Tiny Tomcats - the F-14s in your garden

[ishino]

#3 really does look like a jet fighter, pretty cool! the first one has the best detail. i always thought these were moths also.

[penolta]

Thanks for looking and commenting. I think I worked harder to get these pictures and to get them sorted (lots of throwaways),processed,identified and "sexed" than with any of the other butterfly "assignments" I gave myself. Between the wind, the harsh lighting, the rapid movements of the skippers, and the fact that many of them were above me, it is a wonder that I got anything useable - some of theshots I wanted most to use were unsalvageable. I wish the others were as good as the first one.

Don - credit the K10's SR and the lens (I really like that Tamron) for the sharpness, plus a technique I learned long ago - when you are not steady enough,press your elbows against your chest (while the camera is against your eye), take a deep breath and exhale slowly and shoot - you will be surprised how it damps your shakes.


Edit: For scale, the individual florets on this Butterfly Bush's flower clusterseach measure about 7 mm across (25.4 mm = 1 inch).


Edit: Another useful technique to enhance steadiness is to size the neckstrap so it fits snugly around youe upper arm or the shoulder (and not your neck) as you grip the camera.

[penolta]

A couple of additional shots, these with the Tamron 28-300 LD macro @ 300 mmon the K10D, also hand held in existing light:

# 8 - female

[penolta]

# 9 - male

[Torgny]

penolta wrote:

Skippersconstitute about 1/3 of all butterflies, and are a distinct group. Many are smell and inconspicuous, and so are little known. Grass skippers are amongthe smallest; they are unique in their ability tohold their forewings vertically and the hindwings horizontal while perched (which has reminded some of the configuration of some modern military aircraft). They breed in grasses, as the name implies, some in lawns of Bermuda or St. Augustine grass, their catrepillars hiding near the roots, safe from lawn mowers. They are fast and erratic, and may becalled lawn moths by some. They are also variable in coloration, and so are hard to identify.

I believe these all are Fiery Skippers, which breed in St Augustine (which I have) as well as Bermuda. A good number survived the storm, but were harvested by a hungry flycatcher. The bird can be seen in the Wildlife Forum http://forums.steves-digicams.com/fo...mp;forum_id=11

Hand held, available light (full sun), all but one with K10D and Tamron 70-300 LD maco @ 300mm

1) female

Great. These little co-habitants of the planet sure have a higher value than Harrier Jets. Always a pleasure. Knowledge adds to beauty

Torgny

[jhacker]

I love the comparison to the Tomcat. Military history is an interest of mine and you are right, the Skipper's wing shape and twin tails looks generally like an F-14. It looks even more like this airplane, the F7U Cutlass, built in the early 1950s as a Navy carrier fighter. This shot is a Blue Angles plane dating from 1952. More on that plane here http://www.blueangels.org/Aircraft/Misc/F8U/Misc3.html
Just shows that anything we can do, Mother Nature has probably already done.

great shots penolta

[penolta]

I love the comparison to the Tomcat. Military history is an interest of mine and you are right, the Skipper's wing shape and twin tails looks generally like an F-14. It looks even more like this airplane, the F7U Cutlass, built in the early 1950s as a Navy carrier fighter

I share your interests, but most viewers don't go back as far as we do. More people know the Tomcat from the Top Gun movie and the JAG TV series. I even toyed with the idea of naming the last two Mac and Harm! Seriously, though, you are right about nothing being really new - had we understood bird flight sooner, we wouldn't have had to wait for the Wright Brothers. We are only now beginning to understand insect flight, which can be much different, so watch out for those mini remotes yet to come!

Thanks to you and Torgneyforyour comments.

[NonEntity1]

Penolta, I always appreciate the way you share your knowledge along with your photographs. Thanks!

Tim

[penolta]

Thanks Tim - it is nice to know it is appreciated.