During All Seasons

In spring, the high season for closeup photography begins. Suddenly, you are surrounded by the sight of flowers and the hum of insects as nature stirs again after the long pause of winter. Butterflies and dragonflies are often favorite closeup subjects, in addition to a myriad of other insects. It helps enormously to have some background knowledge of your intended subject’s life habits in order to capture the desired shot. You can find butterflies such as Danaus plexippus (the Monarch butterfly), laying their eggs on milkweed in the spring, or Nymphalis antiopa (the Mourning Cloak butterfly) feeding on oak sap in the summer. Dragonflies can be found between May and August mostly near lakes, calm rivers, and creek beds. Some dragonflies wil....