Butterfly and Bee

A lucky picture in a friend's garden.

Common Hairtail Butterfly

I photographed this Common Hairtail butterfly (Anthene definita definita) drinking water and minerals from the mud on a farm road in the Karkloof Mountains. Its wingspan is between 25-28mm.

A good tip I learn't when I was a kid photographing my dog was to always photograph animals at their level -- even if that sometimes means lying down in the mud in a tractor rut, or in the case of my dog being pounced upon and having my face licked.

Gaudy Commodore Butterfly

This is a Gaudy Commodore butterfly (Precis octavia sesamus) in its winter form photographed in my garden. Its summer form is red with black markings.

It's a large butterfly that I've always found hard to photograph as it's quite skittish (well at least around me!) unless you come across it early in the morning while it's still cold outside.