Late last week I was glad to have a resting Hackberry Emperor butterfly in my viewfinder for a few moments at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.
Hackberry Emperor butterfly resting on a leaf – Canon R7, handheld, f8, 1/2500, ISO 1250, -0.7 EV, Canon EF 100-400mm II at 400mm, natural light
I’d only photographed this butterfly species one other time, in July of 2024. I’m always up for taking photos of other things with wings, especially butterflies.
I do wish I could have gotten a bit closer to the butterfly, but the ditch between me and this Hackberry Emperor was filled with water from recent rains. Had that ditch been dry, I would have at least attempted to get closer to the resting butterfly.
The very next day, I photographed another Hackberry Emperor butterfly at home with my cell phone! I should have brought out my R7 and photographed it, because it hung around basking in the sunlight for at least forty-five minutes.
The setting? A new four by four porch support that really wasn’t very appealing to me at all.
I guess I just need to get back out into the field and look for more of these beauties before it’s too late in the season to find them.
I adore having them in my viewfinder.
Life is good.
Mia
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Despite the distance and the care involved in getting off the shot…you did a great job of capturing the detail and colors of this Butterfly. Thanks Mia.