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Image-of-the-Day by Subject
Butterflies Page 17
Image Taken on 08 May 2018
at 12:52 Image of day on 22 Jun 2018
Here is a female Orange-tip Butterfly (without the orange tips) sipping delicately
from a Garlic Mustard flower.
This plant is the food plant of the Orange-tip caterpillar, so she
is probably attracted to the smell of them, although she can feed on other
flowers.
.jpg)
Ref: 20180622_df3_20180508_1252_131 orange-tip butterfly female feeding on garlic mustard flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 19 May 2019
at 13:28 Image of day on 22 Jun 2019
We tend to mostly notice the male Orange Tip Butterflies, so catching
this female (no orange!) feeding on a ground ivy flower was worth a pic.
.jpg)
Ref: 20190622_df5_20190519_1328_066 orange-tip butterfly female feeding on ground ivy flower(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 10 Apr 2011
at 15:44 Image of day on 09 May 2011
A female Orange-tip butterfly (which doesn't have the orange
tips so obvious in the male) on some of our Lady's smock (Cuckoo flower)
flowers they like so much.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20110509_df1_20110410_1544_413 orange-tip butterfly female feeding on ladys smock (cuckoo flower) flower (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 23 May 2012
at 12:45 Image of day on 21 Jun 2012
The only freshly emerged butterflies at the moment are orange tips.
They don't seem to feed to on buttercups but fly over them on the way
to their regular food plants.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20120621_da1_20120523_1245_032+1311_054_ft1 orange-tip butterfly female in flight with buttercup (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 22 Apr 2019
at 12:58 Image of day on 18 May 2019
This is a FEMALE Orange-tip Butterfly - which doesn't have even a trace of the orange
wing tips, but has a similar wonderful lattice pattern on the lower surface of the wing.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20190518_da1_20190422_1258_058+1507_183_ft1 orange-tip butterfly female in flight with garlic mustard (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 09 Apr 2011
at 13:28 Image of day on 02 May 2011
Caught in a sheltered corner on a sunny but cold day this is
the first time we have photographed a female Orange-tip butterfly
flight before. What does she lack - the orange tip! You are seeing her
slightly from the rear with her head lower left.
The pretty flower is called 'Lady's Smock (Cuckoo Flower)' - it seeds freely and
our site is every increasingly awash with it!
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20110502_da1_20110409_1328_119+1511_378_ft1 orange-tip butterfly female in flight with ladys smock (cuckoo flower) (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 09 Apr 2011
at 13:34 Image of day on 02 May 2011
Here she is standing on more of the same flower.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20110502_da1_20110409_1334_158_ft1 orange-tip butterfly female on ladys smock (cuckoo flower) (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 21 Apr 2021
at 15:10 Image of day on 12 May 2021
A few days later this female Orange-tip Butterfly was resting on a Lady's Smock (Cuckoo Flower)
flower-head, wings fully folded so we get a great view of the wonderful green tracery.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20210512_d73_20210421_1510_155 orange-tip butterfly female on ladys smock (cuckoo flower) flower head (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 18 May 2014
at 14:16 Image of day on 16 Jul 2014
This is a female Orange-tip Butterfly, who lacks the orange tip!
This one has been bird pecked, but you can enjoy the intricate
pattern on the rear wing underside (only) and the patch of the
same pattern on underside edge of the forewings so that the
disguise with wings vertical is complete.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20140716_da1_20140518_1416_256+1421_273_ft1 orange-tip butterfly female with radish flower (montage 1)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 06 May 2011
at 14:44 Image of day on 10 Jun 2011
We don't ever remember such a good numbers or duration of
Orange-tip butterflies. Now the Lady's Smock (Cuckoo Flower) has finished this
now slightly tatty individual is feeding mainly on the Ground Elder.
 feeding on ground ivy flower(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20110610_db1_20110506_1444_009 orange-tip butterfly male (a bit tatty) feeding on ground ivy flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 27 Apr 2020
at 12:24 Image of day on 18 May 2020
The insect on the right shows the Proboscis partially coiled.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20200518_d73_20200427_1224_022+025+026 orange-tip butterfly male around ladys smock (cuckoo flower) flowers (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 30 Apr 2022
at 13:33 Image of day on 08 Jun 2022
Whoops!
