Judgment Day at Venice Beach

by on | Leave a Comment

I went for a stroll in the neighborhood to see if there were any signs that this really was the end. If this was to be Judgment Day then surely I would see signs of it on Venice Beach.


This guy seemed pretty happy. I don’t know what he was singing about but he didn’t seem concerned.

On the other hand this man seemed quite agitated and was stapling dollar bills to his body. Was this some sort of atonement?

Don’t give up without a fight.

For his parents at least, this must surely be a sign the end is near.

Then again this guy’s flying, and wearing a top hat. That’s gotta be a good sign.

“Sun’s up, uh huh, looks okay
The world survives into another day
And I’m thinking about eternity
Some kind of ecstasy got a hold on me”

(‘Wondering Where the Lions Are’ by Bruce Cockburn)

2 days, 3 counties, 4 lenses, 5 butterflies…

by on | Leave a Comment

The last day of April at Erskine Creek in Kern Co. CA.

There were lots of these: Common Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia california). This is not a glamorous species and you might not be inspired to stop if one crossed your path. The pattern reminds me of stains on a yard-sale sofa. But this one’s in great shape, perched on a nice little flower and looking about as handsome as it ever will. Despite my unflattering reference I still think it’s a beauty;-)

Next I stopped at Corral Creek in Tulare Co. where I found plenty of these Acmon Blues (Plebejus acmon).

I was eager to photograph the Leanira Checkerspots (Chlosyne leanira) that had taunted me in previous years; so much so that I convinced myself this was it. Wrong!  This back-lit beauty is a Northern Checkerspot (Chlosyne palla australomontana). There’s a lesson in there somewhere. In the meantime you might notice I got the genus right at least. More on that in a moment…

 

Day 2: Mt. Baldy, Los Angeles Co.

On May 1st I was joined by Dennis Walker of socalbutterflies.com for an adventure in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains near the quaint little town of Mt. Baldy. I’m more familiar with the western slope but that’s been largely off-limits since the Station Fire in 2009. Dennis felt sorry for me after learning of my identification problem with the Leanira Checkerspot so while I was strapping on my photographic space-suit he found me this at Beer Bottle Flat:

The Leanira Checkerspot (Chlosyne leanira wrightii)

The morning was kind of cold for butterflies, in the low 60s and windy so when I offered this one a hand,

it happily got on board. I know what you’re thinking: “Dude, you’re like the Butterfly Whisperer!” but I think I was just being used as a heat source. This happens every now and then.

I promptly turned my hand towards the Yucca next to me and a more natural perch was chosen. The dark coloring on the wings will absorb the Sun’s heat and help it get motivated for the day.

This is the shot that made it to the Gallery. Without my hand in the shot it looks bigger doesn’t it? People are often surprised when they find out the actual size of the various species in photographs. Photography is all about those kinds of assumptions and illusions.

A little farther up the mountain we were looking for an elusive little creature called Moss’s Elfin but first we had to find its host plant, Broadleaf Stonecrop (Sedum spathulifolium). We saw just one of the butterflies but it was out of reach. The host plant though is a keeper. I want some for my little cactus garden.

The SolarDarkroom Lizard of the day: no blog is complete without one!

 

After a brief discussion we committed to the grand adventure of the day. We would hike up the treacherous ridge to Sunset Peak in search of the local Indra Swallowtail, Papilio indra pergamus. Those familiar with my previous expeditions know I go to great lengths to photograph these creatures but why? Because it’s hard that’s why! Because the chances of failure are great and the rewards of success, sweet. The fact is Indra Swallowtails do not come to visit your garden. They like mountain peaks, steep ridges, loose-sharp rocks, rattlesnakes and such. Even if you know where to go and when, there will not be many. Game On!

On the way up we found California Tortoiseshell larvae (Nymphalis californica) on Ceanothus leucodermis…

and Chalcedon Checkerspot larvae (Euphydryas chalcedona) on Keckiella ternata,

and of course the Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon) which is a common sight in these mountains.

This was a good sign: Southern Umbrellawort (Tauschia arguta), the host plant of Papilio indra pergamus.

