afternoon sojourn into the butterfly jungle
Ever since last year, my sister has been singing the praises of a special exhibit at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. She couldn’t stop talking about it – how the butterflies land on you and of the beautiful blue morpho. Although I’ve been to the Wild Animal Park many times, I’ve never gone when the butterfly exhibit was opened since this exhibit only opens one month out of the year and I’m rarely in San Diego during the month of April.
I figured it was time to change that and booked a flight down to San Diego just to see the butterflies. Unfortunately, San Diego was in the middle of a heat wave and we waited an hour+ in the sweltering heat to enter the exhibit. Finally, we made it threw the two sets of double doors and I found myself in a magically place where thousands of butterflies roamed free and landed on flowers, tress and people!!!! The exhibit is worthy of the long wait… I already know I’m coming back next year! :lust:lust
1. Contemplation, with butterfly. This lady picked a flower (a no-no) from the exhibit and held it out in hopes a butterfly would land on it . Her wish was granted!
2. The Beautiful Blue Morpho – My sister was right – so magnificent. They’re brown on the other side and blue on the inside! And they were my favorite! This one had one wing slightly damaged.
I wished I took a video of the inside of the exhibit, but forgot to place a memory card into my G9. The exhibited in housed in tall building, about two stories high, about twenty feet wide and about thirty feet long.
3. Orange Julia; that’s the name of the species
4. Butterfly on forearm. Species: unknown. I’m slightly shocked that I was able to capture so much detail since I was handholding, using natural light and just the 100mm macro lens.
I was told that over 8000 butterflies were bought for the exhibit! I did see some people use tripods and I did bring one, but I don’t really think you need one since the butterflies are almost constantly in motion. I handheld for these frames. I did see some people with off camera flash and I think that might have been helpful.
5. Come land on me. If you stand still enough (or not), there’s a pretty decent chance that a butterfly will land on you. You’re not suppose to pick them because it damages them, but they will land on you when tired or hungry.
6. Green+purple: I loved the color combination
7. The butterfly mooned me. Butterfly butt shot.
I heard that if you go later on in the day, there is a higher probability of the butterflies landing on you since they’re more tired.
8. Green+pink works too
9. A little princess (with tiara) and her butterfly. This little girl, about three years old, kept on chasing the butterfly and ended up grabbing them! I was so afraid that she would damage them, but this one survived. The kids just loved the exhibit and didn’t want to leave.
Most of the kids inside the exhibit cried when the parents made them leave and everyone wanted a butterfly to land on them. A few landed on me, but I didn’t realize that and ended up hitting one when someone tapped me on the shoulder to inform me. I thought I dropped a lens cap when they touched me and my hands went to my pocket! I found butterfly and my lens cap. :huh Oops!
10. Damaged: The butterflies live between two days and two weeks. The rough treatment from visitors can also decrease their lifespan. This butterfly wasn’t doing too well and rested on my sister’s hat and didn’t want to move anymore. The zoo keeper stated that the butterflies can still fly if they have a damaged wing as long as the other wing is mostly in tack. This one wasn’t doing so well and nearing the end of its life. :cry
If you have a chance to go, I highly recommend it!
C&C welcomed and appreciated and welcomed
I figured it was time to change that and booked a flight down to San Diego just to see the butterflies. Unfortunately, San Diego was in the middle of a heat wave and we waited an hour+ in the sweltering heat to enter the exhibit. Finally, we made it threw the two sets of double doors and I found myself in a magically place where thousands of butterflies roamed free and landed on flowers, tress and people!!!! The exhibit is worthy of the long wait… I already know I’m coming back next year! :lust:lust
1. Contemplation, with butterfly. This lady picked a flower (a no-no) from the exhibit and held it out in hopes a butterfly would land on it . Her wish was granted!
2. The Beautiful Blue Morpho – My sister was right – so magnificent. They’re brown on the other side and blue on the inside! And they were my favorite! This one had one wing slightly damaged.
