| Gray Hairstreak | October 25, 2009 |
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The gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus) is a small butterfly, about the size of a U.S. quarter (the coin, that is).
The hairstreak had landed in the small garden area of our small backyard. I ran inside and grabbed camera and macro lens, and luckily the butterfly was in no rush to leave. I took about forty photos of it. Naked eye observation didn't show much, but once looking through the camera, I was impressed by its large black eyes - as well as the brilliant orange touch on its hindwings. |
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| It was unusual inasmuch as I could get good photos of the hairstreak's wings open and wings closed. |
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The above photo is a composite of two. I could only get the front half and back half of the butterfly in focus in two different shots. Fortunately, I held the camera steady enough that the two images were aligned with one another.
The following wings closed position has good detail of the gray hairstreak (even if you cannot see its eye). |
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I had intended to put up hairstreak photos shortly after I took them, which was on September 8, 2007, and only came across them now when I was sorted photos to be saved.
Photo note:I used the Pentax *1st D, with the SMC-A* 200mm macro lens. |