This is the view from the top of Sunset Peak. If they’re flying they should be up here.

Everything is sharp and scratchy.

Dennis was the first to spot what appeared to be the only Indra Swallowtail on the mountain and I jumped through the thorn bushes to get a better look. While I was trying to get close, Dennis realized he was standing next to a rattlesnake. We laugh at danger.

And finally, my one chance for the day:

Indra Swallowtail (Papilio indra pergamus)

 

Hope Springs Eternal in the Desert

by on | Leave a Comment

Even the experts will tell you that searching for butterflies in the desert can be a tricky business. You can do your research, make educated guesses and drive hundreds of miles only to come home empty-handed. Nature’s rhythms are more like Free jazz than a Sousa march. But I love the desert and will take my chances.

This year I was fortunate to start the season with an experienced guide as I explored Riverside county for the first time. My friend Dennis Walker runs a website called Southern California Butterflies and when he offered to show me his favorite spots in Palm Desert and Joshua Tree National Park I jumped at the opportunity. There was a chance I could see a few species I’ve not photographed before and one or two that have mocked my efforts in the past.

This is the view from above Cactus Spring in the heart of the Santa Rosa Wilderness near Palm Desert, CA and gives you an idea of the terrain.

 

More than anything I wanted a shot of this: the ‘Loki’ Juniper Hairstreak (Callophyrs gryneus loki) perched on California Juniper of all things! Like all Hairstreaks this one was wiggling those little tails that mimic antennae. You can see how a bird would be confused about which end of the butterfly to bite. It helps having a strategy to get out of trouble.

 

Near a creek I found my first Juba Skipper (Hesperia juba)…

 

and also this Silvery Blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus australis) nectaring on Desert Lotus.

 

These Prickly Pear cacti are everywhere. No matter how eager I am to get these photos I’m always paying attention to where I’m stepping. The desert is always willing to teach these lessons.

 

The most brilliant colors in flight belonged to the California Dogface (Zerene eurydice). This is California’s State butterfly and I’ve only photographed it once before. The males have a distinctly poodle-like pattern on the dorsal forewing yet ironically there are few images of this in the wild. Even butterfly field-guides resort to photographing pinned specimens to show this pattern as they always close their wings when they land. So it seems the only way I would ever capture this was in flight. This male was chasing a female above me and I fired off as many shots as I could. Luck!

 

This is a subspecies of the Chalcedon Checkerspot called Euphydryas chalcedona hennei otherwise known as ‘Henne’s’ Variable Checkerspot. Last I looked there were 10 listed subspecies of Euphydryas chalcedona in America. The concept of subspecies is complicated from where I sit but there are some very dedicated people who work hard trying to sort these things out. I like to think of it like this: If you travel to ten different cities and order lasagna at a local restaurant, every dish will be unique. You’re sure it’s lasagna (hopefully!) but it may have some special ingredients that are regional. There, I’ve reduced Natural Science to a food metaphor. Bon Appétit.

Down at Horse Thief Creek this female was resting, and not bothered by the photographer inches away.

It was swollen with eggs and sat very still.

 

 

Day#2: Cottonwood Spring, Joshua Tree National Park

This pretty much sums up my mental image of a desert oasis.

 

I’m used to seeing a lot of lizards in the desert, with dozens of them scurrying out of my path. They’re usually between 3 and 8 inches long. This however is a male Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) and as impressive a beast as I’ve come across. I’m guessing he was about 18″ but when I tried to get closer…

he wedged himself between the boulders. This is what they do when threatened. I got my shot and left him alone. You’re likely to think he’s either hideous or beautiful. I just think I was lucky to see him!

 

This is Neumoegen’s Sagebrush Checkerspot (Chlosyne acastus neumoegeni) and I’ve never been able to get close to one before. The males dart around the wash patrolling for females and it’s hard just to keep your eyes on them in the bright sun. So this was to be my day.

Patience is a virtue in this game.

 

This Desert Metalmark (Apodemia mejicanus deserti) was the last butterfly I saw. The sun was getting hotter…

and the land started to feel harsh. As much as I love the desert I must return to civilization.

