Free Ride 2011-07-21 This butterfly sat on the boat pole of our narrow boat as we chugged along the Grand Union Canal. Eventually a side wind came and blew it away. Thanks for the comments on yesterday's shot. We are home (and I just slept 12 hours - 3500 km in the car and 200 in the boat) and I looked at yesterday's shot on my big screen instead of the laptop screen - significantly over-saturated. I reduced today's picture's saturation by about 30% before posting.
Water from a Stone? 2011-07-01 This is the same kind of butterfly as in my picture two days ago - a Fritillary - drinking from the gravel on the path. It seems that they like the moisture under the stones, since it contains minerals they need. Best seen in the smaller sizes ;) - slightly over-sharpened. And thanks for all the comments on my fish shot. Such amazing photos in the dailies - you are really talented.
Dead lunch? 2011-06-28 I rode my bicycle through our nearest natural park - the Lobau, in Vienna's 22nd district. I guess I spent as much time taking pictures as cycling. There were several of these butterflies (Argynnis paphia - Kaisermantel - Silver-washed Fritillary) obsessed with this dead leaf. I assume there was still some sap in the leaf and that it was a bit intoxicating. Update: a bit of web browsing came up with the fact that the by-product of some molds is alcohol, and that butterflies can get drunk on alcohol. That's probably what is happening here. Many thanks for your comments on the model of Vienna. I didn't get around to putting up a picture yesterday
