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Image-of-the-Day by Subject
Butterflies Page 21
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.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
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.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
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!
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20180607_df3_20180503_1557_070 orange-tip butterfly male showing patterned underwing (crop 2)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 12 Apr 2025
at 16:08 Image of day on 23 May 2025
Orange-tip butterflies continue to wiz by.
Here are two unrelated moments.
On the left you see the subtle Green pattern on the bottom of the wings
of both males and females. Only the males have the orange tips.
Better pics can be found at these links & rolling downwards for a few pics:-
https://www.moorhen.me.uk/imgofday/arch%202020%20may.htm#01
https://www.moorhen.me.uk/imgofday/arch%202014%20jul.htm#16
https://www.moorhen.me.uk/imgofday/arch%202024%20jun.htm#08
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20250523_df3_20250412_1608_155+161 orange-tip butterfly male showing top and bottom of wings (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Apr 2025
at 09:44 Image of day on 04 Jun 2025
This male Orange-tip Butterfly sucks nectar from a Forget-me-not flower.
.jpg)
Ref: 20250604_df3_20250425_0944_012 orange-tip butterfly male with proboscis drinking from forget-me-not flower(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Apr 2025
at 09:45 Image of day on 04 Jun 2025
The same male Orange-tip Butterfly sucks nectar from a Lady's Smock (Cuckoo Flower) flower.
.jpg)
Ref: 20250604_df3_20250425_0945_027 orange-tip butterfly male with proboscis drinking from ladys smock (cuckoo flower) flower(r+mb id@768).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.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
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.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
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 17 Apr 2025
at 15:08 Image of day on 29 May 2025
The male Orange tip Butterflies continue their endless search for a female.
We often see them chasing after any white butterfly they get near.
Here in an unusually 'static' opportunity we see this male in a sun-warmed
hedge making a real effort to mate with a Small White Butterfly (sex unknown)
who just wants to feed on the nectar.
.jpg)
Ref: 20250529_d72_20250417_1508_167 orange-tip butterfly trying to court small white butterfly(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.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
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.
.jpg)
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.
.jpg)
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.
.jpg)
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.
.jpg)
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.
.jpg)
Ref: 20190816_df5_20190628_1739_296 painted lady butterfly feeding on privet flowers(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 08 Aug 2009
at 10:46 Image of day on 23 Sep 2009
This painted lady dipped into successive florets (single flowers
in a group) on a teasel, dipping into 1 a couple of times - it
may be more random than it looks. Anyway, in a single sequence of
3 seconds here are the dips into 3 little fuel stores.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20090923_cf1_20090808_1046_419+430+444 painted lady butterfly feeding on successive teasel florets @ 20fps 1+12+26 of 50 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 27 Jul 2014
at 12:42 Image of day on 05 Oct 2014
A painted Lady Butterfly feeding on a Teasel flower head.
"We didn't see one of those last year" we said.
We looked in our database and we found that it has been not 1 but 4 years -
last recorded in 2009.
 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20141005_df2_20140727_1242_199 painted lady butterfly feeding on teasel flowers (1st of 2014 - not seen since 2009) (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 02 Aug 2019
at 15:49 Image of day on 23 Sep 2019
Many years we don't see Painted Lady Butterflies at all, but this year has been 'bumper'.
This one on Teasel (where we are mostly seeing them) looks so delicate when perched above the spikes.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20190923_df3_20190802_1549_141 painted lady butterfly feeding on teasel flowers 3 of 3 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 02 Aug 2015
at 13:52 Image of day on 05 Oct 2015
Our first sighting of a Painted Lady Butterfly this year, and in
fact our first record at all since a large influx in 2009.
)(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20151005_da1_20150802_1352_467+1240+273_ft1 painted lady butterfly in flight + thistle flower (montage))(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Jul 2009
at 10:37 Image of day on 23 Aug 2009
After a years absence we are seeing the migrant painted lady
butterfly this year. Most are rather tatty and faded but this
individual was still in good condition. The Soldier Beetles on
the thistle spent all 45 minutes of the photo-shoot mating in
happy oblivion!
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20090823_da1_20090714_1037_075+1101_217 ft1 painted lady butterfly in flight with small thistle & soldier beetles (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
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