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Monday, March 2, 2009

The Plain Tiger Butterfly


The Plain Tiger Danaus chrysippus is closely related to
the American Monarch. This variety is found in tropical and sub-
tropical regions of the world, stretching from the Mediterranean
areas to Africa, the Middle-east, the rest of Asia to Australia.

Since last year I have attempted to photograph the Plain Tiger
but only managed blurry shots on my Ixora bush. Standing in the
hot afternoon sun yesterday,was worth it, I must say, as this
stunning butterfly fed on the marigolds, flitting from flower
to flower. I took countless shots hoping that it wouldn't fly
away but as you can see from these photos, it was here for the
long haul!!!



18 comments:

Katarina said...

Oh, what a beautiful butterfly - it's colouring is amazing! Thanks for sharing those excellent shots!
Katarina

My Mother's Garden said...

Oh, such beautiful photos of a butterfly on the marigold blossom. A delight to look at...thank you!
Karrita

tina said...

Outstanding photo! You must be talking the right language to the pretties. Can't wait to see them here too. Have a great day! Blustery and freezing here.

Susie said...

Oh those are beautiful photos Kanak! I can see why he's related to the Monarch. They are very similar!

RuthDFW said...

incredible photo

Jennifer AKA keewee said...

Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos. Sadly we do not get many butterflies in my garden.

Lona said...

It is so beautiful. You do a wonderful job capturing it in your pictures.Its markings are so pretty.
Lona

Anonymous said...

What stunning pictures. You have really captured the detail in your photos.

islandgal246 said...

Kanak good job on the photography. That butterfly looks similar to the Queen butterfly found in South Florida. Does the tiger's caterpillars feed on milkweeds?

Randy Emmitt said...

Kanak,

Excellent job on these photos, and getting them on marigolds. Marigolds must be the only flower blooming as they are usually terrible for attracting butterflies. I've seen these butterflies in US butterfly houses.

Thanks for stopping by today! My feed is down, as I changed it to feedburner. Soon I'll be posting some amazing Monarch photos, back in 2005 I monitored the Monarch migration on the Virginia shore for 3 months!

Unknown said...

A lovely butterfly indeed, Kanak, made more lovely to me by the fact that I won't see butterflies for at least two months, maybe longer. But that's two months closer than it was on New Years Day, so I'll be grateful, and I'll enjoy yours.

Wendy said...

Just beautiful! You've captured this butterfly very well. He (she?)'s gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

What a shame that such a beauty is called "Common". Great shots Kanak!

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I won't see any live butterflies for awhile, so thanks for sharing yours. Lovely!

Unknown said...

Katarina/Karrita/Tina/Susie/Ruth/Keewee/Lona and Mildred,

Thank you so much! I think sometimes the winged ones decide to be photographed! I couldn't believe my luck at getting this opportunity!

Helen--yes, they do. Would-be predators steer clear of them. Which is why they indulge in the luxury of flying slower than other butterflies.

Randy, this is the first time I've seen a butterfly on the marigolds. Googling, I found out that this variety is fond of marigold! Can't wait to see your Monarch photos!

Jodi/Wendy/Racquel/ Sue,
Thanks for stoppin by. I hope you won't have to wait too long to see your first butterflies! With all the pre-spring posts, I'm also very much looking forward to your spring!

walk2write said...

I've always thought that marigolds were good for keeping insects away. At least that's what my dad always told me. I'm glad they don't repel the butterflies. They're beauties, Kanak!

Anonymous said...

Ah, beautiful. Can't wait to see butterflies here.~~Dee

Unknown said...

W2W, thanks. It's not a common sight to see butterflies on these blooms. Maybe the poisonous (to their would-be predators) ones come to feed here.

Dee, I hope you won't have to wait too long to see them. Thank you for stopping by.