I took many butterfly pictures in England, Germany, and Holland this trip. My impression was that there were many more butterflies in England than I had seen on past trips (confirmed by locals), and I was certainly impressed by the numbers of Small Tortoiseshells in Holland…though my Dutch friends tell me that butterfly numbers overall, according to a national butterfly survey, are down. With large, showy butterflies like Peacocks, Admirals, and even Maps to photograph, I was not paying much attention to the ever-present Cabbage (or Large) Whites. There were literally every where I went, and, on the Oostvaarderplassen in Holland you could count…or rather…you could not have counted their numbers in any effective way. There were just too many, and they were too mobile. Their mobility is one of the reasons I was basically ignoring them, photographically, at least. I have tried Whites before, and I know they simply do not, in the general course of things, pose long enough for a satisfying shot.

So it came to the last day of my trip (or the last non-travel day), and I still did not have a good shot of a Cabbage White. It was Sunday, and I was still at the Dutch Bird Fair on the Oostvaarderplassen. I decided, after my talk in the big tent and some lunch to fortify me, to push myself around the loop of trails out to the observation deck and back one more time. And, I thought, perhaps I should at least try to get a Cabbage White.

My first attempts were a pair attempting to mate, with the male in constant motion above the female. Flight shots. But then I found several piles of fresh Konig Pony poop, which is evidently ambrosia for Cabbage Whites. Clusters of them! And sitting relatively still. Finally, the shot above…with a pair posed in as nicely as you could want!

Canon SX50HS at 1800mm equivalent field of view. My usual modifications to Program. f6.5 @ 1/1000th @ ISO 320. Processed in PicSay Pro on the Google Nexus 7 FHD.

And for the Sunday thought: If it did not happen so often, I certainly would not believe it, but, in my photographic life (and my life in general), I have come to rely on God’s intervention…that is on the intelligence and intent, not to mention absolute good will and undeserved love, of the universe as expressed in the natural world around me. God is, to my way of thinking, (and among many more incomprehensible attributes), the personality of all that is…and I can not escape the conclusion, based on daily experience, that God wishes me well, wants my wellness, and actively works toward that end. Oh, I can, and do, frustrate God’s work in my life. I will insist on having my own way, too much of the time…but even when I am acutely willful, God is gentle and gracious to make the most of my bad decisions. Yeah, I know. Too good to be true…and, once more, I certainly would not believe it if it did not happen so often…daily…hour by hour.

In this case, I merely half formed the wish that I would find some cooperative Cabbage Whites. And based on experience, I half formed it as a prayer, or at least in the full awareness that I have no…absolutely no…control over Cabbage White behavior…and that I was asking a lot of God (who I have to assume does have at least a measure of control over Cabbage White behavior) just wishing for a well posed shot. And…wouldn’t you know it…God came through! I have a whole set of the best Cabbage White shots of my photographic life. In fact, I was done with Cabbage Whites before they (or God) were done with me. I had so many good opportunities on that walk! I can only hope I made the most of them, which is, I have also learned, my gift back to God.

God is. God is good. God is good to me. And, in face of Cabbage Whites, once more I can not escape those conclusions!