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Butterflies Page 15

Image Taken on 04 May 2023 at 13:18    Image of day on 18 Jun 2023

Several of these male Holly Blue butterflies come out on warn early afternoons. Here we catch one flying to a Green Alkanet flower (which are blue!) where he landed on the less obvious flower to the left of the full-face, turning over to feed.


Ref: 20230618_d72_20230504_1318_028-030+036 holly blue butterfly male flying to feed from green alkanet 1-4 of 4 (spread montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 09 Apr 2011 at 13:48    Image of day on 01 May 2011

The Holly Blue butterfly is a rare visitor - only seen a handful of times in 20 years. We managed to catch this one and photograph him in flight. The light blue with dots is what you see when the wings are folded, and the deep blue when open.


Ref: 20110501_da1_20110409_1348_214+1332_135_ft1 holly blue butterfly male in flight with dandelion (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 09 Apr 2011 at 13:41    Image of day on 01 May 2011

We don't feel the previous image does justice to the blue top of the wing, so here is another view.


Ref: 20110501_da1_20110409_1341_180+1511_376_ft1 holly blue butterfly male in flight with ladys smock (cuckoo flower) (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 24 Apr 2022 at 12:20    Image of day on 30 May 2022

We noticed that this male kept fluttering by this white feather caught in the foliage, but it didn't fool him long enough to land.


Ref: 20220530_d72_20220424_1220_064 holly blue butterfly male sometimes attracted to white feather caught in bush (orig)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 09 Aug 2015 at 12:52    Image of day on 10 Oct 2015

A Holly Blue butterfly in a ramshackle bit of hedge. The inset shows the insect fluttering - the only time we could see the top of the wing beyond the edges. Only an occasional visitor here - once or twice some years, not at all others


Ref: 20151010_df3_20150809_1252_021+1251_012 holly blue butterfly on hawthorn leaf + insert in flight showing top of wing (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 19 Aug 2023 at 12:27    Image of day on 15 Oct 2023

A Holly Blue Butterfly perched on the edge of an Ivy leaf.


Ref: 20231015_d71_20230819_1227_043 holly blue butterfly on ivy leaf(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 05 May 2008 at 15:02    Image of day on 19 May 2008

The Holly Blue butterfly is a rare visitor photographed here only 4 times: 1997 (Kodachrome - in flight, date unknown), 21 May 2001, 16 May 2002, 5 May 2008. Note the date drift.
The identification of the plant is wrong - it should be Green Alkanet (sometimes Evergreen Bugloss) (Pentaglottis Sempervirens). Thanks to Rory Morrisey for the correction.


Ref: 20080519_dc1_20080505_1502_090 holly blue male (q) butterfly on dyers bugloss flower (anchusa officinalis)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 14 Jul 2006 at 12:37    Image of day on 29 Jul 2006

The blackberry flower supplies pollen for the bee and nectar for both.


Ref: 20060729_d10_20060714_1237_854 honey bee and gatekeeper butterfly on blackberry flower(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 23 Jun 2024 at 16:48    Image of day on 28 Jul 2024

Our first Large Skipper Butterfly this year.


Ref: 20240728_df3_20240623_1648_391 large skipper butterfly (1st of 2024)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 02 Jul 2017 at 12:40    Image of day on 23 Aug 2017

A Large Skipper Butterfly enjoying nectar from a thistle flower. The Proboscis looks to be as long as the insect's body - it rolls it up to stow between feeds - it is NOT like a tongue.


Ref: 20170823_df3_20170702_1240_025 large skipper butterfly - proboscis as long as body + ichneumon (poss pimpla hypochondriaca) (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 23 Jun 2020 at 13:05    Image of day on 26 Jul 2020

A Large Skipper Butterfly having a feast on a thistle flower


Ref: 20200726_d73_20200623_1305_063 large skipper butterfly feeding on thistle flower(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 17 Jun 2014 at 12:36    Image of day on 22 Aug 2014

A male Large Skipper Butterfly, sex identified by the black streak on the wing which is some sort of olfactory device.


Ref: 20140822_df2_20140617_1236_552 large skipper butterfly male (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 25 Jun 2022 at 16:08    Image of day on 17 Aug 2022

A male Large Skipper Butterfly.
'Large' is a relative term - All skippers are smaller than the normal run of Butterflies.


Ref: 20220817_df3_20220625_1608_155 large skipper butterfly perched on leaf(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 03 Jul 2009 at 18:15    Image of day on 13 Aug 2009

The skipper butterflies are difficult to differentiate in photos, but we think this is a Large Skipper. But the most interesting item we only spotted when preparing the image - a caterpillar aligned along the edge of a partially eaten leaf.


Ref: 20090813_db1_20090703_1815_137 large skipper butterfly with camouflaged caterpillar eating leaf to the right (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 04 Jun 2011 at 14:48    Image of day on 17 Jul 2011

Just about the only butterfly recently - a large skipper. Looking this up 'in the book' we see the underwing is completely different.


Ref: 20110717_df1_20110604_1448_064 large skipper male (top view) on blackberry leaf (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 19 Jun 2011 at 10:10    Image of day on 03 Aug 2011

We normally see skipper wings open or partially open hiding their underwings, and did not appreciate that the bottom of just the rear wing has a subtle green colouring different to all the other surfaces.


Ref: 20110803_df1_20110619_1010_192 large skipper showing bottom of hind wing (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 19 Jun 2011 at 10:28    Image of day on 03 Aug 2011

And here on a thistle flower with proboscis unrolled and in full action sucking up nectar.


Ref: 20110803_df1_20110619_1028_392 large skipper with proboscis probing thistle flower (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 14 Aug 2014 at 14:16    Image of day on 25 Oct 2014

A pair of large White Butterflies mating on some dead foliage.


Ref: 20141025_df2_20140814_1416_037 large white butterflies mating (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 20 Apr 2016 at 16:21    Image of day on 25 May 2016

The Large White Butterfly - Scourge of cabbage growers - also likes Oilseed Rape with which we are 75% surrounded.
It is the stuff that colours fields bright yellow - pretty from a distance, not so good to be surrounded by for weeks of rather acrid stink.


Ref: 20160525_df3_20160420_1621_043 large white butterfly(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 21 Jul 2017 at 16:20    Image of day on 05 Sep 2017

This large White Butterfly is another of the multitude of visitors to the generous teasel flowers.


Ref: 20170905_df3_20170721_1620_011 large white butterfly feeding on lower ring of teasel florets (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


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