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Purple Sprinkles - _TNY_1553

Looking at this portrait shot of a female brimstone butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni) at 3:1 magnification, I am amazed at how much colour there is. I mean, the greenish-yellow is of course there, but the red and purple which is sprinkled over the shoulder and face is something you never see without getting real close.

 

Also note how neatly the proboscis is rolled up here when not in use. Clever engineering for sure!

 

This one is one of the brimstones that were mesmerized by the hearleaf oxeyes (Telekia speciosa) which my mother-in-law have planted at the edge of her (very large) garden outside Härnösand, Sweden - specifically to attract butterflies.

 

Apparently the flowers are so tasty that they basically ignore me and I can sneak up real close (here the front of the lens is 51 mm/2" from the butterfly).

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Uploaded on January 31, 2022
Taken on August 15, 2019