This little guy is going to stay and keep an eye on things. I’m going home for a cold beer.

Cheers!

 

Raising Painted Ladies

by on | Leave a Comment

Last summer we discovered Lumpy the Anise Swallowtail caterpillar on a plant from our local nursery. It turned into quite an adventure and we’ve missed some of the excitement and fascination that comes with raising butterflies. This time we thought we’d start from scratch with some Painted Lady eggs.

The eggs were too small to photograph but 2 days after they hatched I was able to just barely render this image of a 1st instar caterpillar no bigger than a grain of rice. He could only eat the soft fleshy part of the ribgrass.

About a week later they were molting into 2nd and 3rd instar complete with spines and hairs to give predators pause. However in the controlled environment of the SolarDarkroom studio predators are not a serious problem.

I’d hoped to do a timelapse movie of their pupation but missed it by a few hours. This pupa measures about 1 inch tall and was still wriggling and twitching when I made this image. In fact this image is not even optically possible. The depth of field at this magnification is razor-thin so I shot a focus-stack comprised of 49 images to cover every possible detail in mind-boggling resolution. Photoshop kindly did all the heavy lifting and merged the sharpest parts into the image you see above. It took about 90 minutes while we entertained a guest for dinner.

Although I missed the moment of pupation I was finally able to be there for eclosure. I haven’t witnessed this since I was about 10 years old so to be able to photograph it was a thrill.

Above, it appears the butterfly is using its proboscis to aid in breaking free of the chrysalis.

That’s one of its siblings hanging in the background. They came out within an hour of each other.




After emerging they hang around, pumping up the wings to straighten them out and dry off. The proboscis is actually two tubes at first. These tubes are lined with tiny hooks and the butterfly stitches them together.

They just hang out for several hours until they feel ready to move on.

They climbed onto these daisies and allowed me to take some photos.

After they had their portraits taken I carefully walked the potted daisies out onto the porch. They spent a day waiting out a late winter rain until the sun came out. Then they warmed up the wing muscles and took off. I saw this one the next day flying around the neighbor’s garden.

If this isn’t enough, there’s a nice little movie with cool time-lapse footage, video, special effects and a happy ending!

 

Frazier Park and Mount Pinos, Los Padres National Forest CA

by on | Leave a Comment

I was lucky enough this weekend to join Ken Davenport and friends in Frazier Park and Mount Pinos in the Los Padres National Forest. I was especially interested in getting my first look at a very rare butterfly called the San Emigdio Blue and Ken felt confident he could take us right to them.

Our first stop was this dry stream bed near Frazier Park, the habitat of our quarry.

First contact was with another species I’d never seen before: Satyrium sylvinus dryope. It’s classified as a subspecies of the Sylvan Hairstreak and some believe it’s actually a separate species. It’s missing tails are a distinct feature at the very least. Note the faint pink hue layered over the gray scales. It’s subtle beauty is impossible to see with the naked eye in the harsh light of midday. When it comes to photographing butterflies it’s best to shoot first and ask questions later.

This is my prize for the day: The San Emigdio Blue (Plebejus emigdionis). I can guarantee you I never would have found it by myself. Ken knew it must be there and patiently examined every shrub along the banks until finally shouting my name. I was only 20 yards away and ran at top speed (lets not measure that) to find this brilliant little beauty. It was so busy feeding I was able to carefully nudge some foliage out of sight and take this shot with one hand. The day was young and already a success in my mind.

Next we went to Mount Pinos to look for Veined Blues, another elusive creature I had never seen before….

This is the habitat…

and this is the Veined Blue (Plebejus neurona) from above. Although its a member of the Blues subfamily (Polyommatinae) there’s no blue to be found. It’s a striking creature no matter what you call it but maddening to try and photograph. They fly low and fast and intercept other species in flight which makes tracking one kind of like a shell game.

This is the underside, below or “ventral” view of the Veined Blue. Since I write my captions below the image I could have said “above is the below…” but that just gets awkward doesn’t it?

