winged beauties

Summer is in full bloom, and on my daily walks – irrespective of the weather – the leaves and shrubs are bursting with life.

One afternoon I was escorted through the woods by a constant display of Cabbage White butterflies engaged in aerial manoeuvres. They’re very hard to catch on camera, as they have a jagged, jerky movement that’s a little unpredictable.

The difficulty with catching them at rest is their wings are folded up so their patterns are hidden.

But at least you get to see their grey ruff.

It was quite delightful to have this procession of butterflies guard my path.

The very next day the butterfly escort gave way to the damselflies. They were zipping through the undergrowth along my path like iridescent torpedoes. I was thrilled to get this one good capture.

Both of these were new feats for me – using my zoom lens on my compact camera to catch small beauties. If you get too close to these creatures they dart away, so it’s easier to creep as close as possible and engage the zoom. At times it’s not easy to figure out the right spot to point at, however.

I tended to think of using my zoom only on targets that are far away. Such as these two pretty horses (called Toffee and Bailey, by the way) at the Burren Nature Sanctuary yesterday evening.

That image doesn’t do their golden beauty justice, although it shows off the sky well. There’s a lovely shot of them napping on the sunny grass this morning on the BNS’s Facebook page today.

The BNS is a new initiative in Kinvara, launched during tough economic times, so I’m full of admiration for what they’ve accomplished. They have a café, a nature walk, and a gorgeous outdoor playground for the kids – along with large room inside for when it’s wet (which, is eminently practical in this country).