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Image-of-the-Day by Subject
Butterflies Page 15
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.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
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.
.jpg)
Ref: 20150617_df3_20150427_1037_009 green-veined white butterfly on nettle leaf(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 24 Jun 2025
at 12:48 Image of day on 14 Aug 2025
A Pair of Green-veined White butterflies mating
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20250814_d72_20250624_1248_068 green-veined white butterfly pair mating on hazelnut tree leaf (orig)(r+mb id@768).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.
.jpg)
Ref: 20200529_df3_20200505_1333_013 green-veined white butterfly perched on garlic mustard leaf(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 30 Apr 2026
at 13:37 Image of day on 06 Jun 2026
For the first time ever we see 3 Holly Blue Butterflies together in some sort of mating gathering.
NOT a montage.
You can see we kept 28 images from this little moment, but this one seemed to say it all
in a single compact frame.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20260606_r52_20260430_1337_113 3 holly blue butterflies fluttering around each other 09 of 28 (crop)(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.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20200906_d73_20200730_1303_157 holly blue butterflies mating on hawthorn leaf (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 26 Jul 2025
at 12:43 Image of day on 16 Sep 2025
Amazingly our first sighting of any 'Blue' butterfly in 2025.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20250916_d72_20250726_1243_031 holly blue butterfly (1st of 2025 (orig)(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.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20210913_df3_20210804_1518_170 holly blue butterfly (1st of 2nd emergence)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Jul 2023
at 13:13 Image of day on 17 Sep 2023
The second brood of Holly Blue Butterflies has emerged.
 feeding on blackberry flowers(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20230917_df3_20230725_1313_054 holly blue butterfly (2nd brood) feeding on blackberry flowers(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 29 Apr 2026
at 13:33 Image of day on 02 Jun 2026
Holly Blue Butterflies don't appear every year, and this one took a few
days to get a decent photo of - they are tireless flyers
.jpg)
Ref: 20260602_r52_20260429_1333_132 holly blue butterfly - never seen in april before(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 05 Aug 2016
at 13:17 Image of day on 25 Sep 2016
A Holly Blue Butterfly feasting on a Blackberry flower
.jpg)
Ref: 20160925_df3_20160805_1317_056 holly blue butterfly feeding on blackberry flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 27 Aug 2023
at 13:07 Image of day on 23 Oct 2023
Holly Blue Butterflies appear in cycles as they produce new
generations through the year. This one is enjoying a feed from a mint flower.
.jpg)
Ref: 20231023_df3_20230827_1307_288 holly blue butterfly feeding on mint flower along with large fly(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 19 Aug 2015
at 11:08 Image of day on 16 Oct 2015
A Holly Blue butterfly resting on a leaf.
.jpg)
Ref: 20151016_df3_20150819_1108_066 holly blue butterfly female(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 07 May 2022
at 16:28 Image of day on 13 Jun 2022
Two views of a female Holly Blue Butterfly.
Females have much darker markings on the wings tips than the males.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20220613_df3_20220507_1628_281+286 holly blue butterfly female (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 06 Aug 2022
at 14:42 Image of day on 20 Sep 2022
A female Holly Blue butterfly feeding on late blackberry flowers.
This is a new emergent - they have two broods a year.
.jpg)
Ref: 20220920_d72_20220806_1442_065 holly blue butterfly female 2nd brood on blackberry flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 06 Aug 2022
at 16:26 Image of day on 20 Sep 2022
This single female 'haunted' the side of the garage for 3 days.
Here she catches the shadow of an adjacent unopened head
of blackberry flowers to make an interesting pattern.
.jpg)
Ref: 20220920_d72_20220806_1626_089 holly blue butterfly female 2nd brood on blackberry flower with shadow of buds on wing(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 07 Aug 2025
at 12:37 Image of day on 27 Sep 2025
Our rare sightings of any Blue Butterflies this year is supplemented by another or
the same Holly Blue butterfly. This female opened her wings for us showing the
completely different upper-wings with markings and date signifying a 2nd brood female.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20250927_d72_20250807_1237_034+043 holly blue butterfly female 2nd brood view of both sides of wings 1+3 of 4 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Jun 2016
at 11:08 Image of day on 30 Jul 2016
We have come to think of our Oxeye Daisies as having limited value as a food
source, so were pleasantly surprised to see that Holly Blue Butterfly actively
feeding on a flower head.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20160730_df3_20160615_1108_018 holly blue butterfly female feeding of oxeye daisy (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Aug 2019
at 16:06 Image of day on 21 Oct 2019
The female Holly Blue Butterfly is a small insect.
The bottom of the wings is a soft blue with characteristic pattern of dots, while the top
of the wings is a much darker blue, the female (here) also having the dark edge.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20191021_da1_20190825_1606_168+1607_180_ft1 holly blue butterfly female in 2 flights (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Aug 2019
at 16:10 Image of day on 21 Oct 2019
The female Holly Blue Butterfly is a small insect.
The bottom of the wings is a soft blue with characteristic pattern of dots, while the top
of the wings is a much darker blue, the female (here) also having the dark edge.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20191021_da1_20190825_1610_201+1608_189_ft1 holly blue butterfly female in 2 flights (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
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