The male Orange-tip Butterfly woos a female Small White butterfly.
They spend about a minute fluttering around each other before they
spot their mistake and part 'amicably'.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20220608_df3_20220430_1333_021 orange-tip butterfly male courts small white female (q)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 27 Apr 2020
at 12:23 Image of day on 18 May 2020
Lady's Smock (Cuckoo Flower) is a generous nectar provider, and the
orange-tip Butterflies make the most of it.
.jpg)
Ref: 20200518_d73_20200427_1223_012 orange-tip butterfly male feeding from ladys smock (cuckoo flower) flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 24 Apr 2022
at 13:47 Image of day on 29 May 2022
This male Orange-tip butterfly is feeding on a Garlic Mustard flower. This plant
is where the females lay their eggs so that it acts as the food plant for the
caterpillars, but the Butterflies feed on any flower they can manage.
.jpg)
Ref: 20220529_d72_20220424_1347_115 orange-tip butterfly male feeding on garlic mustard flower(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 07 May 2020
at 10:54 Image of day on 02 Jun 2020
A male Orange tip butterfly feeding on the flower of its caterpillar's food plant,
the Garlic Mustard.
.jpg)
Ref: 20200602_df3_20200507_1054_004 orange-tip butterfly male feeding on garlic mustard flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 30 Apr 2022
at 16:27 Image of day on 08 Jun 2022
This has been a great year for seeing Orange-tip butterflies, possible because
the area is now 'infested' with Garlic Mustard 'weeds'. Garlic Mustard is the
caterpillars food plant (so where the females lay their eggs) but they also
feed on the flowers as well as those of Dandelions and most other
flowers.
This pic catches the insects proboscis curving round into a flower, and also
shows the very different top and bottom of the wing. The green tracery on the
bottom of the wing is absolutely beautiful, and provides good camouflage when
resting in foliage with the wings closed upwards.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20220608_df3_20220430_1627_056 orange-tip butterfly male feeding on garlic mustard flower - both sides of wing showing (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 06 May 2022
at 13:31 Image of day on 13 Jun 2022
An Orange-tip Butterfly feeding of the (blue!) flowers of Green Alkanet.
The insects Proboscis extends right to left from the insects head, down the
edge of the petal and then into the flower.
Enjoy the intricate green on white pattern on the lower surface of the wings.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20220613_df3_20220506_1331_200 orange-tip butterfly male feeding on green alkanet flower (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Apr 2017
at 13:32 Image of day on 13 Jun 2017
An orange-tip butterfly with its uncurled figure-of-eight proboscis down
in the nectar of the Green Alkanet flower.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20170613_df3_20170423_1332_009 orange-tip butterfly male feeding on green alkanet flower (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 14 May 2019
at 17:34 Image of day on 17 Jun 2019
Orange-tip butterflies often feed on Garlic Mustard flowers - the same plants on
which the females lay their eggs, but for 'fuelling' purposes Orange-tip
Butterflies will use any suitable source of nectar - here the flower of the
'dreaded' Ground Ivy.
.jpg)
Ref: 20190617_df5_20190514_1734_021 orange-tip butterfly male feeding on ground ivy flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 20 Apr 2019
at 11:18 Image of day on 18 May 2019
The caterpillar food plant of Orange-tip Butterflies is Garlic Mustard, and we
have managed to allow quite a lot of this to grow. So this year we are seeing
more than our usual '1 or 2' adults. Although the females lay on garlic Mustard,
the adults will sip nectar from other flowers, and this Lady's Smock (Cuckoo Flower) is one of
their favourites. Notice the proboscis curved round into the flower.
.jpg)
Ref: 20190518_df5_20190420_1118_010 orange-tip butterfly male feeding on ladys smock (cuckoo flower)(r+mb id@576).jpg
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