Melwhite on Milkweed

Is it a contrast or a harmony of colors? Either way, I like these photos of the Common Melwhite (my gallery link) on the Tropical Milkweed flowers (NaturalistaCR link).

Common Melwhite butterfly on a Tropical Milkweed flower, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

How do I get that mottled green background? (Someone asked.) Simply by using my 600mm lens from a distance of 6 feet or more. The long lens automatically puts my focus point in focus and everything else blurry. In this case, my “jungle-like” garden is mostly greens with only occasional flowers, thus the mottled green background. When I shoot up, with the sky as background (often with birds), the background can be anything from bright blue to gray to white, depending on the weather, and more rarely golds to oranges. I’ve tried a close-up lens for both flowers and insects and it just doesn’t work for me (for multiple reasons). 🙂

Golden Melwhite

One of those beautiful butterflies with its simplicity I think, the Golden Melwhite, Melete polyhymnia (link to my Gallery).

Golden Melwhite, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

Common Melwhite Butterfly

This is just my second time to photograph this species. The last time was in 2020, also in my garden. Like mosts Whites and Yellows, they do not land often or for long to aid in photographing! 🙂 See all my photos in the Common Melwhite GALLERY. Or you might find it interesting see my larger collection of WHITES, YELLOWS & SULPHURS with 23 plus several unidentified that I believe are in this family. Here’s two photos, the less-shown top view and then a side view that is distinctive of this species.

Common Melwhite, Atenas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
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