Return to moorhen home page

Return to section index


Image-of-the-Day by Subject


Butterflies Page 20

Image Taken on 07 May 2018 at 17:47    Image of day on 22 Jun 2018

Male Orange-tip Butterflies appear about a week before the females.
Here is a male tanking-up on a Bluebell flower.


Ref: 20180622_df3_20180507_1747_009 orange-tip butterfly male on bluebell flower(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 09 Apr 2017 at 14:14    Image of day on 27 May 2017

This individual Orange-tip Butterfly just wouldn't fly in our kit, but while perched on a soft artists paint brush he gave us a good view of his proboscis curled up in the manner that it is stored between feeds. We have inserted a primrose leaf to mostly hide the bristles of the brush - the double edge effect on the leaf is real - not some 'photoshopping' artefact.


Ref: 20170527_da1_20170409_1414_100+1426_120_ft1 orange-tip butterfly male on bristles with coiled proboscis + primrose leaf (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 17 Apr 2010 at 16:46    Image of day on 21 May 2010

Roy's favourite butterfly put in the first appearance of the year on what here is it's favourite flower - the Cuckoo flower, also called Lady's Smock (Cuckoo Flower)


Ref: 20100521_df1_20100417_1646_155 orange-tip butterfly male on cuckoo flower (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 28 Apr 2023 at 12:55    Image of day on 09 Jun 2023

Garlic Mustard has just started flowering, and here at least it is the favourite food of Orange tip butterflies. Here we catch a male (only males have the orange tips) with wings both open and closed, showing the entirely different appearances


Ref: 20230609_d72_20230428_1255_079+082 orange-tip butterfly male on garlic mustard flower - wings open and closed (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 01 May 2015 at 12:40    Image of day on 28 Jun 2015

Orange-tip butterflies are restless little souls who hardly ever stop their erratic flight. But they do need to refuel sometimes - this one on the Lady's Smock (Cuckoo Flower). The red wing tip appear only on the males, but the intricate green tracery (you can't see here) on the other side of the wing decorates both sexes.


Ref: 20150628_df3_20150501_1240_165 orange-tip butterfly male on ladys smock (cuckoo flower) flower(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 05 May 2015 at 12:13    Image of day on 28 Jun 2015

We see Orange-tip butterflies on most outings at the moment when the sun is out. It is usually the males we see because they are out 'hunting' for females and only they have the bright orange tips. But we see the odd female so the males are presumably not left disappointed.


Ref: 20150628_df3_20150505_1213_080 orange-tip butterfly male on nettle leaf(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 01 May 2023 at 16:32    Image of day on 18 Jun 2023

A male Orange-tip Butterfly perched on a three-leafed 'hand' of Blackberry Leaves.


Ref: 20230618_d72_20230501_1632_017 orange-tip butterfly male perched on blackberry leaf(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 15 May 2021 at 16:16    Image of day on 12 Jun 2021

The Orange-tip Butterflies have been on-the-wing for an atypically long time this year. This one is perched on yet-to-flower Cow Parsley bud.


Ref: 20210612_d73_20210515_1616_049 orange-tip butterfly male perched on cow parsley bud (crop 1)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 15 May 2021 at 16:16    Image of day on 12 Jun 2021

A closer look shows the coiled up proboscis just below and right of the compound eye.


Ref: 20210612_d73_20210515_1616_049 orange-tip butterfly male perched on cow parsley bud (crop 2 - coiled proboscis detail)(r+mb id@432).jpg


Image Taken on 15 May 2015 at 12:48    Image of day on 08 Jul 2015

A favourite butterfly is the Orange-Tip, and here is one using its underwing camouflage to great effect. We had trouble find it even though we saw it land only a few metres away. This is the male with the upper wing tip bright orange, but folded out of sight. You can just make out an orange tinge near the back top of the upper wing, but the disguise is near complete.


