Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Lepidoptera

This photo was taken at the Calgary Zoo yesterday, 29 September 2015. The ENMAX Conservatory butterfly house display is coming to an end. The beautiful tropical plants are beginning to fade and the number of butterfly species seems to be down. I noticed this beautiful Malachite butterfly, freshly emerged, inside the display case where various chrysalises were hanging. www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Siproeta-stelenes I had set my alarm clock for 6:30 am so that I could go on a birding walk with friends. Unfortunately, I didn't read the e-mail carefully enough, so hadn't seen that the meeting place was not where I thought. Of course, no one else showed up where I was, so I took myself off to the Calgary Zoo instead. I had planned on going there after the walk, anyway.

This is a photo from my archives, taken in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo on 9 April 2013. There were very few butterflies in April, but over the following months till around September/October, numbers increased and the tropical plants grew much larger, and it once again became a hot, humid, tropical paradise : ) I'm not sure, but I think the plant in this photos is Duranta (repens?). This year, 2015, I think the Zoo obtained butterfly pupae around mid-April, so about two weeks ago. I haven't been to the Zoo for months, so even if it's still a bit soon to see a good variety of butterfly species, I really should get over there before too long. Part of the trouble is that one of my favourite places to go is Frank Lake, which takes about the same amount of time to drive to as to drive over to the Zoo. www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Siproeta-stelenes

Haven't had time yet to see what general kind of moth this is - I don't usually see them and when I do, it's not easy to photograph these very small, narrow insects. Should be a good enough photo for ID, though. Taken while botanizing the beautiful hillside at the Leighton Art Centre (SW of Calgary) on 6 July 2013, when three of us went there to record all the flora and fauna that we found. Later: this appears to be some kind of Plume Moth, but that's as far as I have got so far. The closest I've been able to find so far is Platyptilia carduidactylus. "The Pterophoridae or plume moths are a family of Lepidoptera with unusually modified wings. Though they belong to the Apoditrysia like the larger moths and the butterflies, unlike these they are tiny.... The usual resting posture is with the wings extended laterally and narrowly rolled up. Often they resemble a piece of dried grass, and may pass unnoticed by potential predators even when resting in exposed situations in daylight." From Wikipedia.

These are large, rather fancy butterflies, and I liked its striped eyes - but not so much its furry body. Taken on 25 September 2012 in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. The tropical butterfly season is over now. Once again, the staff and volunteers did a superb job of putting on a great display of tropical plants and butterflies for us over the summer! I know that I, for one, appreciate this so much - a wonderful chance to see and photograph things I would otherwise never see. "Butterflies in the genus Caligo are commonly called owl butterflies, after their huge eyespots, which resemble owls' eyes. Owl butterflies are found in the rainforests and secondary forests of Mexico, Central, and South America. Owl butterflies are very large, 65–200 mm (2.6–7.9 in), and fly only a few metres at a time, so avian predators have little difficulty in following them to their settling place. However, the butterflies preferentially fly in dusk, when few avian predators are around. The Latin name may possibly refer to their active periods. Caligo means darkness." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl_butterfly

Well, up close with an Owl butterfly : ) These are large, rather fancy butterflies, and I liked its striped eyes - but not so much its furry body. Taken on 6 October 2012 in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. The tropical butterfly season is almost over now. Once again, the staff and volunteers did a superb job of putting on a great display of tropical plants and butterflies again for us over the summer! I know that I, for one, appreciate this so much - a wonderful chance to see and photograph things I would otherwise never see. "Butterflies in the genus Caligo are commonly called owl butterflies, after their huge eyespots, which resemble owls' eyes. Owl butterflies are found in the rainforests and secondary forests of Mexico, Central, and South America. Owl butterflies are very large, 65–200 mm (2.6–7.9 in), and fly only a few metres at a time, so avian predators have little difficulty in following them to their settling place. However, the butterflies preferentially fly in dusk, when few avian predators are around. The Latin name may possibly refer to their active periods. Caligo means darkness." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl_butterfly

I heard that question from almost every person who spotted this enormous Atlas Moth. It was hanging from a plant that was growing in the small pond in the butterfly room at the Calgary Zoo when I went there on 6 October 2012. Unfortunately, it was surrounded by these fine leaves, so I couldn't get a good photo of it from any angle. I always find the snake-like wing tips fascinating. "Atlas moths are considered the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area (upwards of c. 400 cm, 62 sq in). Their wingspans are also amongst the largest, reaching over 25 cm (10 in). Females are appreciably larger and heavier." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacus_atlas

Got the chance to see another Monarch butterfly at the Calgary Zoo - they don't get many there in the ENMAX Conservatory, but I have seen one on maybe three occasions. This summer was a very unusual one here in Alberta, as we don't usually get Monarchs as far north as Calgary, but this year they travelled further north and we were seeing them in this city (and apparently north of us, too). I love their white spots on black and the yellow and orange wings.

Photographed in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo yesterday afternoon, 21 August 2012. There was a rack with a number of pupa hanging from it and a couple of these emerged Atlas Moths. They are incredible, huge Moths, but I never seem to get a photo of one that I am happy with, ha. Always fascinated by their amazing antennae and their unusual legs. "Atlas moths are considered to be the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area (upwards of c. 400 square cm or 65 square inches). Their wingspans are also amongst the largest, from 25-30 cm (10-12 inches). Females are appreciably larger and heavier .... The Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) is a large saturniid moth found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, and common across the Malay archipelago" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacus_atlas

I think the left hand end of this beautiful Monarch caterpillar is the head end : ) Seen in someone's garden after our day of botanizing at Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, 15 July 2012. Monarchs feed on Milkweed, in this case Showy Milkweed.

