`B' is for butterfly: Photographer finds alphabet stamped on their wings.(Saturday)

Kjell Sandved, a Norwegian-born encyclopedia publisher-turned-nature photographer has studied the delicate wings of butterflies for years and discovered the 26 letters of the alphabet - plus much more.

His discovery began in the attic of the Smithsonian three decades ago - and, after 25 years and thousands of miles traveling to exotic lands in South America, Africa and the Far East, Mr. Sandved wrote the book - "The Butterfly Alphabet." He also assembled a colorful ABC poster with images found on the fluttering lepidopterous wings.

"There seems to be no end to the richness of design in the wings of butterflies and moths," Mr. Sandved says.

"Nature has put an awe-inspiring effort into creating a rainbow of colors and designs in the wings of the 15,000 or so butterfly species and 100,000 species of moths," he says.

"The patterns vary so much that I could have even found Chinese characters if I had just looked long enough," he says.

In 1960, while conducting research in the Smithsonian's collection of exotic specimens he opened an aromatic Havana cigar box. There on the wing of a bright orange butterfly, he saw the shiny, white letter "F," Mr. Sandved, 76, says.

"I remember so well - I marveled at this creation because it was woven into the wing like a miniature painting. Not even a calligrapher could have improved on the delicacy of the tiny creation," he says.

He photographed the letter and displayed the print next to his desk where it stayed for over a year-and-a-half.

"Suddenly, one day, I thought: `wow, I have found one letter and maybe there are others out there flying around,' "says Mr. Sandved, who lives in Northwest.

There was only one problem: He wasn't a trained photographer; little did he know that photography would become his second career.

He hit the books and taught himself the art of photography.

"Working from 6 a.m. until midnight, I gobbled up books, delved into the history of Lepidioptera - their habitats, life cycles and behavior. I taught myself nature photography through trial and error," he says.

"I don't want to think about how many awful pictures I ground out those first years," Mr. Sandved says.

* * *

He was originally going to stay only six months in the United States but he left early and headed back to Oslo.

With camera in hand, Mr. Sandved went in search of the rest of nature's letters on the wings of butterflies and moths.

He waded chest-deep in ponds; he crawled on the ground and turned over lots of leaves. He even devised a special optical lens. In the process, he learned a lot about how to take pictures of the fragile insects.

"The best time to photograph butterflies and moths is early in the morning when they're a little sluggish. They're easier to approach," he says.

After 10 a.m. and before 2 p.m., that's the hottest part of the day. The nectar is flowing out of the plants and they're active - socializing and finding mates, he says.

"Even then I had to be very careful. I've found that the most important thing when you want to take a close-up of a butterfly is not to make any lateral movements because that frightens them. That indicates a predator. So you must proceed slowly and straight ahead," Mr. Sandved says.

In all the years of observing and photographing butterflies, he's never captured or hurt a butterfly. To photograph a specific butterfly's lettering, Mr. Sandved shoots rolls of film.

Through years of research, Mr. Sadvad says he discovered some wonderful things.

"Now, teachers for the first time can tell children - our most important resource for the future - that they can go out into a field with high humidity and a magnifying glass, crawl around in the flowers and see the very same letters that I have found on butterflies.

"When children learn to . . . look at these small things like ants and butterflies they will gain more respect and love for nature," Mr. Sanved says.

For example, he says the Buckeye Butterfly feeds on composite plants and sunflowers. On the wings of the Buckeye you can see the letter, "O," the numeral one, and the face of a person with eyes, Mr. Sandved says, smiling.

"Nothing is more important than to teach children that nature is not something that should be trampled on, uprooted or cleared for cement buildings," he says.

The best areas for agriculture also are the most precious (for butterflies) because of the diverse flowers and vegetation.

"The most beautiful butterflies always have specific food requirements and those are the first to go [vanish]," Mr. Sandved says.

Although he's penned numerous books on music, art and nature, Mr. Sandved feels his greatest accomplishment has been to increase awareness about the vulnerable and vanishing butterflies.

His first poster was published in the 1975 "Smithsonian" magazine. That same year his book "Butterfly Magic" was published, followed in 1976 with "Butterflies."

Years ago, there were two butterfly gardens in the United States. Today, there are nearly 100. Mr. Sandved hopes his efforts have helped.

For a closer look at the wonders of nature captured by Kjell Sandved, write to Mr. Sandved at PO Box 39138, Washington, D.C. 20016. For a signed "Butterfly Book" or the "Butterfly Alphabet poster," send $11.99 each and $4.95 for shipping and handling. He can be reached at www.butterfly.com or 800/ABC-WING.

