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Image-of-the-Day by Subject
Butterflies Page 15
Image Taken on 03 May 2023
at 13:08 Image of day on 09 Jun 2023
Seen transiently 2 days before, at last we get a photo of a male Holly Blue Butterfly.
The 'top' of the wing of the male is this light blue - the females look similar on the multi-dotted
underwing, but has a much darker top wing. We haven't photographed a female yet this year
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20230609_df3_20230503_1308_088 holly blue butterfly male (1st seen 01may2023)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 24 Apr 2022
at 12:22 Image of day on 30 May 2022
We first saw a Holly Blue butterfly 6 days before this pic.
You can see both sides of the wing with similar colour but different markings.
 3 of 3(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20220530_d72_20220424_1222_073 holly blue butterfly male (first seen 18apr2022 - visual id only) 3 of 3(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 12 Aug 2021
at 10:44 Image of day on 13 Sep 2021
A sighting of a male Holly Blue butterfly which has the top of
the wings a blue rather than darker and black edged female.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20210913_d73_20210812_1044_010 holly blue butterfly male (shows both sides of wing)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 09 Aug 2023
at 12:47 Image of day on 29 Sep 2023
Here is the same individual showing that the wing shape and even colour don't do
a bad job of camouflage when perched. In flight their path is so erratic it will
evade a lot of predators - it certainly evades this cameraman - though probably
not the agile Dragonflies.
.jpg)
Ref: 20230929_df3_20230809_1247_044 holly blue butterfly male 2nd brood disguised on leaf(r+mb id@432).jpg
Image Taken on 09 Aug 2023
at 12:45 Image of day on 29 Sep 2023
The second brood of Holly Blue Butterflies are out and about.
This is a male nicely lit on an Ivy plant.
.jpg)
Ref: 20230929_df3_20230809_1245_037 holly blue butterfly male 2nd brood on ivy leaf(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 04 May 2023
at 13:20 Image of day on 18 Jun 2023
2 minutes later this male Holly Blue butterfly shows us a better view of the
top of his wings.
.jpg)
Ref: 20230618_d72_20230504_1320_055 holly blue butterfly male feeding on green alkanet(r+mb id@768).jpg
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.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
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.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
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.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
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.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
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
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
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.
.jpg)
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.
 butterfly on dyers bugloss flower (anchusa officinalis)(r+mb id@576).jpg)
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.
.jpg)
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.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
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.
 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg)
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
.jpg)
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.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
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.
.jpg)
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.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20090813_db1_20090703_1815_137 large skipper butterfly with camouflaged caterpillar eating leaf to the right (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
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