I wished I took a video of the inside of the exhibit, but forgot to place a memory card into my G9. The exhibited in housed in tall building, about two stories high, about twenty feet wide and about thirty feet long.
3. Orange Julia; that’s the name of the species
4. Butterfly on forearm. Species: unknown. I’m slightly shocked that I was able to capture so much detail since I was handholding, using natural light and just the 100mm macro lens.
I was told that over 8000 butterflies were bought for the exhibit! I did see some people use tripods and I did bring one, but I don’t really think you need one since the butterflies are almost constantly in motion. I handheld for these frames. I did see some people with off camera flash and I think that might have been helpful.
5. Come land on me. If you stand still enough (or not), there’s a pretty decent chance that a butterfly will land on you. You’re not suppose to pick them because it damages them, but they will land on you when tired or hungry.
6. Green+purple: I loved the color combination
7. The butterfly mooned me. Butterfly butt shot.
I heard that if you go later on in the day, there is a higher probability of the butterflies landing on you since they’re more tired.
8. Green+pink works too
9. A little princess (with tiara) and her butterfly. This little girl, about three years old, kept on chasing the butterfly and ended up grabbing them! I was so afraid that she would damage them, but this one survived. The kids just loved the exhibit and didn’t want to leave.
Most of the kids inside the exhibit cried when the parents made them leave and everyone wanted a butterfly to land on them. A few landed on me, but I didn’t realize that and ended up hitting one when someone tapped me on the shoulder to inform me. I thought I dropped a lens cap when they touched me and my hands went to my pocket! I found butterfly and my lens cap. :huh Oops!
10. Damaged: The butterflies live between two days and two weeks. The rough treatment from visitors can also decrease their lifespan. This butterfly wasn’t doing too well and rested on my sister’s hat and didn’t want to move anymore. The zoo keeper stated that the butterflies can still fly if they have a damaged wing as long as the other wing is mostly in tack. This one wasn’t doing so well and nearing the end of its life. :cry
If you have a chance to go, I highly recommend it!
C&C welcomed and appreciated and welcomed
0
Comments
http://www.twitter.com/deegolden
Very nice. Especially the blue.
I saw the blue morpho in the jungles of vietnam last year, they look so inconspicuous and when they fly away they turn a beautifull blue
here is a shot from the outside http://chris-en-hils.smugmug.com/photos/367485133_vYys5-XL.jpg
very nice set
This is the site for the Butterfly House in the St. Louis area http://www.butterflyhouse.org/default.aspx which is actually technically Chesterfield, MO. I have not been but have heard very good things about it. It also looks like photos should be no problem especially if for private use.
Jane B.
Link to my Smugmug site
That little girl nearly killed a few butterflies! That butterfly in the picture is squashed and tilted sideways because the little girl in the pink Cinderella dress went, compressed it with both hands and scooped the butterfly to chest level! When she opened her hands, the butterfly didn't fly away because it was too stunned!
I really believe the people inside the exhibit really shortens the lifespans of the butterflies.
Just look at the wing! It's ripped with a torn edge and a symmetric tear! :uhoh I don't know if this is caused by nature, but many people (adults+kids) didn't respect these beautiful creatures. They wanted to hold them and instead of waiting for them to land, they grabbed them.
From looking at the outside wing, I wouldn't have know that it was so beautiful blue on the inside!
But look at the differences the wing:
Not all of them were damaged, but I saw a of butterflies with wing issues. And the blue morpho was probably the most popular and people were trying to grab them.
I shot mainly with a 100mm macro, but I also attempted some with my 70-200 with the 500d.
I didn't think about it until I saw everyone else with them!
The colors were flatter SOC, but I minor tweaks in PS (levels, curves, contrast and a hit of saturation at times) made them come alive and closer to what I saw with my eyes.
Really great photos of butterflies. That's an amazing exhibit and you captured
it beautifully.
Alvin
Fremont, CA
SmugMug Gallery
Harold
My Gallery
This one is a Pale Owl Caligo telamonious memnon
Harold