Photographic Moment

Butterfly Effect

This male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly (Papilo glaucus) is feeding on a Liatris spicata, a plant commonly known as blazing star or dense blazing star, on the NIH Bethesda campus. The photo was taken by Joanna Cross, a visiting fellow studying the genetics of neuropsychiatric disorders in the National Institute of Mental Health. In addition to working in the lab, she’s an accomplished nature photographer and is especially good at macrophotography (taking extreme close-ups of small objects). “I love to take walks through the countryside or woods whenever possible, often taking my camera with me,” said Cross. “Macro shots are fascinating as they show the level of detail contained within the multitude of tiny things that make up the world in which we live.” She used a Panasonic Lumix TZ60 camera to take a photo of this butterfly right on the Bethesda campus.