Photography contest: butterflies with flowers

Only a device with high picture quality could capture a butterfly on a flower, Zoomed out, and the quality is still glittering. Mine was not in that category, but as one who loves nature, I paved my way to obtaining a nice shot with this beautiful and colourful seed of nature by capturing it and placing it on a flowering plant. If I had known a contest about flowers would come up, I would have placed it on a flower; that would have been more beautiful.

What is the relationship between flowers and butterflies?

Whenever you see a butterfly around, just have it in mind that there is a flower close by because the butterfly's food is found in the flower. I am a biologist, and I am sure of the butterfly's long and pointed proboscis, which is inserted in the anther of a flowering plant to obtain nectar.

I learnt that nectar is in its liquid form found in the base of flowering plants; without the nectar, pollinators like butterflies will not be attracted to feed on flowers and facilitate pollination. As butterflies benefit from flowers' nectar, so do flowers; their relationship is symbiotic because, as butterflies obtain food from it, flowers' pollination process quickens.

How many species of butterflies do you know about flowers?

I went on a little research and found out that there are over 18,000 known species of butterflies, and for flowers, looking at the countless number of flowering plants, you can imagine how numerous flowers are. Most flowers are named after the plant; for instance, the hibiscus flower is called the same because it is from a hibiscus leaf.

Most importantly, share your pictures here of butterflies and flowers. (minimum 2 pictures)

Write in detail about any flower or butterfly species you know.

This particular species I caught is known as graphium antheus, also known as large-striped swordtails. It is known for its distinctive black and white stripes on its wings, which resemble a swordtail. The wingspan of most of it can range from 12 to 15 cm. I live in the tropical region, known as tropical rain forest, and I can say emphatically that these species are commonly found in this region, most especially the Niger Delta region.

There are some things you need to know about the large-striped swordtail.

• They have a comparatively high and fluttering flight speed when compared to others.

• Females are larger than the male ones, and the wing shapes are round.

• The wings close to the hind of the males are more like a sword.

I would love nature photographers like @whizzbro4eva @bossj23, @hardphotographer @sifat420 and @ahsansharif to join in this contest, displaying their wonderful photography