Lens-Artists Challenge #372: Ephemeral
What a wonderful challenge Tina gave us this week: Ephemeral. Here’s her prompt: “I will start this week’s challenge with the dictionary’s short and simple definition of the word ephemeral – ‘lasting for a very short time’.” The photos she showed us inspired me to narrow down my choices.
The featured image I selected is that of a Queen (Danaus gilippus) butterfly. I chose to focus on butterflies because they bring us so much beauty and live a short life. Their fleeting flights leave an unforgettable impression of their ephemeral lives. A Queen butterfly lives for around two months only. Here are a few others.
As I write this post, I see a few Monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterflies undertaking their annual migratory flight through Port Aransas, Texas. Monarchs only live two to six weeks.
The very small Desert-checkered skipper (Burnsius philetas) butterflies — their wingspan only measures 0.98-1.14 inches (25-29 mm) — live for around two to four weeks.
A Pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor) has a much shorter lifespan: six to fourteen days. The same goes for the Two-tailed swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata).
Finally, the one butterfly in this gallery with the shortest lifespan is the Fiery skipper (Hylephila phyleus). It only lives from six to eleven days.
Except for the Two-tailed swallowtail, all other butterflies were photographed at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin.
Last week, Ritva’s street detail challenge was pure magic. The variety of images I saw was fantastic. They proved there is always beauty around us. This week, I look forward to seeing your examples of ephemeral. When you add your post, please don’t forget to use the “lens-artists” hashtag so we can easily find your post in the Reader.
Next week, it is my turn to challenge you with a new theme. I hope you will join us at noon EST in the USA. Tune in to find out more about the challenge then. Please see this page to learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge and its history.
That is the story behind the shots. If you liked this post, you may also be interested in others featuring Austin, Butterfly, Fiery Skipper, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Lens-Artists, Monarch, Pipevine swallowtail, Queen butterfly, Texas, and Wildlife. Until the next time, keep clicking and capturing the beauty your eyes find.
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Tra Italia e Finlandia
Proprio stupende!
Egidio Leitao
Grazie. Il tuo commento è molto gentile.
Rupali
A beautiful post, Egidio.
Egidio Leitao
I’m glad you liked it, Rupali. Thank you.
Rebecca Cuningham
Great butterfly shots. The Pipevine Swallowtail is a new one for me. Very lovely.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks. I love those swallowtails.
solaner
very nice collection, Egídio.
#2 stands ot for me. That composition works very well!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, André. I had to wait a little longer to get his wings wide open. It was worth it.
Writing to Freedom
What gorgeous butterflies and photos. Well done Egidio.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you very much, Brad.
Wandering Dawgs
Egidio, I love that you chose butterflies for this challenge. What an amazing gallery of these beauties! My favorite is the Queen. I have only seen one of those and wasn’t able to get good photo.
Egidio Leitao
Come to Texas. Queen butterflies seem to be everywhere. Thanks for your feedback.
JohnRH
Outstanding photos Egidio. Ephemeral indeed. 👏
Egidio Leitao
Thanks a bunch, John.
Anne Sandler
What a great pick for this challenge Egidio. Butterflies are so beautiful but have such a short life. Your images are simply beautiful!
Egidio Leitao
Thank you very much, Anne.
Tina Schell
What a beautiful post Egidio! We love butterflies, they are so lovely as they flit from flower to flower during their truly short lives. The monarchs, of course, seem to be everyone’s favorite. we are a stopover for them here on their long journeys. I’ll never forget our visit to the wintering location in California. There must have been a thousand of them hanging down in long lines from the trees. Spectacular.
Egidio Leitao
What a view that must have been, Tina! Thanks for your note.
Leya
The very essense of ephemeral – a butterfly. Gorgeous photography!
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Ann-Christine.
Sofia Alves
Fantastic photos, Egídio. Butterflies are perfect for this challenge and you have quite the collection!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Sofia.
Prior...
wow – great photos of butterflies- vibrant
Egidio Leitao
Thank you so much for your feedback.
norasphotos4u
Gorgeous captures!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks a million, Nora.
philosophy through photography
Such lovely captures, Egidio!
A beautiful tribute to lives that flutter, fascinate, and vanish too soon.
A gentle reminder that even the briefest existence can leave a lasting imprint.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for your kind compliment. I appreciated that.
philosophy through photography
Welcome, Egidio.
Vicki
Beautiful images of the butterflies (and skipper) with the 2nd and 3rd images being my favourites. The razor sharp focus and composition are superb on them).
Egidio Leitao
Thanks a million, Vicki.
restlessjo
I didn’t realise there was so much variation in lifespan, Egidio. Your photos sing! xx
Egidio Leitao
Thank you so much, Jo.
jazzibee
Great images of those butterflies – has been one of my favourite topics over the years. and they’re great fun to capture. Lovely post, Edigio
Egidio Leitao
Thank you for the kind remarks.
Toonsarah
Butterflies are such a perfect choice for this theme, they epitomise ephemeral beauty! Your photos are all excellent, as always 🙂 I was particular struck by the sheen on the wings of the pipevine swallowtail, a species I’d never heard of.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Sarah. I agree butterflies epitomize ephemeral beauty. Pipevine swallowtails are found in North and Central America only.
margaret21
Few things are more ephemeral – or more lovely – than a butterfly. Beautiful captures, Egidio.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for your kind words, Margaret. I wholeheartedly agree with you about butterflies.
Leanne Cole
What a wonderful and beautiful topic to choose for the challenge Egidio, butterflies are amazing.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Leanne. I’m happy you like them, too.
photobyjohnbo
Egidio, I knew butterflies are short-lived, but I was surprised to see how short in some species.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, John. I was also surprised in some cases.
Steve Schwartzman
I had the same reaction as you.
shoreacres
I had no idea the life span of the fiery skipper was so short. I’ve only seen one a couple of times, but they are charming. Is it possible that this one is visiting a fading rain lily? That certainly looks like a three-lobed seed pod.
Egidio Leitao
Linda, I thought that most butterflies lived about that long. I surprised to see a Queen living two months. I’m not sure about the flower. Since I’m not home, I don’t have access to my photo catalog. Maybe there are other photos showing more of the flower. I agree with you about the three-lobed seed pod.