Ref: 20150708_p10_20150515_1248_498 orange-tip butterfly male perched with wings closed showing underwing pattern (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 05 May 2024 at 13:33    Image of day on 27 May 2024

Orange-tip butterflies now make a bee-line (sorry for the pun) to flowers of Garlic Mustard which we have in abundance. The females lay their eggs on this plant. Only the males have the wonderful Orange tip.


Ref: 20240527_df3_20240505_1333_134 orange-tip butterfly male showing both sides of wing feeding on garlic mustard flower (crop 2)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 03 May 2018 at 15:57    Image of day on 07 Jun 2018

This orange tip is newly emerged and flutters seemingly non-stop in search of a mate. Only the male has the gorgeous orange tips, but both sexes have the beautiful green and white patterning over the underneath of the rear wings, and along the edge of the forewing which perfectly lines up when the insect closes it's wings. Amazing!


Ref: 20180607_df3_20180503_1557_070 orange-tip butterfly male showing patterned underwing (crop 2)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 30 Apr 2012 at 16:28    Image of day on 26 May 2012

An Orange-tip butterfly feeding on a Lady's Smock (Cuckoo Flower) flower.
Where's the 'orange' bit then? Like many sexually dimorphic species, the orange tips to the wings are on the males only - this is a female.


Ref: 20120526_df1_20120430_1628_210+215 orange-tip butterfly on ladys smock (cuckoo flower) flower (montage for differential focus)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 19 May 2014 at 17:27    Image of day on 23 Jul 2014

A pair of Orange-tip butterflies courting in the evening sunshine.
A mostly accurate montage to convey the action as they spiraled upwards.


Ref: 20140723_df2_20140519_1727_175+187-189 orange-tip butterfly pair courting in rising flight selected 1-4 of 4 (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 28 Apr 2017 at 12:32    Image of day on 21 Jun 2017

The Orange-tip butterfly season seems have lasted unusually well this year. This is the head-on view of a male perched on a fallen Dandelion 'clock'. You can see the orange glow between the wing tips.


Ref: 20170621_df3_20170428_1232_037 orange-tip butterfly viewed head-on on dandelion clock (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 28 Apr 2017 at 12:34    Image of day on 21 Jun 2017

Here a male orange-tip with wings spread in the sunshine. You can just see the wonderful green tracery showing through from the other side of his rear wings.


Ref: 20170621_df3_20170428_1234_049 orange-tip butterfly with wings spread(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 11 Aug 2021 at 10:51    Image of day on 21 Sep 2021

Some of the Oxford Ragwort has timed it's growth to make a decent flowerhead before the Cinnabar Caterpillars ravage the plant! The Gatekeeper butterfly you see, not badly disguised here, is the dominant brown butterfly at the moment.


Ref: 20210921_d73_20210811_1051_022 oxford ragwort flowers with gatekeeper butterfly(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 24 Jul 2006 at 12:39    Image of day on 05 Aug 2006

Teasels are now spikily rampant and many are flowering in their unusual rings of florets. The Painted Lady is a summer visitor that have only been common here in the last few years. Here two are refuelling on the nectar.


Ref: 20060805_d10_20060724_1239_027 2 painted lady butterflies on teasel(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 27 Jun 2019 at 17:35    Image of day on 16 Aug 2019

Here is a Painted Lady Butterfly also choosing one of thousands of Privet heads for a feed. This one has a slightly damaged edge to the wing - quite normal damage from brushing on foliage. We have always felt that the name 'Painted Lady' is a bit strong for this subtly coloured creature.


Ref: 20190816_df5_20190627_1735_122 painted lady butterfly feeding on privet flowers(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 28 Jun 2019 at 17:39    Image of day on 16 Aug 2019

Another slightly less wing edged damaged Painted Lady Butterfly gives us a lovely view of her underwings as she feeds through her proboscis forming a gentle bend lower right.


Ref: 20190816_df5_20190628_1739_296 painted lady butterfly feeding on privet flowers(r+mb id@768).jpg


Backwards

Forwards

 

Comments and requests for image use

To make a comment, ask for information or to request a full resolution image, send us an email including the reference or the date for the image you are interested in.

All initial contacts should be made using the icon below:-

Mail Us