Monday

STEVEN HELP!

I found this in the garden when I was weeding. Hope Steven from Sometimes can identify it for me. Sorry it's such a lousy photo.

1 comment:

Steven said...

You've got something there! Hard to tell what it is from the photo but it looks like a pupa or a chrysalis of some butterfly. They can be very hard to shoot.

Now that you've found it, the hard part is over. Look for markings and rings. How wide at the top is it compared to the bottom. Be careful not to touch it. Distinguishing marks might not develop until the pupa or chrysalis matures.

Next thing is to look at the plants within five feet of where you found it. Host plants provide food for the caterpillars that turn into pupa or chrysalis. Certain plants are favored certain butterflies.

Knowing the plants can help you narrow the field in terms of identifying it. Chances are it's a common butterfly and there is a host plant near by.

With your photos try for a zoom shot at some distance and crop. With macro getting a focus lock on a green shiny surface can be a real pain. Keep trying the macros but get a crisp focus shot as it helps to have a digital photo reference when surfing butterfly websites.