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Published: 2003-08-25 01:09:23 +0000 UTC; Views: 818; Favourites: 15; Downloads: 171
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Description
I discovered in naturethe nonutilitarian delights
that I sought in art.
Both were a form of magic,
both were a game
of intricate enchantment
and deception." -- V. Sirin
The Viceroy is often mistaken for a Monarch
but once you're familiar with the patterns
you'll notice the extra black bands
and the shapes of the windows.
just a fun fact for you:The viceroy is a smart adaptive mimic of the monarch because the monarch caterpillar and butterfly are poisonous. The caterpillar feeds on the milkweed plant and absorbs the poisonous sap which is passed on to the adult through the pupal stage. The result is that most birds find the butterflies distasteful and leave them alone.
Through evolution the viceroy butterfly is using what is called Protective Coloration, and the kind of mimic it does is called MΓΌllerian mimicry, which kind of makes you wonder what it may have looked like before it changed its outift.
And of course a viceroy is a ruling governor
is the stead of the sovereign
acting as an aid to the monarch(y).
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Comments: 54
i always go out hunting information on it and i
invariably learn something new
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It's perfect. Absolutely beautiful. I adore viceroys.
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Hmmm thats realy so beautiful! Love this butterfly
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love how the light is coming through its wings...
and another one being near makes it more interesting...
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Very nice, I like all the colors that are present...yeah
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Again with a stunning capture! Such gorgeous detail
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Star Wars has ruined my thoughts on the word viceroy, but great shot hon
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ok....... *dies* this is just eye candy..... im so in love and im only on the second image!!!! gosh. your knowledge of these beauties inspires me to learn more about them!
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Fun facts are fun. Great addition Andrea. Nice photo.The wings look like stained glass windows. You DO talk to the animals. Great capture once again.
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yes but i talk very softly . . .
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LOL. You do something. Very well I might add.
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love how u can like see through the wings nice
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very nice. thought it was a monarch as soon as i saw it. then saw you fun fact! another great shot.
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Ahh! Awesome..
I was at the National Zoo yesterday and there were TONS of viceroys.. I wanted to get a shot so badly, but they kept fluttering away! I got a couple of other butterflies though..
Very nice shot
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I'm really really (really...) sure you're an elf, whatever you say about them sitting still, I don't believe you, you're not much of a liar... you're an elve and that's why you have all these nice nature pictures !
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Wow, a truly beautiful photo. You've captured great detail on this guy. Also a truly interesting fact in your description. I learned something new today! Thank you!
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Just as a point of interest, if you really wonder what they looked like before they changed "suits" you can look at Weidemeier's Admiral, Lorquin's Admiral or the North American White Admiral. They are all very closely related to one another. There is another animal in this same family called The Red Spotted Purple. This one is also a very close Mullerian mimic of the Pipevine swallowtail. All five of these animals can mate succesfully with one another producing viable offspring that have a mix of coloration traits in their wing patterns. Anyway....enough of my nerdery, great picture.
P.S. The North American Admirals (which is the collective name for these Limenitis butterflies) are all very similar in behavior. All very approachable. So you should look for some of the others.
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wow!
i love it when you talk sexy Lepidoptera
thank you for looking and for that great information.
p.s. nerdy is WAY sexy
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well if that is sexy, then I am Rico Suave. lol I actually did my Master's thesis on the Red Spotted Purple and the White Admiral (here is where I get real sexy on ya (Limenitis arthemis arthemis and L. a. astynax respectively)). They hybridize in the east coast and in the midwest. The Great Lakes separates their hybrid zone. I collected a little over 8,000 of them over 4 years in Wisconsin, which is where the center of their population overlap occurs in the midwest. I used to be a speciation Biologist, now I am not. lol Anyway, keep up the good work and drop me a line sometime if you ever want to get real turned on (I can talk all day about butterflies) lol
John
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i think i just had an orgasm . . .
thanks John.
was it good for you too?
i grew up all over the Great Lakes
MI and IL and a few places all over the states.
but my fascination with all things winged
has always been.
always a 'B' Biology student
but a great love of nature
and all her brilliant tricks and teases.
have you seen my Regal Moth pictures here?
they are in a series with MOTHRA in the title.
i only learned recently what it was.
Also, i finally snapped a LUNA MOTH
which i did a series of.
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You should check out Heliconius melpomene and Heliconius erato. They are the coolest butterlfies on the planet IMHO. I did some work with these bugs in Brazil a few years ago. Very cool stuff. Once again proving what a nerd I am. Anyway
John
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P.S. It was great for me. lol
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You don't only catch beauty... do you ?
you capture our attention
and you capture small parts of our soul, how do you do ?
the technical part is just even better, thanks professor
Alain
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Thanks for sharing this wonderful pic...and thanks also for the educational bit. It's a common thing in nature, but I didn't know that the Monarch's got such a "doppelganger".
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WOW!
I feel so educated now.. and at the same time I got to look at a gorgeous picture! truely stunning!
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i can never catch these beauties on film.. i must have seen at least 30 different species this year.....they like to play games with me... they stay where they're and then just as i draw near to take their pic they do a dance and fly away. :/
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i'm telling you . . .
don't look for them on leaves
or chase them (definitely elusive)
go to where the flowered places are
and wait until they land to eat
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absolutely!
catch me on AIM as "lilREDelf"
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I've had you on my buddy list for awhile, but I never seem to see you online?
You try messaging me, possibly? LadyCirce2001
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is that on AIM or MSN?
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beautiful, like everything else you do!
and the angle agaist the horizon line is very cool too.
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this is almost perfect girl!! 
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Oooh I love the deeper oranges to reds on this one - is that because it's shadowy or is it actually darker than a monarch?
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It makes me sad to think when I was still a youngin, I didnt know about their delicate wings, until my father told me after my first few captures at that point capture of these beautiful creatures was not an option partly because if my father found out he would kick my butt
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