Meet the Painted Lady Butterfly!
This particular species of the Painted Lady is one of the many butterflies that has been showing up here at our home on the High Desert at least since 2012. I believe this Painted Lady is the Vanessa Cardui species. The Painted Lady Butterflies to my understanding is found all over America, might be a different sub species ...
I am a photographer first, meaning I take photographs of such things as this Painted Lady Butterfly then I look at my books here at home or go on the web. This is of course only after the stages of planning the garden, picking out wheat we are going to grow in what flower bed etc.. When that work is all complete then we get to reap the rewards of the visitors showing up! After this then we can make somewhat of a educated guess of what is going to show up!
Because Guy and I already know this species of the Painted Lady likes the Zinnia flower we continue to grow the Zinnia flowers. Actually many things like the Zinnia Flowers!!
Sometimes but not always one can get the Painted Lady Butterfly to do it's thing and get rather close with the camera. Practice , practice, practice!! Since this is at home, I myself get a lot of practice in taking photographs of such things as the Painted Lady Butterfly when it visits!
This shot above you can see clearly the kennel fence. Not only does one have to be ready for when such things visit, the visitors have to get used to the noise of your camera but you who is taking the photographs!
This shot above is also through the kennel fence. However with readjusting where I am standing and readjusting my lens the kennel fence is not so "in your face"! I also try and get the subject in the middle of the .... box or triangle of the chain link fence. I just think it looks better if someone asks about taking the shot through the kennel fence.
I try and get outside the kennel fence when such visitors show up, however sometimes that just does not happen. Wildlife can be somewhat predictable but not always! I take the opportunity as it presents itself! I personally do not use my tripods (Guy has bought me several), the reason I do not use my tripod? I just get to bored.... not much into waiting around for nothing. A tripod is way to restrictive for me. Heck something might be going on over there!! I can not express enough how active our garden is during spring and summer!!
This Painted Lady showed up as I was wondering out front in a different area. The flower this one is on is the Lilac. When I water, I also spray down the Lilacs. Reason? Well some of you who read my posts and keep up with my photography know we have some insect that show up here who are welcomed of course, however not welcomed to set up shop!! Spraying down the Lilacs is one way of making such places not real inviting for those looking to set up shop. Hornets , wasps etc..
Though spraying down the Lilacs that are much taller then I am, Guy is saying eight plus feet tall give the visitors a comfortable place to drink if they do not care to get to close to yours truly. This one as you can see did not mind me so much!
We do use the Lilacs as a outside "privacy face", some may call it? Guy started this here way before I moved in and I like it! Through the years the Lilacs have just gotten thicker and thicker! Of course the Lilac flowers smell so good, and attract so many visitors here it is just unreal! I have said before our place just hummmmms with activity that goes on in the Lilacs! Birds OMG the birds!! Ok getting off topic which I do .....
Butterflies of all kinds really like the Lilacs!! Then if you spray them down a lot of wildlife come to get drinks here in the High Desert!
This Painted Lady went to one Lilac flower cluster to another and I just followed it about! I laugh sometimes thinking I sure would like to be someone down the road watching what the crazy lady is doing with her camera haha!
If you are still with me, you know so much more about what is going on here in my garden then my closest neighbors who are not on the computer know! I spend more time talking with say, this butterfly then I do these neighbors ha! OK I got to get serious here .....
I have so many more photographs then I have shown you here! I figured this was enough photographs for now! I have shown you just two examples of some flowers that will attract this Painted Lady in this post! I do like showing as well as talking about what flower will attract what species of wildlife. I learn better this way so I figure others may as well?
Everyone sales Lilacs it seams!! You can keep them as a bush, you can let them grow as trees! The Lilac does not bloom very long, however this is not the point if you have other flowers such as the Zinnia around as well! Once the wildlife know they can count on your garden to have what they need, they will come around year after year! Garden season is coming up after all if you like photography why not grow the things you want to photograph right there at home?
I really do like to hear what you have growing, what you have visiting your garden! If you do photography or not....
Thank you for coming by, looking at my photographs and/or reading what I wrote! Keep a eye out for the butterflies!
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