Viceroy Butterfly In The High Desert | Mrsroadrunner Photography

Viceroy Butterfly In The High Desert | Mrsroadrunner Photography



Meet the Viceroy Butterfly! Pretty Butterfly right?





I learned of this Butterfly actually on facebook..... a wildlife place was posting the difference of the Viceroy Butterfly, and the Monarch Butterfly. I thought it looked familiar, as if I had photographed the Viceroy Butterfly before. Sure enough when I came upon this photo album in my archive (2014), there was this Viceroy Butterfly!

I take many photographs. Someone asked if I could send over a new photograph I just took, well things are not that quick when using a real camera. After the time and effort it takes to get the photograph of whatever, then there is the upload process from which ever camera body that I used. After the upload into my archive, (my archive has the year whatever was taken, and the date, exact time etc.. This gives me a educated guess of where a species might be the next year or the year after that so on. Or the weather conditions , garden changes of whatever flower we grow here at home from year to year), Then I take the time to name each usable file. This way I can go to search, put in a key word and whatever photograph comes up.  This also helps me with the identification process of past species I have photographed.... you get it.

Then I may or may not watermark what ever photograph I upload to the web. Lately since I have been uploading photographs to my own server, all photographs are being watermarked before they go onto the web. My process works for me. Everyone has their own routine, this is just mine. When I need whatever photograph processed into whatever sized photograph I just go into my archive, either choose the photograph that is named already or go to the original file, which ever one I need. The watermarked photographs are resized to a size that is not good for processing, plus who wants a photograph that is watermarked??

So you see I do not just upload a photograph I just took without going through my routine...... Which should teach me not to talk about things I just photographed, but I get excised. When this feeling goes away I will walk away from this whole thing....





This Viceroy Butterfly was very skittish. Was not staying still for me for nothing!! I translate this into, just arriving here at this place I was at? Or, just transforming into a Butterfly at this place I was at? Just not used to people. Where I go for my photography I am lucky to see one other person, typically this is off in the distance. Typically a farmer or rancher working. I do not always go out and about with Guy and/or the dogs. I have a tendency to go by myself.

Because of this butterfly being so sketch I did not get the micro shots that I like to get.

See the "half moon", of black? The "U" shape..... well the Monarch Butterfly does not have that....





The photograph above is a Monarch Butterfly. No black moon shape or a "U", of black. Look at the two photographs and you can see the differences of the two butterflies. Anyhoo read up on your own about the Viceroy Butterfly, and the Monarch Butterfly. I have not as of yet dived into the males and females all that.... I find if I have a reason to do something then the time is not wasted.





This shot above is in another location. Same Viceroy Butterfly. I watched where it went and got this photograph above.





This shot above I used for identification purposes only. Not a clear shot, so I named the file above for id purposes only. You can see this when you go to look at the photograph itself. I go to my search and put in the key words," Viceroy Butterfly id only", and that photograph will come up. As I said in other blog posts some of my photography is used for ID only.

Thank you for coming by and checking out my photography of this Viceroy Butterfly!

Time Spent With A Monarch Butterfly

Mrsroadrunner Photography | Time Spent With A Monarch Butterfly




Most folks know of the Monarch Butterfly? If not meet the Monarch Butterfly!

Here in our part of the high desert of Oregon we do not get many Monarch's here at the house, but when we do I try my best to get some photographs! These photographs were taken in October of 2014.





Getting late in the season I thought for butterflies, in October I was a tad bit surprised to see the Monarch Butterfly here to be honest. Feeding on my spent Zinnia flower patch that gosh at the point I was not even watering the garden much anymore, getting ready for cold weather and all.....



My Zinnia flower patch seams to attract what Monarchs we do have in the area most every year! Monarch Butterflies if you have not heard have been having a hard time of it lately. I guard these visitors from the cats and other predators as much as I can, however I just do not have room to keep the Zinnia Patch in a more protected area, or I surely would! In 2015 perhaps I will put in some Zinnia seeds inside the fence of the kennel?? I do have a neighbor whose cats kill the bigger butterflies such as the Monarch Butterfly. I try to keep a good eye on such things and cats are not allowed in the kennel but my sons cat and only the front part of our rather big kennel.

Come to think of it, I believe I have photographs of one of my outings on a local farm I have permission to go onto which had Monarch Butterflies there...... that place has so many critters on that land it is just amazing seeing it is a working, productive farm.  I have not been through all my 2014 photographs, this is what cold winter days are for!





I have to give credit to Guy and my son for keeping a eye out for the Monarch Butterfly and the other creatures we have here at the house! They both keep their eyes open and tell me if they see something I need to pay attention to when they can. It always seam as if I am out front when something shows up out back or vice versa ha!





Every year for some time the Monarchs have been showing up here at the house, two times a year it seams. Always going to the Zinnia patch. What they need milkweed for the larva to eat, and I just do not grow milkweed here. However the farms around our town may have some milkweed growing ? Oh perhaps along the railroad tracks?? If milkweed would say grow along the water canals it would surely be sprayed with chemicals so if this is what is going on the Monarch Butterflies are not going to survive there. I actually have yet to be given a acceptable excuse, or any excuse as to why chemicals are dumped along the canal roads? These chemicals go into the water as well.... just does not make sense to me?

However I do understand controlling weeds..... just seams to me there is a better way to control weeds around the water.



This series of shots has not been my best though it was fun to see, photograph and document the Monarch Butterfly in October!



The shot above I had leaves in my way. The Monarch Butterfly being such a rich vivid color this one flying off still came out ok. I also thought it was interesting that this Monarch has no damage. None what so ever, so I am thinking it might be young?? In any case I sure hope it made it south , because our fall and winters can get cold!



I have one more photograph to share, though I think that photograph of the Monarch flying off is a good one to close this post with? Hope you think so as well?

Thank you for coming by to my write up of the Monarch Butterfly! Keep in mind the Monarch is a flashy, larger butterfly that frankly it sure would be a shame to see their numbers decline to the point our grand kids can not enjoy them like we do.....in California I hear they really gather!!

More reading of the Monarch Butterfly;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_butterfly