2005-04-23 04:31:46.959844+00 by ebradway 7 comments
Asha and I went to the preview of the new "Ocean Journey" section of the Tennessee Aquarium. The "petting zoo" was quite interesting as was the butterfly garden. I brought along the Oly 2020 and kept unscrewing the Infrared filter:
[ related topics: Butterflies Photography Invention and Design Chattanooga ]
comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):
#Comment Re: made: 2005-05-02 22:42:47.290928+00 by: Dan Lyke
In my attempt to identify and classify everything, I pulled out my National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies![[Wiki]](/adbanners/lookingglass.png){kind=small}
, and once again I'm frustrated by it. In fact, now I'm super frustrated because I know I've seen that last one several places, but I can't place it in the book.
Do you have any identifying information on those guys?
#Comment Re: made: 2005-05-03 05:30:44.054791+00 by: topspin
The bottom right one is a "paper kite" butterfly, Dan.
Googling images, I think the bottom left is a hamadyras feronia and the mid left a heliconus erato (maybe), but I'm emailing this page to Joanie, who works at the Aquarium, and hopefully she'll get one of the "butterfly guys" to respond.
Great pics, Eric!
#Comment Re: made: 2005-05-03 12:11:06.67916+00 by: Joan
Dan, you wont locate these in a North American guide because none of them are natives. Top 2: Orange Tiger, Central and South America. Center Right: Common Mormon, Southeast Asia. Bottom Left: Craker, Central and South America. I'm not sure about the little guy with red wing stripes, but Topspin gets 2 points for the Paper Kite from Asia. Most of our collection are comming from butterfly farmers in Costa Rica. It has become a lucrative, yet very labor intensive industry for the Costa Ricans. Our gallery is a USDA containment facility, with a very regulated permit. We don't breed any, but are ordering in about 500 chrysalis per week to maintain 1000 flying around the gallery at all times.
Eric, were you or Asha wearing red shoes? There were 3 female Crested Wood Partridges in the gallery, a little green Asian quail. Males are red during mating, so one of them was doing a little dance around folks wearing red shoes. Hope you enjoyed your visit.
#Comment Re: made: 2005-05-03 12:37:17.005693+00 by: Dan Lyke
Cool. Thanks, it's good to know that I'm not blind when it comes to searching the book, but I'm also finding that as I'm learning about the attributes that help identify each of the species I'm learning to appreciate the creatures more.
#Comment Re: made: 2005-05-03 16:04:26.464238+00 by: Joan
The one I identified as the Craker, on second look is actually a Gray Pansy I think. The markings can vary just slightly between the males and females as well. One of our staff heads up the annual butterfly count for Hamilton County. Volunteers spend an afternoon listing all the species they spot in various areas, and the findings are sent on to a national register. They are indeed fun little critters.
#Comment Re: made: 2005-05-03 16:45:51.437715+00 by: ebradway
We weren't wearing red shoes but we sure will next time! We were wondering who the little bird was: 
#Comment Re: made: 2005-05-10 00:08:19.135436+00 by: Joan
Eric, if you check the Metro section of today's paper you'll find an article on the butterfly gallery. It features a pic of the quail, and credits her for janitorial duties. By the date of your original posting you toured on a member preview day, and the invertebrate gallery wasn't finished at that time. Be sure to see the Japanese spider crabs, giant Pacific octopus, Nautilus, and Cuttlefish on your next visit.