I don’t often see butterflies in my current home location (compared to the dozens I saw when I lived near the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne pre-2015) and walked around the lovely 55-hectare site regularly.
On the 10th December, when my desk was still next to the lounge window, I glanced sideways and spotted an Australian Admiral Butterfly (Vanessa itea) on the outdoor power switch unit.
I slowly rose out of my desk chair, grabbed a short telephoto lens (15-55mm attached to a Canon DSLR body), and went outdoors to capture a photo before it flew away.
It was a lovely insect and didn’t seem to have any wing damage as is often the case captured in past photography opportunities.
I tried to get a little closer and better focus but the butterfly must have felt threatened as it closed its wings rather abruptly.
It stayed that way for a few more minutes and then flew to the opaque balcony dividing fence……
…..and then flew away.
For those of you who see butterflies all the time, this short photo opportunity may not seem so exciting, but for me, who rarely sees more than a cabbage moth butterfly around my potted plants, this was a rather thrilling experience.
My usual ‘bird on my balcony’, where I have to work hard in a very short time at capturing a fast-moving small bird, is sometimes more work than fun. This was definitely fun!
A Moment in Time 
A beautiful encounter!
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I agree, Eliza. Thanks for your comment. 🙂
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Oh wow, what a great experience. Such a showy butterfly too.
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I can’t remember ever seeing one of these Admirals before, Peggy. Not even in the Butterfly House at Melbourne Zoo. So it was a great encounter.
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That’s a spiffy Admiral. We have them, but the species is different. Still, the combination of colors is similar, and they’re always great fun to see. I saw a Monarch or Fritillary (or Viceroy, or some such) flying today: a good sign.
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Great to hear, Linda.
I guess you see butterflies frequently on your visits to nature reserves and even by the roadside.
I’ve forgotten which state you live in. I’ve been watching YouTubes of the terrible snow storms in the U.S. and Canada. You’re further south aren’t you?
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I’m in Texas, near Galveston — about 30 miles from the beach, and well south of ‘real’ winter. As for the butterflies, I see them nearly everywhere in their season, even at work. Last year, I watched three different migrations while at work; they’re not at all averse to crossing bodies of water.
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At least you are safe (from the heavy storms) then. I have a Canadian friend who had -7 degrees today, but I’m waiting to hear from today’s message I sent her. She last said the snow was ok around their town, but that was last week.
I admit to knowing nothing about America and Canada, although I’ve watched many films about Alaska.
My 1970’s travels were mainly in Europe and the U.K. so I know more about those countries. There are some areas I’ve visited that are under horrific snowstorms at the moment.
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Here you go. Look at the Gulf of Mexico, at the bottom. See Galveston there, on the Texas coast? That’s what I’m 30 miles from.
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Thanks for the map link, Linda. I can clearly see Galveston. You (and Texas) is much further south than I thought.
I’d do a bit of study on the location of the states in the US, but my memory is so bad that I’d forget the next day.
I’m always interested in the location of blog followers and what their main language is. 10 years ago I used to look up the country, language and culture of each new follower. But now, even if I do that, I forget so quickly. Since I’m even forgetting common words I had lengthy tests and a brain scan done before Christmas to check whether some form of early Dementia might be the cause. Negative. Anyway, I’ve been referred to a memory clinic, but that must be on the public health system as I haven’t heard from them and it might take months/years to get an appointment under public health (as opposed to the private health system).
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What a beautiful butterfly, thanks for sharing Vicki.
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You’re welcome, Rudi.
(not as good a photo/focus as your insect images, but still fun to share online). 🙂
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Very pretty. We have a lot of Vanessa kershawi (?) this year.
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Vanessa kershawi (and I had to look it up to see a picture) is one that I have photographed in the RBG in the past.
I wonder if the changing climate had something to do with their numbers this year in Canberra?
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The cooler summer we had here made it much easier for them and their offspring, I think.
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Oh, it’s so beautiful and colorful. Thanks for sharing!
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….and thanks for commenting, Alina.
How’s the snow in your city?
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🙂 Oh, no snow or no more snow. It rained yesterday, but today is a bright, clear, and cold day. It’s still a long way until summer. [sigh]
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Sounds promising then (with no more snow). Summer will be there as soon as we’ve got rid of summer DownUnder. 🙂
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Very cool, Vicki, I bet you were glad you happened to be there at just the right time.
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Yes, in recent months when I haven’t been able to go for a long nature walk, my view outdoors to the balcony IS IT (for photographing birds and insects).
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