Lower down the slope there were many of these Cythera Metalmarks, otherwise known as Mormon Metalmark (Apodemia mormo cythera). Some folks go wild trying to figure out all the incredible variations in this species-complex. I call it Metalmark Madness and even though it can make me a little crazy I can’t resist photographing these green-eyed beauties.

Ventral of A. m. cythera. (That’s what you might call Taxonomic shorthand)

This is Lake of the Woods and prime habitat for the Western Branded Skipper among other things.

First up is the Melissa Blue, subspecies Plebejus melissa paradoxa.

and this is the Western Branded-Skipper (Hesperia colorado)

in flight…

Here is the Melissa Blue again. This male (you can just see the blue scales from the dorsal side peaking through the forewing and hindwing) was perched on some sage just inches off the ground so I put my camera in the gravel and shot upwards using my trusty angle finder. Although my subject is back-lit the light colored gravel acts as a reflector and bounces a significant amount of fill light right where I want it. I spend much of my day down in the dirt and gravel trying to bring these images to you…

so if you like them feel free to buy me a beer some day. Just make sure it’s a California IPA;-)

Cheers!

Butterflies – At Home and Abroad

by on | Leave a Comment

At least once or twice a year now I’m sure to make a trip to explore the Kern River and Sherman Pass in Tulare Co. CA. It’s easily one of my favorite places on earth to roam with my camera in hand. The one constant is change and each visit holds surprises, challenges and adventures.My first stop was Fairview Camp along the Kern River where I spotted this Hedgerow Hairstreak (Satyrium saepium) sitting on the asphalt.

This Gorgon Copper (Lycaena gorgon) is a common sight in the area. The male’s coloring blends well in it’s surroundings.

and here we can see the underside markings. Note the prismatic effect of the fine hairs on the wing margin: This is often seen in backlit shots but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen this many colors of the rainbow at once.

Above, this well worn Mylitta Crescent (Phyciodes mylitta) is a first for me.

as is this California Hairstreak (Satyrium californica). Would I find any fresh specimens this day?

Further up Sherman Pass around 5680′  I stopped at one of several Alder Creek crossings…

and found this lofty Lorquin’s Admiral (Limenitis lorquini). They tend to perch well up in the trees but a 180mm lens helped me frame this impressive insect.

This wet meadow at about 8600′ is a favorite spot of mine but the season is a bit late getting started here.

Luckily I found this freshly emerged male Greenish Blue (Plebejus saepiolus) who was happy to pose for me. He was so relaxed I was able to pull a couple blades of grass out of the way, go back to the car and get a tripod, cable release and reflector which I placed below the dandelion for fill-light. He wouldn’t budge! I wouldn’t be surprised if he was preparing for his first flight. The meadow should be exploding with butterflies in a few days…

Next I went up to Bald Mtn. to see if the Indra Swallowtail (Papilio indra phylissae) were still flying. These elusive creatures are a thrilling find for any butterfly enthusiast and I expect them to be very difficult to approach. This male however was so relaxed I ended up sitting in the gravel and loose rocks about a foot away and shot dozens of frames. He seemed oblivious. There’s just no explanation.

His proboscis was on the rock…

probably gathering minerals. Butterflies can often be found at mud doing the same thing. They need minerals as well as glucose to survive.

Back down do the Kern River at Corral Creek I found my first Melissa Blue (Lycaeides melissa) on a piece of toilet paper of all things. It was right next to a Porta Potty in the campground parking lot.

I only had to wait a moment for it to choose a more natural perch and I ended up with that rainbow refraction in the wing margins again. Thats what portrait photographers call a “hair light”.

On the way home I stopped in the Piute Mountains and found Heliopetes ericetorum ovipositing on an unidentified mallow.

And while I was driving home there was something happening in my office…

This is Lumpy…

an Anise Swallowtail caterpillar we found on a Common Rue plant we got at the local nursery.

I made a time-lapse movie of him pupating.

He started to get crinkly looking.

Then a white stripe appeared down the length of his body…

and before I could speed up the camera interval he was done!

Nature is awesome!

