I was taking photos of bees in my red bottlebrush bush when I spotted this butterfly up high in the tree outside our kitchen windows.

I discovered that it is called the Australian Painted Lady. It has an alternative name of Blue-Spotted Painted Lady because of its tiny blue spots on its hind wings. I didn’t get close enough to see those clearly. The male genitalia is different from other painted ladies, so ours is considered a separate species (Vanessa kershawi).

In Spring, the adult butterflies migrate southward from Queensland and New South Wales, sometimes en masse.

I will have to keep an eye open for caterpillars. They love daisies, including capeweed. I haven’t seen many of these butterflies about, though, so I do not like my chances.

So, I wandered off to another part of the garden and I could hardly believe it landed right by me. Just a little too far away. Certainly does not look much with the wings closed. You can see the white ends of his antennae.

All images taken yesterday using the Nikon D3000 SLR, on auto. Cropped, scaled, and sharpened in GIMP.

Thanks for looking. 🙂

Butterflies & Moths

Australian Painted Lady

Birds

Spotted Pardalote

I took the Nikon D3000 with me on the walk this morning, hopeful for a bit of sunlight and the spotted pardalote. I see it most mornings, now, as it feeds its partner or young. Their nesting tunnel begins between the crevices of the footbridge foundations.

The little fellow is small and keeps moving, but I managed a couple of poses showing off his vivid plumage. Pity I did not think to brace the camera on the railing.

I have fixed my Nikon. I can’t recall exactly what I changed back to auto now.

Nikon D3000, on auto, cropped and sharpened, in GIMP.

Thanks for looking.

Bees & Bugs

Bee & Rock Rose (cistus)

Taken today with the Nikon D3000 on guide mode. I haven’t attempted to reset the white balance yet and the image properties still say there is an invalid number of components (2 when it expects 1) and it has made red and blue compensations which have reduced the pink in the petals.