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Insect Flight

Image Sequences, Movies and Pictures

Cabbage WhiteGravatar example

Cabbage white butterfly is the most common butterfly throughout the world. Yet few people have seen them fly in close up with stopped motion.

 

Cabbage White at High Speed Gravatar example

At above 300 fps up to 1200 fps, we see amazing details of the wings and body of cabbage white in flight.

Orange Sulphur Gravatar example

Orange sulphur butterfly is a fast flyer. It is extremely difficult to follow them in the field. I had to use zoom to get the close up picture.

 

Bumble Bee Gravatar example

The supination and pronation of the wings of bees are studied intensively. Due to the high wing beat frequency it is necessary to used high shutter speed (faster than 1/4000 sec).

 

Honey Bee Gravatar example

The flight capture of honey bees is a challenge due to the small size. The typical camera distance is 1.5 inches. Pay close attention to the coupling of the hind wing with the fore wing. The hamuli in the leading edge of the hind wing are used to hook it to the fold in the trailing edge of the fore wing.

 

Honey Bee at High SpeedGravatar example

At high speed of 300 or 600 fps, you can see the smooth rolling of Honey Bees after take off. Also observed is the nose down diving flight.

 

 

Winged Ant Gravatar example

Swarm of winged ants can frequently been seen after a rain fall. These ants are the smallest I have ever captured by the video. It is not possible to aim at each ant. rather I aim toward a swarm of many ants hoping some of them will fly by at the focused distance.

 

Mass Insect Flight Gravatar example

One rainy afternoon in May we were driving a mountain road in Bum Bum, Barinas, Venezuela. After the hard rain stopped, we came across a swarm of millions of termites. In no time we were all surrounded by them. Surprisngly, however, as soon as they landed on us they all threw away their precious wings without hesitation. It is hard to imagine how they could disengage their wings so readily once they have landed.

 

OrangetipGravatar example

Orangetips are the earliest butterflies to fly in the spring in Pine Barren of NJ. The male has orange forewing tips while the tips of the female are gray.

 

Sachem (Atalopedes campestris)Gravatar example

Sachem skippers are the fighter jets of butterflies. Their mid-air maneuverability has a lot to study.

 

 

Sachem at High SpeedGravatar example

Sachem skipper's mid-air maneuverability seen at high spped.

 

 

Oressinoma typhla Gravatar example

I went to Merida, Venezuela to capture the up-and-down feeble flight of Oressinoma typhla. It does not seem to flap the wings at all as they sink in the air almost touching the ground.

Parnassius glacialis Butler Gravatar example

This is one of three Parnassian species in Japan and is called "Usuba-Shiro-Cho," meaning transparent winged butterfly. They fly much slower than Rocky Mountain Parnassians so it is easier to chase with a camera.

Parnassius smintheus Gravatar example

Compare the flight of Parnassius smintheus (Rocky Mountain Parnassian) with its relative "Usuba-Shiro-Cho."

 

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