Butterfly Photography by Kozmic Dreams

My Digital Photography of

Butterflies and their Larvae

The following insects were photographed in the Metro-Detroit area, unless otherwise noted. I have identified them by their scientific names, if known. Photographs are sorted so that most recent photos are at the top of the page.

Special thanks to John Maxwell for helping me identify many insects on this page from 2008 and before.

Click here for info about purchasing prints of these photographs.

Click on any photo to see a larger view!

Anise Swallowtail, Papilio zelicaon

I had the chance to observe a swallowtail caterpillar go through its metamorphosis into a butterfly. There are so many photos that it needed its own page. Click on the larva or butterfly below to see the photos.

Red-Spotted Purple Butterfly, Limenitis arthemis

Unfortunately, these are not macro photos, but I had never seen one of these types of butterflies before, so I had to take some pictures, even if it was only with my Sony Cybershot 7.2 megapixel camera. I was at a nursery looking at trees on May 30, 2009 when I spotted this butterfly flying around near the ground. I was lucky enough to be able to get within a few feet of it while I photographed it. If only I had my macro camera with me! I'm not sure why it's called the red-spotted purple butterfly though because it was quite a striking blue color if you ask me. These photos are pretty accurate regarding the colors.

Question Mark, Polygonia interrogationis

Photographed on a Buddleia "Purple Emperor" butterfly bush on August 25, 2006.

Red Admiral, Vanessa Atalanta

Photographed on a Buddleia "Purple Emperor" butterfly bush on August 25, 2006.

Cabbage Butterfly, Pieris rapae

This butterfly was photographed on oregano flowers in my garden on August 9, 2006. The first photo is definitely a male since it has one wing spot, not two. Males also have black wing tips (although I've found that some seem to be missing a lot of scales and are lighter in color).

Here are two more photos from Sept. 4, 2006. This one is a female---note the two spots on its wing---males only have one. Females also have gray wing tips as opposed to black.

Tiger Swallowtail butterfly, Papilio glaucus

This butterfly was photographed on the side of my house on a Buddleia "Purple Emperor" butterfly bush in 2004.

Monarch butterfly larva, Danaus plexippus

This caterpillar was photographed on a milkweed plant (the only food it eats) at the Saugatuck Dunes on 7-24-04

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