giant

28mm f4.0 1/125s ISO100

a common ant caught in an uncommon view

fiddlehead(s)

28mm f2.8 1/80s ISO100

milkweed butterfly

28mm f2.8 1/20s ISO200

monarch butterfly \mon"arch but"ter*fly\, n. (Zool.) A very large red and black butterfly (Danais Plexippus) having striking orange-brown wings with black veins in a reticulated pattern; -- called also milkweed butterfly andmonarch. Its larvae feed on the leaves of the milkweed.

cabbage white

28mm f2.9 1/20s ISO200

Julia Heliconian

28mm f2.8 1/50s ISO100

Dryas iulia (incorrectly spelled julia), commonly called the Julia Butterfly or Julia Heliconian, is a species of brush-footed butterfly. The sole representative of its genus Dryas, it is native from Brazil to southern Texas and Florida, and in summer can sometimes be found as far north as easternNebraska. Over 15 subspecies have been described.

Its wingspan ranges from 82 to 92 mm, and it is colored orange (brighter in male specimens) with black markings; this species is somewhat unpalatable to birds and belongs to the "orange" Batesian mimic complex^[1].

This butterfly is a fast flier and frequents clearings, paths, and margins of forests and woodlands. It feeds on the nectar of flowers, such as lantanas(Lantana) and Shepherd's-needle (Scandix pecten-veneris). Its caterpillars feeds on leaves of passion vines including Passiflora affinis and Yellow Passionflower (P. lutea) in Texas.

The species is popular in butterfly houses because it is long-lived and active throughout the day.

(thank you wikipedia)

8 eyes

28mm f3.6 1/100s ISO100