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Butterflies Page 13

Image Taken on 14 Apr 2024 at 12:22    Image of day on 11 May 2024

Our first Green-veined white Butterfly this year, feeding from one of the enormous number of Garlic Mustard flowers. This appears to be a male.


Ref: 20240511_df3_20240414_1222_005 green-veined white butterfly - 1st of 2024 - on garlic mustard flower(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 16 Apr 2024 at 10:55    Image of day on 11 May 2024

A couple of days on we find this Green-veined White feasting on a little cluster of Forget-me-not flowers. The spots indicate that this is a female.


Ref: 20240511_df3_20240416_1055_144 green-veined white butterfly feeding of forget-me-not(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 30 Jun 2018 at 13:16    Image of day on 20 Aug 2018

A Green-veined White Butterfly looking for nectar on a mostly 'spent' Blackberry flower.


Ref: 20180820_df3_20180630_1316_465 green-veined white butterfly feeding on blackberry flower(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 04 May 2020 at 15:08    Image of day on 29 May 2020

This has been an unusually plentiful year for Green Veined White Butterflies around our patch. This one is feeding from an also plentiful Garlic Mustard flower.


Ref: 20200529_d73_20200504_1508_012 green-veined white butterfly feeding on garlic mustard flower(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 25 Apr 2018 at 09:25    Image of day on 07 Jun 2018

A Green-veined White butterfly stops to tank-up on some Lady's Smock (Cuckoo Flower) flowers that grow all around the edge of the main pond and the main pond island. The butterfly takes it's name for the patterning under the wing.


Ref: 20180607_df3_20180425_0925_128 green-veined white butterfly feeding on ladys smock (cuckoo flower) flower (cuckooflower) (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 23 Sep 2022 at 15:04    Image of day on 01 Nov 2022

The weather has been quite cold and rarely sunny, but we did find this Green-veined White butterfly feeding on the still flowering mint plants.


Ref: 20221101_df3_20220923_1504_168 green-veined white butterfly feeding on mint flower(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 04 Sep 2022 at 16:02    Image of day on 12 Oct 2022

A Green-veined White Butterfly enjoys a mint flower


Ref: 20221012_df3_20220904_1602_016 green-veined white butterfly feeding on mint flower (crop 1)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 04 Sep 2022 at 16:02    Image of day on 12 Oct 2022

Here is a closer look at just the Green-veined white Butterfly on a mint flower.


Ref: 20221012_df3_20220904_1602_016 green-veined white butterfly feeding on mint flower (crop 2)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 19 Sep 2019 at 13:12    Image of day on 11 Nov 2019

Green Veined White Butterflies have been seen here regularly this year. This one is on the seemingly never ending supply of Mint flowers Now in their second brood, eggs laid now overwinter as Chrysalises.


Ref: 20191111_d73_20190919_1312_020 green-veined white butterfly feeding on mint flowers(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 19 Sep 2019 at 13:12    Image of day on 11 Nov 2019

Green Veined White Butterflies have been seen here regularly this year. This one is on the seemingly never ending supply of Mint flowers Now in their second brood, eggs laid now overwinter as Chrysalises.


Ref: 20191111_d73_20190919_1312_028 green-veined white butterfly feeding on mint flowers(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 24 Aug 2021 at 11:00    Image of day on 06 Oct 2021

A Green-veined White Butterfly enjoying their share of the Loosestrife bounty.


Ref: 20211006_df3_20210824_1100_022 green-veined white butterfly feeding on purple loosestrife(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 04 Sep 2022 at 16:03    Image of day on 12 Oct 2022

The same individual Green-veined White Butterfly goes on to visit this thistle flower, surrounded by withering flowers and a tangle of seeds ready to be blown to pastures new.


Ref: 20221012_df3_20220904_1603_019 green-veined white butterfly feeding on thistle flower surrounded by old flowers and seeds(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 08 Aug 2022 at 11:12    Image of day on 20 Sep 2022

The first Green-veined White Butterfly this year.


Ref: 20220920_d72_20220808_1112_003 green-veined white butterfly female (1st of 2022)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 21 Apr 2019 at 16:05    Image of day on 19 May 2019

A different Green-veined White individual flies towards the camera - a direction totally the decision of the insect. Once they are in flight they can do whatever they like!


Ref: 20190519_da1_20190421_1605_357+20190422_1507_184_ft1 green-veined white butterfly in flight with garlic mustard (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 21 Apr 2019 at 13:01    Image of day on 19 May 2019

This is a Green Veined White Butterfly 'visiting' which is somethimes seen feeding on Lady's Smock (Cuckoo Flower) flowers.


Ref: 20190519_da1_20190421_1301_142+1105_169_ft1 green-veined white butterfly in flight with ladys smock (cuckoo flower) (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 14 Jul 2021 at 13:44    Image of day on 18 Aug 2021

This is the second emergence this year of Green-veined White Butterflies. This species overwinters as Chrysalises (or chrysalides) to emerge in Spring, twice laying eggs for 2 summertime generations, before dying in the Autumn and leaving the Chrysalises to emerge to continue the species next year.


Ref: 20210818_df3_20210714_1344_109 green-veined white butterfly on blackberry flower (first of 2021)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 27 Apr 2015 at 10:37    Image of day on 17 Jun 2015

We don't see many Green-veined White Butterflies. This one was by the edge of our concrete access track on the inevitable nettles.


Ref: 20150617_df3_20150427_1037_009 green-veined white butterfly on nettle leaf(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 05 May 2020 at 13:33    Image of day on 29 May 2020

Next afternoon this Green Veined White butterfly perches on a Garlic Mustard leaf. Not trying to feed, the Proboscis is neatly rolled.


Ref: 20200529_df3_20200505_1333_013 green-veined white butterfly perched on garlic mustard leaf(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 30 Jul 2020 at 13:03    Image of day on 06 Sep 2020

A pair of Holly Blue butterflies mating on a Hawthorn leaf.


Ref: 20200906_d73_20200730_1303_157 holly blue butterflies mating on hawthorn leaf (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 04 Aug 2021 at 15:18    Image of day on 13 Sep 2021

This Holly Blue Butterfly makes it's second generation for the year, before laying eggs and making Pupae which hibernate through the winter to emerge as next years first generation.
Even quite similar Butterfly species use a wide range of 1, 2 or 3 generations per year, going through the winter as any of Egg, Caterpillar, Chrysalis or Adults. The diversity is amazing - your couldn't plan it!
If you are interested in such stuff we recommend to you a 1991 book 'The Butterflies of Britain & Ireland' by Jeremy Thomas & Richard Lewington ISBN 0-86318-591-6. It includes multi-sided illustrations of both sexes different generations and variations, and timelines for each stage of development.
Looking this up on Amazon, EBay & Google (in 2021) shows used original hardback copies for about UKP 7 inc. delivery, and that there is a revised edition (2019) for about UKP 20 which we haven't seen so can't comment.



Ref: 20210913_df3_20210804_1518_170 holly blue butterfly (1st of 2nd emergence)(r+mb id@768).jpg


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