Thursday, April 14, 2011

All the pretty butterflies ...

It's been great to have a membership to the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park this year! This is the third time I have been to visit the butterflies, and there are still two more weeks before the exhibit closes. I hope to get there a few more times ~ it is so much fun! I could honestly spend hours there just walking around with my camera, 100% happy the whole time!
Yesterday, I showed up at about 3:30 in the afternoon ... a time when bus loads of school children were LONG gone. Not that I mind children ... but it's difficult to get a good photograph when there are 100's of small children ... and you do NOT want to block their view!
The favorite (always) is the Common Morpho, a brush-footed butterfly from Central/South America. It is the most alluring and allusive creature! It's beautiful wings are iridescent blue that change color as it glides effortlessly through the foliage. But the sun was so bright yesterday, I think it made them sleepy, so I was able to get some really nice photographs of them!
I can never decide whether they are more beautiful with their wings closed or open! I love the many shades of brown and the beautiful patterns on their wings when closed ... but that BLUE is so incredible too, isn't it?

I have a whole collection of butterfly photos from prior years, but I've never gotten such nice pictures as this of the Common Morpho. I was hoping very much to see some swallowtail butterflies or some magnificent moths again this year ... but yesterday ... not a one!
This is a small Postman butterfly and there are 100's of them ... everywhere ... they are not my favorite, but I was able to get some nice photos of them too.



This was a good time of day to visit the butterfly exhibit. It wasn't one bit crowded. It's wonderfully warm and tropical inside, the humidity makes my whole body happy!
This gorgeous orange butterfly is called a Julia Longwing, also from Central/South America.

The design and intricate detail on these butterflies is so awesome. I never get tired watching them!

"O Sovereign LORD! You have made the heavens and earth by your great power. Nothing is too hard for you ... You are the great and powerful God, the LORD Almighty. You have all wisdom and do great and mighty miracles." Jeremiah 32:17-18

2 comments:

judy hand said...

Beautiful pictures.

Unknown said...

The blue morpho is my favorite butterfly. The blue is just so amazing. You captured such amazing detail in these shots! You can even see the curly tongue. I showed these to the boys, who LOVE butterflies.