That’s me having spotted and photographed my first butterfly of 2022.
Cabbage White-Pieris rapae on some of our iris foliage. These usually are pretty active but it’s chilly today so that got this one sitting and saving its energy to stay warm. Even though it was sitting pretty still, I didn’t want to approach too close so used the doubler on my 180 macro. Yay Spring!
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
Congratulations, Steve, on your first butterfly of the spring. I know from experience that these Cabbage Whites are usually really active and do not sit still for very long.
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Thanks, Mike. Our usual firsts are Mourning Cloaks but I haven’t seen one yet. I’ve chased these around during warmer days and they do flutter about. When they find a flower they like is when you have a chance happens.https://sggphoto.wordpress.com/2021/08/29/08-29-2021-silent-sunday/
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You’d think the Mourning Cloaks would at least show up for Easter lol 🙂
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Here’s hoping one or two do. 🙂
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Good day for firsts… I saw (and heard!) my first bumblebee queen out of hibernation, yay!
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I haven’t seen any bumbles yet but did see some small bees in a neighbor’s front yard which I think were cellophane bees that are among the first to emerge from their underground nests.
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Hooray that butterfly spring has come your way.
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And….I saw rising leaves of my Large White Trillium popping out of the ground.
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Newly-hatched, yes? It’s so pristine, it surely must be part of this spring’s new ‘crop.’
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Yes. Their larvae pupate underground overwinter and come out and form as adults once spring arrives. So definitely the new crop.
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Hooray for spring, indeed! Neither my irises or any butterflies are as active as I see in your photo. We’re having a pretty chill spring. 😦
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Since I made this image and posted it our temperatures took a nosedive leaving us with a light frost this morning. That won’t harm the irises but I am not sure how a small butterfly would weather the weather.
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The cabbage whites are fairly indestructible, luckily.
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🙂
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Definitely made for a happy afternoon.
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Our first butterflies have been too quick for me – just a flash of something dark. But it’s great to see the insects coming back to the garden. 🙂
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Ordinarily these hardly ever stop long enough for a picture. I guess the cool temperature had something to do with its lethargy. Occasionally i’ve managed a shot while one was sipping some nectar.
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There are so many butterflies with gaudy colors, but I’ve also found myself drawn to the simpler ones.
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Honestly I am not at all fussy about which ones I see, I want to see a lot so whoever shows up makes me happy. I am a little more fussy about moths as there are several, of course out of the tens of thousand different species, that I have always hoped to see, such as a luna, but haven’t yet.
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I clearly remember stashing away a cocoon in autumn in my teenage days, and even more clearly the overwhelming aroma it produced as the adult Polyphemus moth emerged in the spring, as it permeated the entire garage; it’s been one of my favorites ever since. I’ve seen a few lunas at our cabin, but don’t seem to have posted any photos. Must see about correcting that.
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I’ll look forward to seeing your luna.
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A first butterfly for Spring! Wonderful photograph.
I am jealous it not only held still for you but displayed its wings so nicely!
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Thanks, Wally. I’ve photographed these a few times, always with wings folded. It was chilly so maybe it had its wings spread trying to get what little warmth the partly sunny sky was offering.
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So nice to see them, we have had many sightings, they are coming out nearly two weeks earlier these days (orange-tip especially has responded to milder spring weather, but also peacock and cabbage whites).
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In some parts of Massachusetts folks are seeing early butterflies closer to the east end and the ocean. Still fairly chilly here so the vast numbers are still waiting in the wings. 🙂
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Nice & Congrats on your First Butterfly of 2022!
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Thanks, Reed. Hopefully the first of many.
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Those Cabbage whites – always the first out -and I confess that I never quite feel as warm toward them as I do toward other butterflies, simply because they’re so common. Too many times I’ve sensed a butterfly nearby and said to myself, “Oh, just a Cabbage white.” Terrible, I know. But you made it look graceful and I’m going to try to change my ways. Thanks to your rendition, I see pencil or charcoal marks on the wings, which I never thought of before, so now I have a “handle” on which to hang my appreciation. My Zen training has gone out the window! A practice of Zen Buddhism is not being choosy like that.
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I have never practice Zen Buddhism but in a way do as I am always happy to see any butterfly or, for that matter, any other wildlife. I am just as thrilled photographing a Canada goose or mallard as a wood duck or warbler. Same for flowers. That said, I do get an extra kick from painted trilliums. 🙂 That’s fairly obvious. 🙂
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🙂
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