Southern Arizona Butterflies

Clearly, the Tucson Botanical Garden provides wonderful butterfly photo opportunities. However, Southern Arizona has it's share of beautiful butterflies as well. Obviously, harder to find and photograph, but nonetheless gorgeous and exciting when you do. Here are a few of Southern Arizona's best: The first photo is a Black Swallowtail taken in the Chiracahua Mountains. The second is a Queen Butterfly taken in the Galiuro Mountains. The third is a Gulf Fritillary taken in the Tucson Mountains. The fourth is a Giant Swallowtail taken outside the Tucson Botanical Garden. And the fifth is of a Pipevine Swallowtail taken in the Huachuca Mountains. Most of the butterfly photos are taken in August and September during or just after our monsoon season. There are also opportunities in the Spring if we get some rain and have a good wildflower season. As you can imagine the more pollen, nectar available the better the opportunity for finding butterflies. 

Still More Butterfly Magic

Staying at the Tucson Botanical Garden for one more day, I thought I would share three more Butterfly Photos. The top is a Julia Longwing, a pollen eater which gives it a little longer life, i.e. several months. Its range is Brazil to Southern Texas and Florida. The middle photo is a Common Rose from India and nearby countries. It is common to gardens in India, yet also found at 8,000 feet in the mountains. The red body, slow peculiar flight, bright colouration and pattern of the wings are meant to indicate to predators that this butterfly is inedible, being well protected by the poisons it has sequestered from its larval food plant. It also emits a nasty smelling substance when handled to further enhance its unappealing qualities. Hence it is rarely attacked by predators, a strategy so successful, that edible butterflies have evolved to mimic it, like the female of the Common Mormon.  The bottom photo is a Zebra Longwing found primarily in Central America, but as far North as Florida and Georgia and as far South as Venezuela. It is another pollen and nectar eater so it too has a longer life.

More Butterfly Magic

One of the nice things about photographing butterflies is that they often are on flowers. This means you not only get the beautiful color of the butterfly but the flower as well. The top photo is a leopard lacewing heliconian, found in the South Asian tropics. The colorful male on the left and duller female on the right. The bottom photo is a banded orange heliconian whose range is Brazil to Central Mexico. Prior to their mating season, banded orange males congregate by the hundreds on patches of moist soil that contain mineral salts. When they cannot find such deposits, they look for animals to drink salty secretions from their skin and nostrils. These photos were also taken at the Tucson Botanical Garden.

Butterfly Magic

Each year from October through March the Tucson Botanical Garden has an exhibit of live tropical butterflies from around the world. Each month a new focus: Asia, Australia, Africa, or Central America. It is a photographer's paradise. 20 to 25 different species each month. The photos above are of  the Cairns Birdwing from Australia. In the top photo the male is on the left (with the green coloring on the underside) the female is on the right. In the second photo, as you can see, they are doing what males and females do when they get together -- male on the bottom this time. If you plan a trip to Tucson anytime between October and March, definitely check out this exhibit. You need to be prepared, though. It is in a   greenhouse with temperatures between 90 and 95 and humidity even higher. So, I always take a hand towel with me. It may also take a few minutes for your camera lens to adjust. But, well worth it. You'll love your photos.

Sonoran Desert Storms

Well, another storm is on its way. So far January has had more than twice its average rainfall. Of course, in Tucson its not all that difficult considering how little rainfall we usually get. But, weather sometimes makes photography difficult. Bright sun for example which either washes out the subject or casts shadows on the subject; and pouring rain which, well, I guess is obvious. But Tucson has amazing skies that can produce some pretty spectacular photos too. In the summer, especially during our monsoon season (August) we get numerous lightning storms. This brings photographers from all over the world. They'll drive up to Windy Point on Mount Lemmon and set up tripods and take time-lapse photos of lighting strikes happening simultaneously all over the city. In the winter, broken clouds can create gorgeous 360 degree sunsets.  But also, even the dark and ominous can create wonderful photo ops. This stormy photo is of a mesquite tree pretty much standing alone here in the Sonoran Desert. It reminds me of something from Harry Potter.

Fir Island Snow Geese

Snow Geese. This photo is of Fir Island in Washington State. Mount Baker (12,000 feet) is in the background. Fir Island is essentially sea level. Makes for a wonderful contrast. Each winter some 10 - 15,000 snow geese arrive from Siberia. Not as big -- or, quite as noisy as the Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese nonetheless make for a beautiful sight. This was one of those photos I thought was possible, but not necessarily probable. Four geese flying, four peaks on Mt. Baker, just the right place at just the right time. Good enough for an award even. Migrating birds are creatures of habit, wintering in the same spot each year. So, with a little research you can usually find them. Once you find them, it is mostly up to your own creativity to find a "great photo."  This photo was taken using 35mm slide film. Composition is important although it can be somewhat altered in the digital editing process (unlike 35mm). But, whenever possible try to think about composition when taking a photo. It will improve the result significantly.

Wintering Sandhill Cranes

25,000 Sandhill Cranes make quite a sight. And, quite a lot of noise as well. They are not small birds by any stretch. Taller than bald eagles with wings almost as long, when they move "en masse" they can darken the sky. Typically, wintering cranes will head out during the day to neighboring farmlands to feed, returning late in the day. At Whitewater Draw in Arizona, though you can usually find several thousand of them all day long. Some come. Some go. But, usually plenty to see.  Whitewater Draw is about an hour and 20 minutes southeast of Tucson.  January, February, and March are it's best times. Sandhill Cranes, Ross' Geese, Snow Geese, White Faced Ibis, Great Blue Heron, Great White Egret, many varieties of sandpipers, Killdeer, Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, Long Eared Owl, Burrowing Owl, and the southwest's own Vermillion Flycatcher. Oh, and Cooper's Hawk, Sharp Shinned Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Northern Harrier Hawk, and Red Tail Hawk. Once in a while a Bald Eagle. Sound like a good trip? It is.