Thursday, July 1, 2010

Recognizing species


On the rock, originally uploaded by jiihaa.

Panorpa communis, originally uploaded by jiihaa.

Gillmeria pallidactyla, originally uploaded by jiihaa.

You get to learn a bit of nature when walking with a camera in hand (or at least at hand). It is quite often that I don't recognize something, and then it is good to take a photograph of the thing, and look for the species in a guide or on the net.

Here are two such things, a scorpionfly (with a beak) and a butterfly (that doesn't much look like a butterfly). The butterfly hides in plain sight in daytime, only moving when discovered. Here I managed to shoot it from underneath - almost all images of it seem to be taken from the other direction.

4 comments:

Rich Gift Of Lins said...

I try to learn the names of at least two wild flowers each year. It doesn't sound like many, but now after a few years, I enjoy recognising a lot of species as they start to bloom each year. It helps make a trip out into the countryside more enjoyable.

J. L. T. said...

hm, wonderful summer species! sunny greetings

Michael said...

"Gillmeria pallidactyla" is a moth, not a butterfly. If I'm wrong, I'll stand corrected. Cheers...

Juha Haataja said...

@Michael: I stand corrected. I identified the species in a Finnish guide on butterflies ("Perhoset" by Seppo Parkkinen). In Finnish the word "perhonen" can mean both a butterfly and a moth (= "yöperhonen", night butterfly).