Over the last month or so, much of my daily nature photography has been dominated by butterfly shots. It feels simultaneously odd and thrilling that I’m branching out into other niches of photography besides bird pictures.

Out of all of the butterfly shots I’ve taken recently, this portrait of an Eastern Comma at Highbanks Metro Park is the one that I’ve been dwelling on the most. It’s easily my luckiest butterfly shot yet, and I’m appreciating the details in it more and more every time I return to it.

An Eastern comma butterfly stoically perching on the ground, casting a long, bold shadow amid the sunlit area.

A Sunlit Sidewalk Portrait

This unusually bold fellow saw me walking on a sidewalk at Highbanks and landed a few feet in front of me, basking in the setting sunlight behind him. He barely flinched, even as I got closer with my camera. He remained still and let me take a few great shots of him, only flying away when other people approached.

The entire moment felt like a blessing, especially with how out-of-the-blue it was. Instead of me looking for more butterflies to photograph, this Eastern Comma decided to reverse things and come inspect me!

That makes me wonder what was going through his mind when he landed before me. Was I trustworthy in his eyes? Or perhaps, was I just an exceptionally intriguing human?

Facets and Theories

There are so many facets in this portrait that I love, including his long shadow and the brown autumn leaves around him, signifying the season. Out of all the details, the one that has stood out to me the most is his damaged left wing.

How did this injury happen? I hope it wasn’t the result of humans’ mishandling of him.

If his tattered wing was, indeed, the result of humans being careless, then that makes his approaching me like this all the more profound.

I didn’t realize his wing was frayed until looking closer at this shot. Out of pain, there can still be beauty.

After Thoughts

The two emotions that this shot evokes the most in me are courage and endurance. Despite his injured wing, this Eastern Comma felt no fear and boldly decided to make himself visible to me. I admire his tenacity and refusal to be hindered by what happened to him in the past.

Of course, I greatly appreciate his deciding to pose for me! This picture wouldn’t have been possible without his extraordinary patience.

I rarely have the opportunity to take butterfly shots if they’re not inspecting flowers or leaves. This is an unusual picture for that reason; somehow, this Eastern Comma was more interested in me than any nearby plants.

For better or worse, luck is a deciding factor in wildlife photography. There are so many things that we can’t control in this niche, most of all the presence of the animals we hope to put in the spotlight.

That’s why I genuinely believe that this moment was a winged blessing.

God is love, and He speaks in many different love languages. I believe these unexpected, profound encounters with wildlife (ones I could never hope to predict) are one of those languages.

All Images by Connor Brennan

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