Mint Condition Beauty - _TNY_8787
The poplar admiral (Limenitis populi) is one of the absolutely largest butterflies in Sweden. It's a very strong flier so they are a bit difficult to photograph as they spend most of their time on the wing. The wingspan can reach a little over 100 mm / 4" which is more than twice the wingspan of a small tortoiseshell.
Here's one which I still managed to get a couple of shots of (I owe thanks to my wife and mother-in-law for the spotting as it landed in several places in the garden and they helped keeping it spotted).
These have more blue in their colouration when just hatched and it then darkens which, coupled with it's incredible and flawless condition, leads me to believe it was just hatched when I found it.
The blue wasn't as prominent in the other shots, but in this one, the flash must've hit exactly right to bring it out this well.
Last year I also saw one - but then I only managed to photograph the (also beautiful) underside. You can find the shot here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51288410772/
Mint Condition Beauty - _TNY_8787
The poplar admiral (Limenitis populi) is one of the absolutely largest butterflies in Sweden. It's a very strong flier so they are a bit difficult to photograph as they spend most of their time on the wing. The wingspan can reach a little over 100 mm / 4" which is more than twice the wingspan of a small tortoiseshell.
Here's one which I still managed to get a couple of shots of (I owe thanks to my wife and mother-in-law for the spotting as it landed in several places in the garden and they helped keeping it spotted).
These have more blue in their colouration when just hatched and it then darkens which, coupled with it's incredible and flawless condition, leads me to believe it was just hatched when I found it.
The blue wasn't as prominent in the other shots, but in this one, the flash must've hit exactly right to bring it out this well.
Last year I also saw one - but then I only managed to photograph the (also beautiful) underside. You can find the shot here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/51288410772/