`B' is for butterfly: Photographer finds alphabet stamped on their wings.(Saturday)

Kjell Sandved, a Norwegian-born encyclopedia publisher-turned-nature photographer has studied the delicate wings of butterflies for years and discovered the 26 letters of the alphabet - plus much more.

His discovery began in the attic of the Smithsonian three decades ago - and, after 25 years and thousands of miles traveling to exotic lands in South America, Africa and the Far East, Mr. Sandved wrote the book - "The Butterfly Alphabet." He also assembled a colorful ABC poster with images found on the fluttering lepidopterous wings.

"There seems to be no end to the richness of design in the wings of butterflies and moths," Mr. Sandved says.

"Nature has put an awe-inspiring effort into creating a rainbow of colors and designs in the wings of the 15,000 or so butterfly species and 100,000 species of moths," he says.

"The patterns vary so much that I could have even found Chinese characters if I had just looked long enough," he says.

In 1960, while conducting research in the Smithsonian's collection of exotic specimens he opened an aromatic Havana cigar box. There on the wing of a bright orange butterfly, he saw the shiny, white letter "F," Mr. Sandved, 76, says.

"I remember so well - I marveled at this creation because it was woven into the wing like a miniature painting. Not even a calligrapher could have improved on the delicacy of the tiny creation," he says.

He photographed the letter and displayed the print next to his desk where it stayed for over a year-and-a-half.

"Suddenly, one day, I thought: `wow, I have found one letter and maybe there are others out there flying around,' "says Mr. Sandved, who lives in Northwest.

There was only one problem: He wasn't a trained photographer; little did he know that photography would become his second career.

He hit the books and taught himself the art of photography.

"Working from 6 a.m. until midnight, I gobbled up books, delved into the history of Lepidioptera - their habitats, life cycles and behavior. I taught myself nature photography through trial and error," he says.

"I don't want to think about how many awful pictures I ground out those first years," Mr. Sandved says.

* * *

He was originally going to stay only six months in the United States but he left early and headed back to Oslo.

With camera in hand, Mr. Sandved went in search of the rest of nature's letters on the wings of butterflies and moths.

He waded chest-deep in ponds; he crawled on the ground and turned over lots of leaves. He even devised a special optical lens. In the process, he learned a lot about how to take pictures of the fragile insects.

"The best time to photograph butterflies and moths is early in the morning when they're a little sluggish. They're easier to approach," he says.

After 10 a.m. and before 2 p.m., that's the hottest part of the day. The nectar is flowing out of the plants and they're active - socializing and finding mates, he says.

"Even then I had to be very careful. I've found that the most important thing when you want to take a close-up of a butterfly is not to make any lateral movements because that frightens them. That indicates a predator. So you must proceed slowly and straight ahead," Mr. Sandved says.

In all the years of observing and photographing butterflies, he's never captured or hurt a butterfly. To photograph a specific butterfly's lettering, Mr. Sandved shoots rolls of film.

Through years of research, Mr. Sadvad says he discovered some wonderful things.

"Now, teachers for the first time can tell children - our most important resource for the future - that they can go out into a field with high humidity and a magnifying glass, crawl around in the flowers and see the very same letters that I have found on butterflies.

"When children learn to . . . look at these small things like ants and butterflies they will gain more respect and love for nature," Mr. Sanved says.

For example, he says the Buckeye Butterfly feeds on composite plants and sunflowers. On the wings of the Buckeye you can see the letter, "O," the numeral one, and the face of a person with eyes, Mr. Sandved says, smiling.

"Nothing is more important than to teach children that nature is not something that should be trampled on, uprooted or cleared for cement buildings," he says.

The best areas for agriculture also are the most precious (for butterflies) because of the diverse flowers and vegetation.

"The most beautiful butterflies always have specific food requirements and those are the first to go [vanish]," Mr. Sandved says.

Although he's penned numerous books on music, art and nature, Mr. Sandved feels his greatest accomplishment has been to increase awareness about the vulnerable and vanishing butterflies.

His first poster was published in the 1975 "Smithsonian" magazine. That same year his book "Butterfly Magic" was published, followed in 1976 with "Butterflies."

Years ago, there were two butterfly gardens in the United States. Today, there are nearly 100. Mr. Sandved hopes his efforts have helped.

For a closer look at the wonders of nature captured by Kjell Sandved, write to Mr. Sandved at PO Box 39138, Washington, D.C. 20016. For a signed "Butterfly Book" or the "Butterfly Alphabet poster," send $11.99 each and $4.95 for shipping and handling. He can be reached at www.butterfly.com or 800/ABC-WING.

