Week 12: Artificial Source of Light

B. and I visited the Butterfly Conservatory at the Museum of Natural History on Monday.  I had heard about it for years and never made it in time (it’s always a temporary exhibit), and I had imagined a magical experience of butterflies gently fluttering all around us.  Turns out, both B. and I found it a bit unsettling — more like tons of (pretty) bugs swarming everywhere.  B. insisted that I hold him almost the entire time and didn’t want to stay very long, but I did manage to snap a few individual butterflies at rest.  They’re much less intimidating once they’re separated from the herd.

The conservatory was entirely indoors — no natural light at all — and the harsh lights were clearly designed for the butterflies’ health, not for aesthetics.  However, the brightness had interesting affects on the leaves and colors, especially when shining through the greenery and butterfly wings.

This is the blog circle’s final week on the theme of artificial light, so be sure to see all the creative interpretations, starting with the lovely and amazing Lisa Rigazio.