45 Macrophotography / Microphotography Images of Butterflies, Moths and Caterpillars

The macrophotographic image of the moth above shows many different flecks of color. If you have ever handled a butterfly or moth, you will have noticed these tiny flecks of color come off onto your hands. It's amazing to see them this close and to know that is the color we are seeing when we look at a butterfly.

Look at the spots on the hindwings. They look like a small leaf has been drawn on them.

Since some of the discussion on this topic may also include parts of the butterfly, I have included this picture (below) to help clarify terms.

Many people think that close-up photography, microphotography and macrophotography are the same. And in fact microphotography and macrophotography are typically considered to be the same thing. Close-up photography is very similar. Close-up photography is actually the act of taking pictures at a very close range, where the object being photographed fills the screen. So in a way, macrophotography could also be considered to be close-up photography as well. It is for these reasons that these terms are often confused and often interchanged with one another.

Through the use of a special macro lens, macrophotography allows the photographer to capture details that are not normally visible with the naked eye. These details would include things like the hair on an insect's body or the pattern of an insect's eye. It is these details that make the images viewed using macrophotography so interesting. It is here that we begin our journey through the macrophotography of butterflies, moths and caterpillars.

The detail that has been captured in the images below is truly amazing. This picture reveals things about a butterfly that I might have never known. In one small area of a butterfly (which is already small) there are so many different kinds of fur and hair. It is incredible. But the most surprising thing is - the butterfly has hair on its eyeball! The striping on the curled proboscis is also very interesting.

The butterfly above does not have hair on its eyeball. The fur also appears to be a different texture than the photo above it. The details of the fur is phenomenal in both pictures.

In the images below, notice the fur, the antenna, the leg joints, and the colors. Click on thumbnails to view image, and then click on the image to view a larger image if desired.

Enjoy the images of butterfly and moth heads and wing parts below. Be sure and look carefully at the eyes, the antenna and the scales on the wings.

Yes, the skipper (pictured below) is a butterfly. Notice how clearly you can see the stripes on the antenna, the fur on the body, the veining in the wings, and the hair at the joint of the legs.

A moth has a feathered antenna like the one pictured above. Notice how the fur on the wings appears to be different than the fur on the body.

Click on thumbnails to view image, and then click on images indicated to view an even larger image. As you view these images, look at the different types of feet, horns, eyes, and hairs on these caterpillars.

No butterfly discussion would be complete without a picture or two of the butterfly that travels long distances through the lifetimes of several generations - the Monarch Butterfly.

The following five videos will take you through the complete life cycle of the monarch butterfly from the mating, to the hatching out of the eggs, through the stages of a caterpillars life, through metamorphosis and finally to becoming a butterfly.

To see the video of the mating process, click here. You will be taken to youtube to watch the video there. It would not allow me to embed it here for your convenience.

You can then, click the video below to watch the egg hatching.

To watch the next video of the caterpillar's change through 5 instar stages, click here. The youtube video that is featured here would not let me imbed it into this hub, so I created the link for you.

Through the macrophotography of butterflies, moths and caterpillars, we have journeyed into the world where one learns to crawl before learning to fly- a world where the worm transforms into a beautiful butterfly or moth. Macrophotography brings the intricate world of the butterflyand moth to us providing us a glimpse into a world unseen so we may appreciate the delicate beauty of the butterfly and moth all the more.

I hope you have enjoyed this journey through the macrophotography of the butterfly, moth and caterpillar and will join me again:

• What is Macrophotography? 33 Macrophotographic Images
• Macrophotography of Flowers; 52 Macrophotographic Images of Flowers
• Macrophotography of Insects; 53 Macrophotographic Images of Insects Plus Video
• Macrophotography of Spiders; 34 Macrophotographic Images plus Videos of Spiders
• Macrophotography of Dragonflies; 50 Macrophotographic Images of Dragonflies plus Videos
• Macrophotography of Flying Insects; 64 Macrophotographic Images of Flying Insects

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Copyright © 2011 Cindy Murdoch

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