08.09.2021 Monday Morning Meadow Marvel Mimic Macro

If you can add more ‘m’s go right ahead.

Bet you think this is a Monarch, unless of course you know it isn’t.  It is a Monarch look-a-similar, the Viceroy-Limenitis archippus.  I was hoping to photograph grasshoppers or craneflies or moths or some other insect when I spotted this as a dark shape under a leaf. Whooppee!  In the early morning it was cool enough that this butterfly was cooperative whether it wished to be or not.  Made my work a little easier.

My first images were from the other side but were not catching any light.  Fortunately I was able to circle around and get some better exposures. I couldn’t get low enough to avoid the leaf though. I moved perpendicular and waited for the wings to unfold.  After 30 minutes I decided to look elsewhere and did find a couple of other subjects (including a nice Green Lacewing) thinking I’d go back and hopefully it had warmed up enough for some spread. When I did return it was still in this position when it suddenly opened its wings and took off. Bummer. But after a while as I was walking around in the meadow I  spotted it atop another plant and was able to get high enough to get nice and parallel for this dorsal view.

A few of my other frames hid those brown bits but the wings were soft at the edges so this is the one. Although they are fairly common this was my first.