Male Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge – Canon R7, handheld, f11, 1/800, ISO 640, Canon RF 100-500mm at 500mm, natural light
Earlier this week at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, I had multiple butterflies in my viewfinder, including this gorgeous male Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly.
I’m so delighted to be seeing so many butterflies again after missing them all winter long. There were several species of butterflies in the wildflower patch I found this one in.
My biggest challenge was trying to pick a single butterfly to focus on because there were so many. Then waiting for a fully opened wing position to show off the blue-green iridescence on the wings took me quite sometime.
Pipevine Swallowtails are showing up in large numbers right now at the refuge. I find them by looking for wildflowers that are in bloom and then waiting for the butterflies to warm up and seek out their breakfast of nectar.
Opportunities for photographing other butterfly species at the refuge are amazing, and when I have time I will share more of them here.
While photographing migrating and resident birds at the refuge, I’m also drawn to reptiles, mammals, amphibians, spiders, and insects. Nature is amazing, vibrant, and ever so fascinating.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my insect and spider images.
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