Contest: Name This Butterfly

NAME THIS BUTTERFLY, OR BUTTERFLIES WHICHEVER YOU PREFER

Usually I have to go climbing trees, mountains or cliffs to get a good wildlife shot.  The day I shot these characters was different.

I was sitting at my kitchen table, just looking out the sliding kitchen door, when I noticed them. They couldn't have been more than 15 feet away, doing whatever butterflies have to do to make caterpillars. They were hanging on to Passionfruit leaves and I figured if I went to get a camera to snap a picture, they'd be gone before I had a chance to set up.

So, I sat and waited five, ten, even fifteen minutes. They were taking forever. I went and grabbed a camera, tip-toed out the front door and sneaked up on them. Using a zoom lens from a distance, I started shooting at 250mm, moving around and taking shots from different angles.

They didn't seem to mind so, I decided to try and get closer. There was no way to use a tripod. They were about 10 feet above the ground. So, I grabbed one of my favorite substitutes, an empty plastic beer case. Stood up on it and turned on my camera flash. I even set it in Red Eye Reduction Mode so they wouldn't look like some kind of monsters when I developed the shots.

Normally, I won't post a wildlife photo online until it's been thoroughly researched. Common name, scientific name, all that jazz has to be found and posted in the caption. It takes alot of time for me because I like to verify through more than one source. I know from experience, if you make a mistake identifying a critter, there will be plenty of experts jumping all over you within a matter of minutes. Instead of me having somebody with a college degree in butterflies hollering at me, I decided to hold a contest. I did a bit of research already, squinting at a few hundred thumbnails of butterflies and had enough for the day. There's a place I can send this photo to, after I shrink it and within three days I'll have an answer but, I'm just too busy at the moment.

SO HERE ARE THE DETAILS:

Photo taken in Okinawa, Japan on May 11, 2010 at 3:15PM 300ft above sealevel.

RULES:

People  with Butterfly Degrees are ineligible, especially if they live in New Jersey, or anyplace else where contests are prohibited.

The Common English Name and Scientific Name must be provided.

Entries must be typed in the Comments Section of this Blog post.

Deadline: Midnight EST Friday August 20, 2010 (That's NJ, USA Time, I think)

WINNER: Will be the first one to come up with the correct information. The 1st place winner will recieve a printed copy of this photo any size from 4x6 up to A4 mailed to their address anywhere on this planet. Optional: A file suitable for printing may be emailed, if desired.

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