`B' is for butterfly: Photographer finds alphabet stamped on their wings.(Saturday)

Kjell Sandved, a Norwegian-born encyclopedia publisher-turned-nature photographer has studied the delicate wings of butterflies for years and discovered the 26 letters of the alphabet - plus much more.

His discovery began in the attic of the Smithsonian three decades ago - and, after 25 years and thousands of miles traveling to exotic lands in South America, Africa and the Far East, Mr. Sandved wrote the book - "The Butterfly Alphabet." He also assembled a colorful ABC poster with images found on the fluttering lepidopterous wings.

"There seems to be no end to the richness of design in the wings of butterflies and moths," Mr. Sandved says.

"Nature has put an awe-inspiring effort into creating a rainbow of colors and designs in the wings of the 15,000 or so butterfly species and 100,000 species of moths," he says.

"The patterns vary so much that I could have even found Chinese characters if I had just looked long enough," he says.

In 1960, while conducting research in the Smithsonian's collection of exotic specimens he opened an aromatic Havana cigar box. There on the wing of a bright orange butterfly, he saw the shiny, white letter "F," Mr. Sandved, 76, says.

"I remember so well - I marveled at this creation because it was woven into the wing like a miniature painting. Not even a calligrapher could have improved on the delicacy of the tiny creation," he says.

He photographed the letter and displayed the print next to his desk where it stayed for over a year-and-a-half.

"Suddenly, one day, I thought: `wow, I have found one letter and maybe there are others out there flying around,' "says Mr. Sandved, who lives in Northwest.

There was only one problem: He wasn't a trained photographer; little did he know that photography would become his second career.

He hit the books and taught himself the art of photography.

"Working from 6 a.m. until midnight, I gobbled up books, delved into the history of Lepidioptera - their habitats, life cycles and behavior. I taught myself nature photography through trial and error," he says.

"I don't want to think about how many awful pictures I ground out those first years," Mr. Sandved says.

* * *

He was originally going to stay only six months in the United States but he left early and headed back to Oslo.

With camera in hand, Mr. Sandved went in search of the rest of nature's letters on the wings of butterflies and moths.

He waded chest-deep in ponds; he crawled on the ground and turned over lots of leaves. He even devised a special optical lens. In the process, he learned a lot about how to take pictures of the fragile insects.

"The best time to photograph butterflies and moths is early in the morning when they're a little sluggish. They're easier to approach," he says.

After 10 a.m. and before 2 p.m., that's the hottest part of the day. The nectar is flowing out of the plants and they're active - socializing and finding mates, he says.

"Even then I had to be very careful. I've found that the most important thing when you want to take a close-up of a butterfly is not to make any lateral movements because that frightens them. That indicates a predator. So you must proceed slowly and straight ahead," Mr. Sandved says.

In all the years of observing and photographing butterflies, he's never captured or hurt a butterfly. To photograph a specific butterfly's lettering, Mr. Sandved shoots rolls of film.

Through years of research, Mr. Sadvad says he discovered some wonderful things.

"Now, teachers for the first time can tell children - our most important resource for the future - that they can go out into a field with high humidity and a magnifying glass, crawl around in the flowers and see the very same letters that I have found on butterflies.

"When children learn to . . . look at these small things like ants and butterflies they will gain more respect and love for nature," Mr. Sanved says.

For example, he says the Buckeye Butterfly feeds on composite plants and sunflowers. On the wings of the Buckeye you can see the letter, "O," the numeral one, and the face of a person with eyes, Mr. Sandved says, smiling.

"Nothing is more important than to teach children that nature is not something that should be trampled on, uprooted or cleared for cement buildings," he says.

The best areas for agriculture also are the most precious (for butterflies) because of the diverse flowers and vegetation.

"The most beautiful butterflies always have specific food requirements and those are the first to go [vanish]," Mr. Sandved says.

Although he's penned numerous books on music, art and nature, Mr. Sandved feels his greatest accomplishment has been to increase awareness about the vulnerable and vanishing butterflies.

His first poster was published in the 1975 "Smithsonian" magazine. That same year his book "Butterfly Magic" was published, followed in 1976 with "Butterflies."

Years ago, there were two butterfly gardens in the United States. Today, there are nearly 100. Mr. Sandved hopes his efforts have helped.

For a closer look at the wonders of nature captured by Kjell Sandved, write to Mr. Sandved at PO Box 39138, Washington, D.C. 20016. For a signed "Butterfly Book" or the "Butterfly Alphabet poster," send $11.99 each and $4.95 for shipping and handling. He can be reached at www.butterfly.com or 800/ABC-WING.