How to photograph butterflies. Part 1: Where and when to find them.

Silvery blue butterfly on Common Blanketflower.

I love photographing butterflies.  Interesting insects with often spectacular colours and patterns intermingling with equally colourful flowers.  But where are they?  If you live in an urban jungle, or even in the suburbs, chances are that you only ever see the ubiquitous cabbage white.  There are usually better places to go than your backyard or neighbourhood park.

Time of year and day also makes a difference.  Butterflies usually pupate in the spring or early summer and mate to lay eggs.  The eggs are laid on plants that the larvae can eat.  The caterpillars feed voraciously and moult 4 or 5 times until they are ready to pupate.  Where the pupae are highly depends on the species as some will burry themselves in the soil before pupating while others will form a chrysalis attached to a branch to wait out the coming winter.  The best time to see the adults after they emerge.

The difference between a newly emerged butterfly and one that has been flitting around for a month or more is often striking.  One has bright colours, crisp edges to wings, and all its appendages in tact.  Over time there is fading, breaking, and detachment of said members.  It is better to go out early in the season and often as butterflies of different species emerge at different times.  

Time of day also plays an important part.  Butterflies, like all insects, are ectotherms; their body temperature is dependent on the conditions around them.  Early mornings are usually not a great time to look for them.  I find most butterflies are active during late mornings and early afternoons when the temperatures are high enough to allow them to fly.  They will find a place to rest for the night, usually under leaves, on branches, or in crevasses.  

Although butterflies can fly great distances (Monarch butterflies have been known to fly up to 3,000 miles), they mostly stay in the area where nectar is plentiful and suitable plants exist for their young.  Look for open areas with few trees and have not been mowed.  Many large parks will have wild spaces left for native species.  Some butterflies feed on tree leaves, but a good many others consume the vegetation of smaller plants such as violets, milkweed, and plants in the mustard and cabbage families.  There are some good suggestions found at this website. 

The butterflies also need a source of energy which they typically get from flowers.  The nectar-containing blooms are important to these insects.  Not all flowers contain nectar or are poorly endowed.  Some flowers, such as thistle, milkweed, wild pea, goldenrod, and cone flowers, are preferred.  You can also attract butterflies with plants found at this website.

Look for open parks not thick with trees and large areas not mowed.  Late spring and early summer tend to be the best days and late mornings and early afternoons the best times.  Go often and be prepared.  Take lots of images.  

There are more parts to this blog series on photographing butterflies.  Look for them wherever you find my blogs.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com