Worldwide, there are nearly 20,000 species of butterflies and about 2,000 of those can be found in Malaysia. Some weeks ago, I packed up my camera gear and headed to Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park, a butterfly zoo inside Perdana Botanical Garden.
I was particularly interested in butterflies because they're colourful and not too skittish. It was my first time shooting 'real' macros, so I needed insects that would be easy to capture and wouldn't fly away while I was finding my way around the camera settings. Surprisingly, under the baking Malaysian sun, I managed to capture some pictures that, to me at least, turned out quite well.
I started shooting with a tripod and ended up going handheld because I had to move fast and having to readjust the legs cost me some good pictures. All pictures were shot with FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G, Godox v860iii and a diffuser.
Say Cheese!
Did I say butterflies are not too skittish? Well, I was half right (I am a half-full kind of guy). Many flew away as soon as the camera lens got close. Some, however, seemed unperturbed. They remained still, almost as if they were posing for the camera.
![Junonia Atlites (aka the grey pansy) is native to Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries. Here, it is hanging upside down, below a blade of grass.](https://cdn.wilburx9.com/2023/06/junonia_atlites_grey_pansy.webp)
![Lebadea Martha (aka The Knight) with its beautiful but battered wings.](https://cdn.wilburx9.com/2023/06/lebadea_martha_the_knight_1.webp)
![Another battered winger. Kallima Inachus (aka dead leaf).](https://cdn.wilburx9.com/2023/06/kallima_inachus_dead_leaf.webp)
![Spread your wings and fly. Neither Google Lens nor iPhone Look Up could tell me which species this is but it strongly resembles The Knight.](https://cdn.wilburx9.com/2023/06/lebadea_martha_the_knight_2.webp)
![Papilio Helenus (Red Helen). The lower part of its wings seems to have torn off. Battered wings are common with most of the butterflies I photographed here. Life must be hard.](https://cdn.wilburx9.com/2023/06/papilio_helenus_red_helen.webp)
It's lunchtime!
Butterflies primarily feed on nectar, reaching into it with a tube-like tongue known as a proboscis. The conservators at the park thoughtfully serve a variety of fruits and flowers on a tray as an additional food source. While I didn't manage to capture any butterflies feeding on nectar from live flowers, I got some feasting on these served fruits. Intriguingly, I noticed that the butterflies feeding on nectar from live flowers were noticeably more skittish than those enjoying the fruits.
![Polyura Athamas (the Common Nawab) lunching on an overripe banana.](https://cdn.wilburx9.com/2023/06/polyura_athamas_common_nawab_1.webp)
![Bassarona, native to Southeast Asia, feeds on an overripe banana.](https://cdn.wilburx9.com/2023/06/bassarona_butterfly_malaysia.webp)
![Came across another Common Nawab. This one opted for the nectar from the flowers on a tray.](https://cdn.wilburx9.com/2023/06/polyura_athamas_common_nawab_2.webp)
End of Life
In the first year of my secondary education, I was introduced to "MR NIGER D", a mnemonic for the characteristics of living things. The "D" stands for death. From an evolutionary perspective, death is necessary for the adaptation of species. As older generations die off, newer ones come into being with potentially beneficial genetic variations.
I found some butterflies that had reached the end of their lives, ultimately paying the price for the continual adaptation and survival of their species.
![Common Nawab, curled up in death. The cycle of life continues.](https://cdn.wilburx9.com/2023/06/polyura_athamas_common_nawab_3.webp)
![Looks like Papilio Rumanzovia (aka the scarlet Mormon). Like a Taxidermist, I had to prop it up for a photograph.](https://cdn.wilburx9.com/2023/06/papilio_rumanzovia__scarlet_mormon.webp)
![Another dead Common Nawab; it's never flapping its colourful wings forever. Unfortunately, I couldn't find out how long this species live.](https://cdn.wilburx9.com/2023/06/polyura_athamas_common_nawab_4.webp)
Unlikely Neighbours
As with most ecological habitats, KL Butterly Park has more than just butterflies. The butterflies have some neighbours like dragonflies and grasshoppers.
![Brachythemis Contaminata (Ditch Jewel) found in Asian countries like Malaysia, are pretty chill and didn't seem to mind that my lens almost made contact while I was struggling to get a very close-up.](https://cdn.wilburx9.com/2023/06/brachythemis_contaminata_ditch_jewel.webp)
![Erucius is a genus of "monkey grasshoppers" found in Malaysia and some other Asian countries. Like the dragonfly, it didn't mind my probing lens.](https://cdn.wilburx9.com/2023/06/erucius_monkey_grasshoppers.webp)
Last words...
Overall I had fun shooting these beautiful insects. I learnt a lot about macro photography and my camera equipment. For example, camera flashes like the Godox v860iii I used cannot keep up with the burst mode of the camera. So I ended up with some very under-exposed images.
I am looking forward to my next macro photo session!