Actias and Monarch

[twolfe]

When I was photographing my mantis, I took a break to photograph my Actias caterpillars and moths and a Monarch butterfly.

Actias luna - caterpillar stage

Actias dubernardi - adult stage

A photographer friend of mine said that the tails on this moth remind him of a ballerina's skinny legs and pointy shoes.

Monarch Butterfly

I raised this Monarch from an egg. It had recently eclosed, and I put it on the Milkweed plant to dry its wings. As soon as it started to fly around the room, I let it go.

Tammy

 

[crucis]

Wow, amazing photos!

If i had to choose, the genus Actias would be my favourite insects (after mantids). There is something about them that transcends mere prettiness.. I know i'm anthropomorphising, but (to me at least) theirs is a beauty tinged with the quiet majesties of serenity and sorrow. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that their adult lives are so short they don't even eat :mellow:

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Malti]

wow, what cam do you use?

 

[twolfe]

Crucis, I like Actias a lot, too, but in the adult stage, their wings/tails are so delicate and tear so easily. I usually only handle them when they first eclose.

Malti, I used my 5D Mark II with a 100mm macro lens for those images. I've been a serious photographer for a while but still "new" to macro photography.

 

[Malti]

you're doing a great job with the macros thats a fab cam, IF I had some extra cash at the moment I'd buy one, or a similar model...I only have a fuji finepix S8000fd atm

 

[Orin]

What do dubernardi eat? I've never seen those listed anywhere.

 

[twolfe]

Orin, the dubernardi species is not native to the US. I'm not sure what their native host plant is, but in the US, people use pine trees (short and medium needle trees). The guy I originally bought them from fed his virginia pine but Austrian and Scotch pine also work.

 

[Precarious]

The first shot is just perfect. What a unique shade of green. Good to see you posting more.

 

[twolfe]

In the late summer I got some Actias dubernardi eggs and photographed the moth in the caterpillar stage. Here's a close-up of one of the caterpillars a day before it made a cocoon.

One of the caterpillars escaped in the house and I couldn't find it. I was surprised last week when I went to the basement and found a male Actias dubernari moth clinging to the patio window. Finally I had a male! Unfortunately I did not find it when it was fresh.

 

[lunarstorm]

Awesome pics! That's quite the moth, its beauty makes me tempted to look for some next summer/spring.

Are they pretty easy to care for?

 

[twolfe]

Lunarstorm, Thank you. I'd rate the difficulty level as intermediate, but it's hard to find eggs. Of the ten eggs that hatched, four of them made cocoons. I was gone for 12 days in September and some died while I was gone. I'd check to ensure that you have one of the recommended host plants.

 

[sporeworld]

Gorgeous! Great pics, great models.

Kudos!

 

[kitkat39]

Those Lunas are beautiful