Jack

With a temperature of a mere 10.5 C, Red Admiral enjoying Michaelmas Daisies in my north Scottish garden today, 4th October.

Jack

I venture to explain something to the great man.  However, I'll be brave: Matthew writes: "Red Admirals...Devon...off the sea...Nearly all these invaders were in pristine condition, begging the question of where they had come from." Butterfly wings normally only get damaged when they becom...

I must confess to some embarrassment here.  I hadn't noticed the author's name and I had not realised it was written by you, Pete : that gives it a considerable 'gravitas'.

I'll check my bank balance.

Jack

Nick (I think it was) commented on no macro mode. I have made numerous experiments over the years and my preferred method now is to photograph from long distance using telephoto on my bridge cameras.  Sometimes, it's not possible to step back (mind the cliff behind you!) Here is an uncropped but re...

Maybe the photo might was taken in a fully automatic mode, so brightness range is 'averaged'.  Hence, against the very pale background, the camera would have made the butterfly appear extremely dark to achieve the right 'overall average'.

Jack

My first large White of the year. It's not a common butterfly in this part of Scotland, most often seen as larvae on Nasturtiums.
I don't have any plants this year but neighbour has big patches of Nasturtiums. I presume that's the origin of this fellow on my shed.

Jack

I have vague recollections of Graham Houghton - who seems to make a living out of reviewing/testing Lumix cameras - once commenting about some examples of apparently the same camera that produced markedly inferior results. So there could well be a quality control issue. The trouble is, once you find...

Nick: Maybe I should see if there is a local photographic course I can go on to learn how best to use it. Nothing would beat the photo course that I began in around 1951. Everything was 'manual' then, so I had to learn the hard way. I recall trying to photograph a butterfly from a range of about 30...

Depth of Field is a very complex issue.  The main factors affecting are: F/stop, focal length. I would suggest experimenting on something static like a flower.  Try filling the frame from various distances/ focal lengths. At a particular focal length, try different F/stops. It might be necessary to ...

Scotch Argus still flying 9th September.

Two seen at my local hotspot but I stayed only a few minutes as I wanted to get back to watch the football.
(England versus Ukraine).

Jack

The professer said that the first thing that struck you after you left the pubic car park was the grafitti in the cemetary 
(I was once guilty of that pubic order offence - on these pages!) 

Jack

I had hoped - indeed expected - many reports this summer of immigrants and their offspring. Disappointing.

Jack

Neil: A female Long-tailed Blue flew over Jefferies' grave and I tracked her over some distance before she started egg-laying on one of just two very small stands of BLEP in the cemetery. What would Jefferies have made of that?! I won't be having an idenifiable grave, just a hole in the ground in a...

Today, I was in a large garden centre near Inverness.  It sells not just garden plants and equipment but clothes, brooches, etc. including some by the iconic Swarovski.  They featured invented butterflies or the inevitable Monarch.  UK has some of the most beautiful butterflies in the world - think ...

My first ever (I think) September Scotch Argus at the usual spot just along the road from where I live. On buddleia overhanging my garden, numerous Peacocks and Red Admirals and one Comma (recall that it is a relatively new colonist in this area).  Several Small Whites and, unusually, one Speckled W...

There needs to be some debate on how the provenance of a report or an image can be determined.  I have no idea.  My LT Blue ab was clearly a spoof: indeed (for the sleuths) the EXIF information was a give-away. Ten years ago, I had never heard of 'Conspiracy theories'.  Five years ago, I had certain...

You can't believe anything these days. It's very sad. I very nearly made a trip south - fly, hire car, to go to Whitehawk Hill.
But the origin of the LTBs there is now questioned.

So instead found my own this morning - a stunning ab at that. Where is this all going?
Jack

As I alluded to in an earlier comment, there are some specimens of Homo sapiens that show the same characteristics.
For many, not really the Holy Grail.

Jack

Another three new species today.

Playing God is great fun.

https://creator.nightcafe.studio/ for your go at being The Creator

Jack