Hunting Ford's Indra Swallowtail Butterflies - Granite Mts

[jcmegabyte]

They are indeed some pretty amazing critters - from start to finish! :-) Thanks for stopping by!

[AltAirPilot517]

I'm guising no but do you know if Fordi will accept Fennel as an alternative? I simply don't have T. arguta and don't know how to obtain it, nor do I have the natural hosts.

[jcmegabyte]

Yes, I have successfully reared fordi to adult from ova on Fennel. They don't quite as well on it but it does work. It really helps to have very fresh Fennel Good luck! :-)

[99rdm]

What time of year did you see this stuff and when is the best time of day to go. I love photographing this kind of stuff?

[jcmegabyte]

For this particular species, early April is the best time (true for most deep desert species), however, you can find desert butterflies (and caterpillars) doing their thing from Mid Feb. through early June, depending on altitude. I prefer mid-morning for hunting and photographing, since the winds are less likely to be blowing, although EVERY time I've gone out to the Granites it's been blowing like a hurricane!

[louiseduvee]

I love this! You MUST be a teacher..

[jcmegabyte]

Well, yes - a teacher of sorts... but more like a discoverer/presentor, doing my teaching via creativity rather than in a classroom. Thanks again for watching and all your support :-)

[coold1do]

It's cool when you find something you're looking for.

[CaptainZ1627]

I hear it's the smallest of the indras - how small were yours? I've seen indras as small as 1 15/16"

[jcmegabyte]

Actually, Papilio indra parvindra (formerly pygmaeus) is said to be the smallest indra. They fly only in the Dead Mountains near Laughlin, NV. A friend and I climbed Mt. Manchester there several years ago (grueling 6 hour ascent) and didn't find any larvae or adults. Doh! I think fordi is the second smallest indra, but I'm not sure. Dr. Wayne Whaley of Utah University is the real indra expert. :-)

[bugvision]

Fun trip! Any rattlesnakes out there in the desert?

[maarakailet1]

Very cool!

[waywardmuse]

Fantastic video! Really liked how you incorporated the slideshow in it towards the end.  Thanks!

[shirleey1969]

Awesome - your heart for nature!

Keep your tail up! Thanks!

[MelodxKay]

Awsome video.

[musumeci2008]

Merci, de très belles images et un très beau montage.

Surtout pour moi qui suis passioné par les insectes.

Thanks, Christian.

[happyox]

Great job! Looks like you reached the end of the world. It's amazing that you find these places with so many bugs! Keep up the good work!

[londonpenda]

The only butterflies we see around here are Cabbage Whites and Red Admirals.And our sand is by the sea:)

Glad you didn't encounter a Rattler O.O

[jorj119]

thanks, nice

[Shirou]

awesome video~ it kinda feels just like a pokemon adventure to me! xD

[seniorsite]

This is so cool, I to love the country Life

[Kruizinby]

Great editing JC, it's good to look into the world many of us walk past.

[Vatsek]

How much time did you have to spend to find first eggs?

[jcmegabyte]

This was my third trip to this place, so I already knew roughly where to look. Even so, it took me about 2 hours before I started finding the eggs and caterpillars. I spent 7 hours, total, hiking those rocky mountains in search of those plants. Definitely desert adventuring at its best! :D

[GeraldBoyClassical]

Wow, this was fabulous. At first I was looking at all that "barren" rock and thinking - what?? Then you showed those delicate little plants, and the eggs and caterpillars. Amazing.

[giulianopietra]

Bello questo taglio alla National Geographic,

accattivante musica in un video che piace molto fin dall'inizio.

Complimenti!!!

Good cut at this National Geographic,

Engaging in a music video like very outset.

Congratulations!

Mandi,Giuliano

[paulientjess]

Hi Chris, this is a beautiful movie.

I like the country and the rocky mountain!!!

This are you in your car????

Greetings Paula(:-))xxx

[jcmegabyte]

Hi Paula! This was a solo trip I took last Friday. I shot all the footage myself and yes, that's my car and shadow (and music).

:-) The terrain is very rocky and dry. Many Rattlesnakes live there too, although I didn't see any this time.

[ludmila777]

Good work!Thank you!

[jcmegabyte]

My pleasure! I enjoyed climbing the mountain and shooting the video :-)

Thanks for watching!