Showy Milkweed is growing in someone's garden and I was lucky enough to finally see a few Monarch caterpillars. I've seen so many beautiful photos taken by other people over the years and never thought I'd get the chance to see a Monarch. This year, though, has been unusual, as people have been seeing a few of these amazing butterflies in Alberta, including in Calgary. www.monarch-butterfly.com/ I found this beautiful, time-lapse video (only four and a half minutes long) on YouTube. Worth looking at if you have a few moments to spare. "It shows the entire lifecycle of the Monarch butterfly from a tiny caterpillar hatching from an egg on a Milkweed leaf through metamorphosis to become a glorious adult butterfly. Filmed utilizing high powered microscopic cameras and time-lapse photography. Produced for the Chicago Nature Museum in Chicago, IL." youtu.be/7AUeM8MbaIk The link below is to an article by CBC News, about the surprise appearance of Monarch butterflies in Central Alberta this summer. www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/06/20/monarch-butte... If you have more free time, this is a longer video by NOVA, about the amazing 2,000-mile migration of Monarchs to a sanctuary in the highlands of Mexico. video.pbs.org/video/1063682334

We saw this beautiful Fritillary butterfly when we went on a botanizing day trip to the Medicine River Wildlife Centre two days ago (27 July 2011). Haven't decided which species of Fritillary it is - I don't find them easy to ID.

Photographed on 27 July 2012, when four of us spent the day botanizing (searching for and recording all species of plants found, plus birds, animals, insects, fungi) at the Medicine River Wildlife Centre, NW of Calgary, near Raven. This colourful butterfly happened to land on the tire of a friend's car in the parking lot. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglais_milberti

Normally, in Calgary, a very rare Monarch butterfly might be spotted in the city - I'd only ever seen one, from far away. This summer has been different for some reason, with Monarchs travelling to Calgary and quite a bit further north in Alberta. The one in my photo is the fourth one I've seen this summer. Robin, a botany friend, and I had bumped into each other at the Zoo on July 24th and then gone our separate ways. I was busy photographing flowers in the zoo garden a bit later, when an excited Robin found me and let me know where there was a beautiful Monarch near by. It was enjoying the Scabius flowers. Thanks, Robin! www.monarch-butterfly.com/ I found this beautiful, time-lapse video (only four and a half minutes long) on YouTube. Worth looking at if you have a few moments to spare. "It shows the entire lifecycle of the Monarch butterfly from a tiny caterpillar hatching from an egg on a Milkweed leaf through metamorphosis to become a glorious adult butterfly. Filmed utilizing high powered microscopic cameras and time-lapse photography. Produced for the Chicago Nature Museum in Chicago, IL." youtu.be/7AUeM8MbaIk The link below is to an article by CBC News, about the surprise appearance of Monarch butterflies in Central Alberta this summer. www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/06/20/monarch-butte... If you have more free time, this is a longer video by NOVA, about the amazing 2,000-mile migration of Monarchs to a sanctuary in the highlands of Mexico. video.pbs.org/video/1063682334

One of the tropical butterflies photographed at the Calgary Zoo during their butterfly season, on 26th September 2011. Hope I've identified this correctly. I just have to add this link (hours later) from YouTube - someone (Kelly-Sue) had posted the link on Facebook. It is a video of a little two-year old boy playing drums - and I mean PLAYING! Fascinating to watch his face while he tries different things. He's mighty GOOD! youtu.be/d_AX0JTogjM

These huge Atlas Moths always amaze me. I don't get to see one very often - at the Calgary Zoo - and they are often on a messy background, which is OK for a macro shot The antennae are quite amazing, I think. Taken on 8th September 2011. "The Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) is a large saturniid moth found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, and common across the Malay archipelago. Atlas moths are considered the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area [upwards of c. 400 cm2 (62 sq in)]. Their wingspans are also amongst the largest, reaching over 25 cm (10 in). Females are appreciably larger and heavier. Atlas moths are said to be named after either the Titan of Greek mythology, or their map-like wing patterns. In Hong Kong the Cantonese name translates as "snake's head moth", referring to apical extension of the forewing, which bears a passing resemblance to a snake's head." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacus_atlas

Taken in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. The netting is definitely not my favourite setting, but you take what you can get - it was this or nothing : ) Note that their wingspan is 10-12 inches! "Atlas moths are considered to be the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area (upwards of c. 400 square cm or 65 square inches). Their wingspans are also amongst the largest, from 25-30 cm (10-12 inches). Females are appreciably larger and heavier .... The Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) is a large saturniid moth found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, and common across the Malay archipelago" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacus_atlas

I think I am right when I say that the horned end is the tail end of this caterpillar. Not my hand, by the way! This caterpillar was seen on 1st September, on a short nature walk in connection with the Weaselhead Socety. I have seen one of these a few years ago, just outside the city, but can't for the life of me think what species it is. Can anyone help me with the ID? I had a look on Google this afternoon, but couldn't find a photo of a similar insect. Later: thanks so much, Jim, for the ID - Hyles gallii.

At the end of my walk this morning, I came across this green moth flattened out on the washroom door at the entrance of the park. I'm not sure, but I think this might be a Pale Beauty or some other kind of geometer. They are also called "inchworm moths" because it is their caterpillars that do the familiar inching along when they travel. There are at least 250 species of geometers in Alberta, but only a few are pale green. "Many Geometrids have slender abdomens and broad wings which are usually held flat with the hindwings visible. As such they appear rather butterfly-like but in most respects they are typical moths: the majority fly at night, they possess a frenulum to link the wings and the antennae of the males are often feathered. They tend to blend in to the background, often with intricate, wavy patterns on their wings. Most are of moderate size, about 3 cm across but a range of sizes occur." From Wikipedia website.