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Butterflies Page 16

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


Image Taken on 04 Jul 2018 at 14:54    Image of day on 20 Aug 2018

A Large White Butterfly feeding on a thistle flower.


Ref: 20180820_df3_20180704_1454_135 large white butterfly feeding on thistle flower(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 08 Aug 2015 at 10:53    Image of day on 10 Oct 2015

Not that common here (no rows of Brassicas for the 'girls' to lay on), is this Large White butterfly on one of the remaining thistle flowers.


Ref: 20151010_df3_20150808_1053_326 large white butterfly feeding on thistle flower(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 24 Apr 2022 at 13:38    Image of day on 29 May 2022

A male Large White butterfly perched on a Hazel leaf. At the front of the head you can just see the coiled up Proboscis.


Ref: 20220529_d72_20220424_1338_079 large white butterfly male perched on hazel leaf(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 11 Aug 2018 at 12:56    Image of day on 06 Oct 2018

This year we have seen more white butterflies (Large and Small) than we normally see over several years. This pair seemed intent on mating, didn't actually finish the job in front of us, and finally took off together to make one of their beautiful fluttering spirals into the blue and over the trees out of view.


Ref: 20181006_df3_20180811_1256_130-158 large white butterfly pair attempting to mate 1-6 of 6 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 29 Jun 2018 at 17:38    Image of day on 20 Aug 2018

A pair of Large White Butterflies spiralling into the sky in a mating ritual.


Ref: 20180820_df3_20180629_1738_510-512 large white butterfly pair spiralling together about 10m high 1-3 of 4 (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 07 Aug 2024 at 08:23    Image of day on 20 Sep 2024

In the morning sunshine this Large White Butterfly isn't yet warm enough to take flight. On the right with wings closed it is surprisingly noticeable with just the white Antennae tips. A few seconds later the partially open wings makes a quite startling appearance.


Ref: 20240920_d72_20240807_0823_031+026 large white butterfly with wings partially open and closed (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 10 Jul 2015 at 15:49    Image of day on 11 Sep 2015

A Marbled White Butterfly feeding on a thistle flower.


Ref: 20150911_df3_20150710_1549_068 marbled white butterfly feeding on thistle flower (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 29 Jun 2011 at 09:57    Image of day on 07 Aug 2011

Thistles are an invasive plant that needs to be controlled, but they certainly attract butterflies.
We have only previously recorded a marbled White butterfly in 2008. This year a few of them are a delightful sight flitting over the flowers.


Ref: 20110807_df1_20110629_0957_176 marbled white butterfly feeding on thistle flower (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 24 Jun 2020 at 15:03    Image of day on 26 Jul 2020

A pair of Meadow Brown Butterflies mating on a grass seed head. There are hundreds of this species about at the moment.


Ref: 20200726_d73_20200624_1503_072 meadow brown butterflies mating(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 16 Jul 2013 at 09:05    Image of day on 05 Sep 2013

The hot weather has produced a show of perhaps 100 of various 'brown' butterflies over our meadow. Here are a pair of Meadow Brown butterflies mating - you can see the coupling of the abdomens just below the inverted V where their wings cross at the bottom.


Ref: 20130905_a77_20130716_0905_019 meadow brown butterflies mating (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 14 Jul 2011 at 11:58    Image of day on 22 Aug 2011

A pair of Meadow Brown butterflies mating artistically positioned across a grass stem in a shape reminiscent of the lover's Heart.
Butterflies mate 'tail to tail'.


Ref: 20110822_df1_20110714_1158_058 meadow brown butterflies mating on grass stem (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 22 Jun 2019 at 14:25    Image of day on 12 Aug 2019

A pair of Meadow Brown butterflies flew past us in tandem (coupled at the tail ends as you see here) and landed on this grass stem to continue their tryst. We took a few photos and left them to do their 'thing'.


Ref: 20190812_df5_20190622_1425_218 meadow brown butterflies mating on grass stem 1 of 4 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 21 Jun 2022 at 12:58    Image of day on 08 Aug 2022

A pair of mating Meadow Brown Butterflies enjoy the highlight of their short lives.


Ref: 20220808_d72_20220621_1258_014 meadow brown butterflies mating on leaf 3 of 3 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 30 Jun 2021 at 15:51    Image of day on 05 Aug 2021

A pair of Mating Meadow Brown Butterflies enjoying themselves on an Oxeye Daisy flower.


Ref: 20210805_d73_20210630_1551_089 meadow brown butterflies mating on oxeye daisy flower(r+mb id@576).jpg


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