BUTTERFLIES & MOTHS

COMMA BUTTERFLY ON NEPETA (CATMINT)

ORANGE TIP (Female), DORSET

At last, a female that stayed still for a second or two, enough for a rather poor photo

PAINTED LADY, DORSET

SUMMER WHITES, DORSET

BRIMSTONE BUTTERFLY ON RUNNER BEANS, DORSET

MEADOW BROWN BUTTERFLY, DORSET

SMALL SKIPPER, DORSET

SPECKLED WOOD BUTTERFLY, DORSET

Speckled Woods have just started to appear. Unlike most of the other species in the garden, they are eschewing the flowerbeds in favour of the hedgerows. I saw my first one a couple of days ago in the vegetable garden, but it was by the hedge there and not on the flower side. So maybe its name – and its unshowy dappled colouring – says something about its preferred habitat.

PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY, DORSET

Planting hyssop and other bee- / butterfly- / moth-friendly plants in a resurrected border last summer is paying dividends this year. Butterflies and moths that I have never seen (noticed) in the garden before have taken to the new arrangements in a big way. This is the only painted lady I have seen this year, and she didn’t stay long – but I’m glad she paused briefly when I was right there with a camera…

 

COMMON BLUE BUTTERFLY, DORSET

I’ve only noticed the appearance of this pretty little butterfly species in the last couple of days. They are the devil to photograph – very small, often ensuring several blades of grass get between it and you so the focus goes awry, and always on the move. That’s my excuse, anyway.

 

COMMA BY THE RIVER FROME, DORSET

I can’t remember when I last saw a Comma, but yesterday there was one fluttering around me as I fished on the Frome. I’d forgotten how comparatively large they are. I only had a tiny camera with me, one that doesn’t matter if it goes in the water. It’s for recording fish, should I ever  catch one and have a free hand available as I remove the (barbless) hook and release the fish as quickly as possible. In practice, never.

There were wonderful damselflies – blue, turquoise, reddish and green – but  it would have been a waste of time to photograph them. I also saw a white egret (quite common now in Dorset) and 4 kingfishers. Or more likely the same bird 4 times.

 

A SMALL COPPER IN DORSET

Putting aside thoughts of a ‘Two Ronnies’ sketch about policemen in Dorchester, the small copper referred to was a butterfly I photographed yesterday. I only had a tiny Canon with me (hello, ‘Two Ronnies’ Church sketch), with its ‘battery dying’ light flashing and no charger to hand. So these pics are the best I could get in a hurry…

It’s been a remarkable late summer for butterflies and moths, with many species I have never seen / noticed before – including this little one. It’s possibly because we planted some hyssop in early May that has flourished. At any given time of day, there have been 3 or 4 butterfly species (mostly Red Admirals, Peacocks, Tortoiseshells and Whites); a couple of moth brands; 3 or 4 bumblebee types (mostly white-tailed and carders); and varied honeybees of indeterminate make. Apart from a white buddleia, we have never had a plant that has been so attractive to flying creatures. Even the flycatchers have enjoyed it.

SMALL COPPER BUTTERFLY     

CABBAGE WHITE BUTTERFLIES IN DORSET

These cabbage whites – a name redolent with faint scorn (contrast Purple Emperor, Red Admiral, Peacock etc) – were out and about on a warm Dorset July day. They couldn’t actually get at the cabbages / purple sprouting broccoli, where they no doubt would have liked to lay their eggs – too well covered over. So I decided to see if they merited a photo-shoot in their own lepidopteran right. I think close-to they have their own beauty.

I’m often surprised how ragged the wings of a butterfly can get, without its flight being affected. I guess it is the sign of impending doom though, a rather sad thought…

ESSEX SKIPPER – OXBURGH HALL, NORFOLK

originally misID’d as a Large Skipper, correction by Mike Kerry

RINGLET BUTTERFLIES – OXBURGH HALL, NORFOLK

TORTOISESHELL, DORSET

MEADOW BROWN BUTTERFLY ON LAVENDER – DORSET

RED ADMIRAL BUTTERFLIES ON WHITE BUDDLEIA – DORSET

PEACOCK BUTTERFLIES ON WHITE BUDDLEIA – DORSET

TORTOISESHELL BUTTERFLY ON WHITE BUDDLEIA Dorset 

ATALA HAIRSTREAK BUTTERFLY Abaco, Bahamas