Spring will be here soon, and as soon as the weather gets warmer butterflies and moths start their incredible metamorphosis from egg to caterpillar and then to the cocoon (or chrysalid) to adult. There are a number of beautiful species that you can buy online, and then when the butterflies or mots emerge they are in perfect condition to be photographed. It's easier to buy the cocoons (for moths) or the chrysalids (for butterflies) instead of live caterpillars because that way you don't have to feed the voracious caterpillars who are very, very specific about what they eat. The photo you see here is an Io moth, and it's native to the Eastern U.S. Spring and summer are the months to obtain the various species you might be interested in. Commonly available species are monarch butterflies, painted ladies, luna moths, cecropia moths, hyalophora moths, pipevine swallowtails, and gulf fritillaries. Search online and you'll be able to find a number of suppliers for these species and more. Check with your state's regulations, though, before shipping live insects across state lines. My settings for this image were 1/160, f/32, 200 ISO, and I used a 50mm lens used with a ring flash.
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