Jardins des Plantes - Paris

Today, the 3rd of September, I was in Paris and decided to visit the Jardins to see what insect life might be out there. At first, I was in the wrong area so there was little to see. Perhaps a controlled environment will not have much because of pesticides?? I eventually wandered into the are where there were flowers! Score! I found my favourites - the crab spiders. I also nailed a common Blue butterfly (male). I will have to wait a week whilst I am in Norway before seeing if the photos have had the correct exposures!

Posted on September 3, 2017 05:46 PM by mishanook mishanook

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Hi there :) I assume Jardins des Plantes are botanical gardens. In which case you would likely be correct in that they would likely need protection/be protected from insect pests. In England we have a tropical house of plants at Wisley gardens and in the winter moths they introduce tropical butterflies to attract more visitors. The butterflies are bought in as pupae from butterfly farms. Sadly at the end of the event (normally 6 - 8 weeks) they spray the glasshouse to return the place to how it was for the plants. Some of the Owl Butterflies (Caligo memnon) lay eggs on the Musa plants and you can find the larvae as well as some of the Papilio species larvae on citrus.

I have lots of photographs taken of the butterflies there but have stopped going there for the last two seasons. I would like to upload them sometime but iNaturalist is primarily for wild organisms. Look out for my ('exotic') bird photograph taken in the glasshouse which I will be uploading in the next couple of weeks.

I read your wall walking with interest. I'm curious as to what camera you are using. I think (if you are not doing so already) you should get a DSLR camera and a macro lens. These can be expensive but I got my lens second hand (Sigma 70mm) as well as my camera Canon D600. Not sure in Euros but that cost me about £470 .. .which might be a bit expensive. The macro lens will help you get more detailed shots of the 3mm insects you encounter.
I also use another camera a Panasonic FZ-72 This cost £250 and it has a great zoom lens which makes it a 'cheap' entry into bird photography.

All the best and keep on getting out there and exploring :)

Posted by philipmarkosso about 6 years ago

Hi philipmarkosso. Yes, the Jardins des Plantes is a botanical gardens in the heart of Paris. I had some extra time one day and decided that perhaps there might be something to photograph there as it had gotten cold and wintery out. That worked as I was able to get quite a few nice photos. Too bad about Wisley gardens. Such a shame.

I went on one of my photo walks yesterday. It was 10 degrees Celsius and was sunny. So, I will be uploading my photos this morning. I have managed to over-expose some to the point where I can't use them, but that is because I am so unused to having brilliant sunshine!! However, I did get a lot of usable photos. Some were from the canal side where the stinging nettles form large ecosystems. The others were on a wall walk as I drifted back into town. I found some new things as well as some old friends.

I purchased a used 60mm Nikkor macro lens last year. I also purchased a used D200. That is the extent of my equipment. I had hoped to purchase a 105mm VR Nikkor macro lens for this year as I still have trouble getting as up close as I would like to. But alas, our canal boat (where we live in France) needs a new heater and so that takes precedence.

I look forward to your bird photography. I hope you enjoy what I am uploading this morning!

Posted by mishanook about 6 years ago

Hi perkpenn
10 degrees and sunny is ideal for this time of year. Sunny days always seem to bring the wildlife out when compared to grey sky days and the better light helps with the photography too. I suspect the latitude of Paris means it is slightly warmer than London and so you've got a few more things to see. The other aspect in favour of France is there re more habitats to explore as the population density per given area is less than in the UK (therefore more land is available for the other creatures 😊). I think I may have told you this before that I spent one week in La Bastide de Serou nr. Foix in August 2015 and in 1 week I saw 40 species of butterfly (that did include some seen on a day trip to Andorra). I loved the rustic feel to that area of France (unlike Andorra) but my partner and daughters were not as impressed. To keep them happy I had to drive to a beach some 100 miles away (Canet-en-Rousillon, via Perpignan). Sadly, no butterflies on the beach (lol) but my visit to France taught me that there is a lot more wildlife to see there (certainly in the rural areas) than compared to England
Unfortunately, it could be some time before I can upload my observations from then as once I’ve finished with 2013 & 2017 I plan to start working on 2014 & 2016.

I do enjoy your uploads even though you always manage to upload a lot of species that I’m unfamiliar with lol. Moths and butterflies (UK ones) are my forte so I try to confirm those.
I hope you can get the money together once the canal boat heater is fixed to get your VR Nikkor macro lens. My friend (Wurzel) from Salisbury (posts on UK butterflies) has that lens and his pictures are nearly always better than mine …certainly more sharper. He even gets away with using it in Auto mode. Most of my macro photography is shot in full manual (including focussing as the Sigma is ponderous in that respect) which means I mess up a lot of shots. The pictures can often be improved of course with image editing computer software although that takes a lot of your time.
Unlike yourself I’m not getting out much. This time of year is to catalogue my photos, sort out my lists and resize my photos so that they can be burned onto a cd for the county moth recorder. I haven’t finished 2016’s yet and the 2018 trapping season for me starts in March!!
Keep up the good work identifying my moths and I shall endeavour to help you with some of your own ID’s where and when I can 😊

Phil

Posted by philipmarkosso about 6 years ago

Hi philipmarkosso. 5 degrees and cloudy! Brrr.... We live in Auxerre which is 1.5 hours south of Paris by train. We are in the vineyard country with lots of vineyards and fields of grains. I figured out that in just 10 weeks, I shall declare it spring as the canals will reopen for the season and we will start moving north. We are heading towards the Marne river going east towards Belgium this season. That said, we will then head back to Auxerre for the winter as we have made fast friends here.

I have been looking at having a one-week holiday in the Pyrenees from Greenwings. Their butterfly tours with macro workshops looks very interesting. Andorra is the starting point. However, it is very costly for someone who is now retired so I am planning on next summer, not this summer. I would give my eye teeth to do some of their other butterfly tours, including Hungary and South Africa.

I am actually centered on butterflies and moths. The reason that I have so many other species is that because there is nothing flying in winter here, so I don't have a lot of options. However, this means that I have studied many different things. Beetles are difficult to ID and borisb tends to correct me and help me with them. Stink bugs and the like are always tricky but wongun quickly helps with these. I love crab spiders and now feel confident to ID ground crab spiders and goldenrod crab spiders. Hoverflies are one of my favourites, but will have to wait for better weather. I found a website today whilst trying to ID nakarb's caterpillars. You may already be aware of it, but in case not here it is: http://www.wildlifeinsight.com/british-caterpillar-galleries/british-moth-caterpillar-galleries/

I have had someone 'follow' me on the site and I would like to ask you what you think.

I have been reading up on macro work and see that some of the best and most clear shots have involved an external flash. I have one and have never used it. So, I think I will take it out, set it up and give it a try.

All for now . . . perkpenn

Posted by mishanook about 6 years ago

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