shawnee State Forest, Adams County, Ohio, USA.
April 24, 2015.
I know--not more Tiger Swallowtails!!
Growing up in London, Ontario as I did, I was totally infatuated with butterflies. Seeing just ONE Tiger Swallowtail back then was a rare treat. I might see one waft through my backyard every few days, if I was lucky.
My parents often took us picnicking at Waterworks Park in St. Thomas, Ontario. There, I might see a half-dozen of these beautiful yellow and black creatures on a good day, all soaring well out of reach--never seeming to land. That was as good as it gets, I thought.
I dreamed of seeing a cloud of Tiger Swallowtails dance around a puddle. I never really expected to witness that myself.
As an adult, seeing a large, bright yellow Tiger still evokes memories and dreams of my childhood. I never tire of seeing and photographing these "common" butterflies. No matter how many, or how often I see them, it's always very special to me.
Finding a group of puddling swallowtails is totally irresistible. Seeing an aggregation of this magnitude...is priceless. It's literally a dream come true, so I hope you'll humour me when I post all these images and videos. :-)
I've heard biologists refer to common butterflies as "trash species". I find that so offensive. Rarity does not impact beauty or value, as far as I'm concerned. In fact, the more common a butterfly is, the more successful it is, which should be celebrated, not denigrated. The fact that one species is common only means more people can appreciate it for themselves.
Whenever I'm tempted to think--oh, that's just another _____ , I think to myself, "What if this was so rare, that I only got to see one in my entire lifetime?" What if this is the very last I will ever see this?
I try to see each species anew every time I encounter it. Even the most ubiquitous, alien species, like the Cabbage White is extremely beautiful. The closer you look, the more you appreciate just how exquisite it actually is. It's not just black and white. There are subtleties you only see when you look more closely. Those gray/green eyes. Yellow scales mixed in with grey and white...they're stunning!
I hope these images of nature add peace, pleasure and beauty to your life. It is such a pleasure for me to be able to share nature with you. It brings joy to my life, and I hope these images bring you joy as well.
Thank you for taking the time to visit my Flickr site. :-)
Photographs, Text and Videos ©Jay Cossey, PhotographsFromNature.com (PFN).
All rights reserved. Licensing available.
Contact: Jay@PhotographsFromNature.com
Visit Jay's ALL NEW website at www.PhotographsFromNature.com