So anyway as I said, while driving home he emerged in my office and Dierdre found him after stepping out for moment. Here he is on a hard drive I use to backup all my solardarkroom.com pictures. It’s warm so he probably liked that.

She was able to tempt him onto this plant.

I was somewhere in the desert driving just slightly above the speed limit.

When I got home a couple hours later I tried to take him out the front door on my hand but he saw the light in the bedroom and went straight for it. I let him catch his breath on the drapes for a moment.

Then one more try…

and he made it outdoors onto Dierdre’s flower arrangement on the porch.

Here he is as he should be.




We’d been referring to Lumpy as “he” so it was convenient he turned out to be a male butterfly. We’ve changed his name to Lucky and he’s flying somewhere in Santa Monica. Good luck buddy!

Lumpy pupates

by on | Leave a Comment

Well the little guy almost got away: While I was preparing the ultimate photographic-metamorphosis-containment system Lumpy was exploring the kitchen. After some anxious moments I found him crawling upside down on the rails of the window screen just a few feet away from the potted Rue plant he’d previously seemed so attached to. I got him into the cookie jar and setup lights, camera, background. 24 hours later he was starting to look different…

When it came time to actually pupate it all happened so fast it was frankly astounding. I’d been recording time-lapse photography the entire time but the truly dramatic part was all but lost for technical reasons I’m currently pondering and looking forward to correcting. I need more light! With a macro lens stopped down to f32 and an ISO of 2500 the shutter was 1 second long, and I do mean long. The sheer velocity of the pupation when it finally begins is too much for such a setup. My computer is currently spitting out a 24 frame per second Hi-Def time lapse movie which should be educational at the very least. I’ll share it if it amounts to anything but in the meantime these stills will suffice. I can’t wait for the next part and hope I’ll be around to catch it on film.

Lumpy the Caterpillar

by on | Leave a Comment

This is Lumpy: He arrived on a Rue plant we got at the local nursery. The idea was to attract some of the Giant Swallowtails I’ve seen flying around the neighborhood but since Lumpy’s entered our lives he’s become the main attraction. That’s impressive considering he was 1/2″ long when I took these first two photos in an early instar.

He’s a member of the Black Swallowtail Family and when I looked at some pictures I wasn’t sure if he was a Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) or an Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon).

While I was taking these pictures I shot some video as well….

One week later he molted into a 4th instar and was an inch long. As insect larvae go, he’s a handsome devil.

The big question now is will Lumpy turn into a butterfly this summer or wait until next year.

Stay tuned…

Flagstaff AZ

by on | Leave a Comment

On the way home to Santa Monica from Sedona AZ we stopped in Flagstaff where I photographed some butterflies on Schultz Pass Rd. I’d been very fortunate to receive some maps and tips from a local expert and was pleased to add two species to my collection that I’ve never seen before.

First up is a Western Pine Elfin, whose colors remind me of strawberry truffles. I think it’s a magnificent looking insect and it was especially tolerant of me and my lens inches away. The catch was that it kept rotating slowly around the flower, making composition and focus a challenge. Still, I’m happy with this capture and the Acmon Blue sharing the flower is a bonus. When I looked it up I found that Schultz Pass Rd. is actually the Type Locality for a particular subspecies of Western Pine Elfin named Callophrys eryphon fusca.


Below, is my first Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon). I didn’t get much of a chance with this one but it will do until next time.


With curled proboscis and characteristic orange spots I believe this is Plebejus acmon, a male Acmon Blue.


With many butterfly species, identifying gender by field-marks can be difficult but the Blues make it easy. It’s the males that sport the brilliant blue dorsal scales that people find so appealing.

Finally we have Strymon melinus, the Gray Hairstreak. As I’ve said before, I can’t ignore them no matter how common they are. This one was very fresh and kept those hairstreaks at the end of its hindwings wiggling the entire time. Birds think they’re antennae (next to the eyespots) and will try to bite the head. It gives the Gray Hairstreak a second chance at survival and indeed I often find the hairstreak tails missing. This little guy was also smaller than the ones I’m used to photographing near the coast. I imagine the 7800 ft elevation has something to do with that.

Summer’s just getting started. Let’s enjoy it!