Sharing Life by Jim Baines Copyright for this gallery photo belongs solely to Jim Baines. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.

Sharing Life This may well be my most rewarding photo from the tens of thousands I have captured. The photo itself is nothing spectacular, but once you read about this little bugger, less than 1/2 inch in length, I think you will see what I mean. The degree of difficulty in finding the subject among dozens of flowers and capturing it while it is constantly on the move is no easy feat. So I shot hundreds to get a few "keepers". Keep in mind that yucca flowers hang upside down. This one is being lifted 90 degrees while holding the petals open with my fingers. When the petals open the moth starts scurrying about inside the flower but seems reluctant to leave. It flys away only when pushed to the limits. Capturing it on camera, researching its life-cycle, and dwelling on the role it plays in our natural world, was a totally overwhelming experience. Truly the epitome of "sharing". Yucca moth (Tegeticula yuccasella) on stamens of the Twist-leaf yucca (Yucca rupicola)< Uploaded on 5/28/2011 7:12:01 PM Made with Nikon D200 Digital SLR Camera © Jim Baines Read Photo Discussion   |  Contact Jim Jim's Premium Gallery | Get Your Premium Gallery