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Butterflies Page 30
Image Taken on 20 Jun 2014
at 17:45 Image of day on 01 Sep 2014
Small Tortoiseshell butterflies 'courting'. We saw this behaviour
again inside a blackberry tangle, but these were on the slate
that keeps the rain off the camera window of a photo site. The
brown fur beneath them includes some skin and is quite coarse -
we think it might be from a badger skirmish we know nothing
about.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20140901_df2_20140620_1745_103 2 small tortoiseshell butterflies courting on slate over fb5 camera (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 04 Apr 2021
at 12:08 Image of day on 03 May 2021
Our first sighting of a Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly this year - a species that hibernates
through the winter. This one is remarkably pristine for 6 months old.
 feeding on blackthorn blossom(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20210503_d73_20210404_1208_081 small tortoiseshell butterfly (first sighting in 2021) feeding on blackthorn blossom(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 08 Jul 2014
at 16:10 Image of day on 13 Sep 2014
This year we have a good number of Small Tortoiseshell
Butterflies. Here one is feeding on a thistle flower, surrounded
by 3 Red Soldier Beetles. While checking our IDs, we found the
Beetles described as the 'Hogweed Bonking Beetle' - a name very
appropriate to how we often see them!
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20140913_df2_20140708_1610_129 small tortoiseshell butterfly + 3 red soldier beetles on thistle heads (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 05 Sep 2021
at 10:48 Image of day on 16 Oct 2021
Here on the Yellow Buddleia is a Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly.
.jpg)
Ref: 20211016_df3_20210905_1048_068 small tortoiseshell butterfly feeding from yellow buddleia flower(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 30 Jun 2014
at 10:58 Image of day on 07 Sep 2014
A small Tortoiseshell butterfly feeding on Blackberry flowers.
There seems to have been a resurgence of this butterfly this year.
.jpg)
Ref: 20140907_df2_20140630_1058_025 small tortoiseshell butterfly feeding on blackberry flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 30 Jun 2021
at 15:28 Image of day on 05 Aug 2021
The Privet hedge along some of the access track has several butterflies
enjoying the nectar. Here a Small Tortoiseshell.
.jpg)
Ref: 20210805_d73_20210630_1528_049 small tortoiseshell butterfly feeding on elderberry flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 09 Jun 2020
at 12:55 Image of day on 11 Jul 2020
The underside of the wings of the Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly is quite
different to the top of the wings, providing camouflage for the resting insect.
.jpg)
Ref: 20200711_df3_20200609_1255_047 small tortoiseshell butterfly feeding on privet flower(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 22 Jun 2018
at 10:10 Image of day on 07 Aug 2018
The flowers on the Privet hedges barely last a couple of weeks. The Butterflies
make the most of it. This is a Small Tortoiseshell probing a floret.
.jpg)
Ref: 20180807_d72_20180622_1010_168 small tortoiseshell butterfly feeding on privet flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Jun 2018
at 09:43 Image of day on 30 Jul 2018
The Privet Flowers are out, and this Small Tortoiseshell butterfly is
making the most of the nectar.
.jpg)
Ref: 20180730_df3_20180615_0943_090 small tortoiseshell butterfly feeding on privet flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 17 Jun 2014
at 16:31 Image of day on 22 Aug 2014
Years ago we saw these Small Tortoiseshell butterflies in
hundreds down our young Hawthorn hedges. Nowadays we are
delighted to see even one, and here it is feeding on some just
opened Privet flowers.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20140822_df2_20140617_1631_559 small tortoiseshell butterfly feeding on privet flowers (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 29 Jun 2011
at 12:22 Image of day on 07 Aug 2011
A visitor in declining numbers is the Small Tortoiseshell butterfly.
Here are 2 images of the top wing and underwing of the same insect on the
same thistle flower although the lighting has changed a bit.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20110807_df1_20110629_1222_017+1221_001 small tortoiseshell butterfly feeding on thistle flower (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 22 Aug 2015
at 13:06 Image of day on 24 Oct 2015
We have not seen many Tortoiseshell butterflies this year, but it
was all we COULD find in the middle of this day. Here is a
montage of two flights arranged to show both sides of the wings.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20151024_da1_20150822_1306_332+1307_335+1331_356_ft1 small tortoiseshell butterfly in 2 flights + water mint (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 24 Jun 2009
at 16:04 Image of day on 27 Jul 2009
Just this one Small Tortoiseshell butterfly seen so far this year
was fluttering from buttercup to buttercup. The hedges used to be
awash with them. Instead we now have hundreds of Meadow Browns
and still dozens of Speckled wood. We don't know whether the
change is down to climate, our management, natural variation or
chance.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20090727_da1_20090624_1604_233+20090623_1513_171 ft1 small tortoiseshell butterfly in flight with buttercup (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 10 Jul 2010
at 15:57 Image of day on 22 Aug 2010
Small Tortoiseshell butterflies used to be abundant here, but we
now see 'a few'. The underwing is a completely different dark
brown.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20100822_da1_20100710_1557_163+1636_204_ft1 small tortoiseshell butterfly in flight with thistle flower heads (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Jul 2006
at 12:39 Image of day on 28 Jul 2006
You normally see the Small tortoiseshell butterfly with the orange
yellow and black patterned upper wing. This is the underwing - good camouflage.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20060728_d10_20060714_1239_857 small tortoiseshell butterfly on blackberry (underwing)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 12 Jul 2006
at 17:09 Image of day on 15 Jul 2006
A Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly on Blackberry flower. After a dearth
of this insect for the last few years it is nice to see them again.
.jpg)
Ref: 20060715_d60_20060712_1709_749 small tortoiseshell butterfly on blackberry flower(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 03 Sep 2018
at 12:16 Image of day on 26 Oct 2018
A Pristine Small Tortoiseshell butterfly perched on the ground level leaves
of one of the few remaining flowering Dandelions. This species overwinters
so we may (but probably wont) see this individual next Spring.
.jpg)
Ref: 20181026_df3_20180903_1216_006 small tortoiseshell butterfly on dandelion leaves(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 09 Jun 2020
at 09:30 Image of day on 11 Jul 2020
A Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly warming in the sunshine on some
dead grass along a crop border
.jpg)
Ref: 20200711_df3_20200609_0930_015 small tortoiseshell butterfly on dead grass(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 02 Sep 2014
at 12:15 Image of day on 13 Nov 2014
A chance single tiny purple Buddleia flower in a patch growing
through brambles by the garage attracted this pristine Small
Tortoiseshell butterfly for a feed. This insect will hibernate
for the winter and re-appear in the Spring to breed.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20141113_df2_20140902_1215_100 small tortoiseshell butterfly on last purple buddleia flower (adjusted crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 04 Jul 2018
at 14:51 Image of day on 21 Aug 2018
A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly decorating one of hundreds of thistles in a 20m
stretch along the side of the oil seed rape crop. We saw about 50 of mostly
Small Tortoiseshell butterflies on this stretch - more than we have seen at once
for many years.
.jpg)
Ref: 20180821_df3_20180704_1451_131 small tortoiseshell butterfly on thistle flowers at edge of crop(r+mb id@768).jpg
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