30 Minutes in the Life: May 2014

In the life of a photographer, whose art is created in tiny fractions of a second, thirty minutes is a sustained thought.  Thirty, minutes, the length of a child's ballet class, a quick sauce's simmer; a commute, is long enough to witness change and short enough to be over before you know it.  We offer you here our monthly results of thirty minutes of watching and waiting and recording, of rendering permanent those fractions of a second that slip past in the time it takes to watch a television show.  Thirty minutes in the life ~ Sara Kelly

This month for my 30 minutes in the life I decided to try something different. I have been wanting to visit the Butterfly World in Coconut Creek for the longest time, but somehow never got there.  Last month Colleen shared her take on the Butterfly World.  She flew through in 30 minutes.  If you want to read her blog look for her link below.  

Colleen, however, warned me to spend as much time as I could in the first section of the Butterfly world, where you would view endless butterflies, but once you leave that section there is no going back.  So I spent more than my 30 minutes watching butterflies. 

I sat on the bench, leaned against the railing, hovered on the bridge, stood in the middle of the pathway, and ducked under the mister shower trying my best to protect my camera from the fine dew.

Butterflies are, without a doubt, incredibly beautiful. The varying colors were outstanding. One thing I learned from this visit was 1) butterflies do not sit still for very long, 2) You have to be watchful and fast if you actually want to capture them. 

So here is my 30 minutes in the life, inside the butterfly atrium.  

Idea Leuconoe

Also known as the Paper Kite this butterfly is of South Eastern Origin and are generally found in lowland rain forests and in coastal mangrove forests.  The bodies of these butterflies contain toxins and for that reason are rarely eaten by birds.

Heliconius Erato Notabilis
Also known as the Red Postman this butterfly, is typically the are found in Southern America. They can found from sea level to forest edges. 

Heliconius melpomene
Known in the USA as the Piano Key, this butterfly also seems to be known as the Postman Butterfly and can be found in Central America to Southern Brazil. This butterfly is recorded as being toxic.

Heliconius Ismenius
Also known as the Ismenuis Tiger or Ismenius Longwing, this butterfly is normally found in Central America and Northern South America in sunny tall forests.  They typically lay 1 or 2 eggs under leaf of a plant.

Papilio Hornimani
Also known as the Horniman's Swallowtail this butterfly can be found in the highland forests of Kenya and Tanzania.  

Idea Leucono

The bodies of these butterflies contain toxins and for that reason are rarely eaten by birds.

Morpho Peleides (Underside)
This butterfly is also known as The Emperor or Blue Morpho and can be found in Northern South America, Mexico, Central America and Paraguay, as well as Trinidad. I loved this butterfly but it sincerely frustrated me.  The inner wings were a vivid blue almost a turquoise, but as soon as the butterfly landed it closed it wings up.  All my attempts to catch the blue were blurry. This was an incredibly beautiful butterfly.  The greeter told me that they were typical to the rainforest area and the feed on fruit and in particular banana's.   An interesting fact is that the butterfly tastes the fruit with sensors on their legs.  

Caligo Idomeneus
This butterfly is also known as the Idomeneus Giant Owl and can be found in the Amazon Rainforest and Eastern Andes.  They gained their name from the owl eye like spots on their wings.  These butterflies eat off rotting fruit. 

Graphium Agamemnon

This butterfly is also known as the Tailed Jay and is typically found in India, South East Asia and Australia.  They are typically found in wooded areas and where there is generally a lot of rain, but more recently they can be found in lowlands and home gardens. Interesting fact on these butterflies is that the male butterfly can be found feeding on urine tainted sand.  

Piano Key - Heliconius melpomene

This butterfly feeds mainly on the passionflower vine.

Heliconius Erato Notabilis

The Postman Butterfly is a toxic butterfly and is foul tasting.  As a result the butterfly is fairly safe from predators.  The toxicity comes from the nectar of the passionfruit flower.  

Graphium Agamemnon

The Tailed Jay constantly flutters, and is typically very active.  They generally only fly low to the ground when they are looking for a host plant or flowers.

Hypolimnas Bolina

This butterfly is also known as the Blue Moon butterfly and is commonly found in New Zealand.  They are typically found in country wooded areas, greener habitats, and moist scrubs.  When laying eggs the female typically lays 2-5 eggs.  

Heliconius Erato Notabilis

Typically this butterfly will only lay a single egg on it's host plant.  

Morpho Polyphemus

Also known as the White Morpho this butterfly is generally found in Mexico and Central America.  The are extremely beautiful looking butterfly.  I could easily imagine hundreds of these butterflies being released at a wedding.  

Siproeta Stelenes

This butterfly is also known as the Malachite and can be found in Central America, and Northern South America.  They can also be found in Texas, South Florida and Cuba. The butterfly typically feeds on rotting fruit, flower nectar, and dead animals.  

Heliconius Erato Notabilis

An interesting fact is that just prior to the female emerging from the pupae the male butterfly will settle on the pupae and as the female emerges the male will mate with her.

I have tried my very best to identify them correctly, any error is solely mine.

Butterflies start as eggs, grow into a larva, go through the caterpillar stage, become a pupae and finally into a butterfly.  Butterflies typically have short lives, living for about 2 weeks, although it will vary from butterfly to butterfly. 

I have always been fascinated by the metamorphosis of a butterfly.  The transformation from an egg, to a worm, to a gorgeous dancing fairy, fragile and yet so resilient. So many times I have used the imagery of the transformation life cycle of a butterfly when mentoring a young lady. Sometimes we face a long journey of challenges, but at the end there is the promise of transformation, the promise of change, the promise of a beautiful new creation.   

"We are all butterflies.  Earth is our chrysalis"
~ LeeAnn Taylor

Please take a moment to follow the circle link and see what Janine Harris of White Salt Photography ~ Lifestyle Photographer, Melbourne, Victoria has to offer for her take on this months 30 Minutes in the Life.

If you are interested in seeing more of my photography take a look at my facebook page or my Flickr Page

If you want to read Colleen Putmans blog of her trip to the butterfly world click here. 

To view the webpage and see images from Story in a Snap the weekly postings click here.