Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Butterflies Page 35

Image Taken on 14 Jun 2022 at 14:00 Image of day on 31 Jul 2022

A Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly coils up his proboscis until it completely disappears.

Ref: 20220731_df3_20220614_1400_317+318+320 small tortoiseshell butterfly rolling up proboscis 1-3 of 3 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 26 Aug 2021 at 11:15 Image of day on 07 Oct 2021

A pair of Small White Butterflies mating in the morning sunshine.

Ref: 20211007_d73_20210826_1115_006-1116_021 small white butterflies courting and mating (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 06 Aug 2025 at 12:54 Image of day on 20 Sep 2025

Several delightful minutes were spent watching a group of up to about 10 Small White Butterflies in a swirling group sweeping around the meadow and up into the tree tops. As much fun as a Starling flock but much less coordinated. The number varied as different individuals left and joined the swirling cloud. Our immediate impression was of some sort of mating frenzy.

Ref: 20250920_d72_20250806_1254_073 7 small white butterflies in flying group in mating frenzy(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 06 Aug 2025 at 12:57 Image of day on 20 Sep 2025

Ref: 20250920_d72_20250806_1257_129 9 small white butterflies in flying group in mating frenzy(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 06 Aug 2025 at 13:01 Image of day on 20 Sep 2025

Ref: 20250920_d72_20250806_1301_189 6 small white butterflies in flying group in mating frenzy(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 09 Jul 2018 at 15:54 Image of day on 29 Aug 2018

A pair of Small White Butterflies flew by us 'in tandem' and landed on this leaf to continue their assignation.

Ref: 20180829_d72_20180709_1554_040 small white butterflies mating (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 03 Sep 2021 at 12:33 Image of day on 17 Oct 2021

The number of white butterflies about this year far exceeds any previous experience. Here are two Small White Butterflies feeding from the same flower.

Ref: 20211017_df3_20210903_1233_021 2 small white butterflies sharing single blackberry flower(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 22 Jul 2021 at 12:35 Image of day on 01 Sep 2021

This year seems to have been exceptional for Small White Butterflies with dozens at a time fluttering over the meadow.
Perhaps they like the farmers bean crop!
Here 4 of them spiralling upwards in the sunshine in a fluttering courtship ritual.

Ref: 20210901_d73_20210722_1235_028 4 small white butterflies spiralling upward in courtship flight(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 06 Sep 2026 at 12:28 Image of day on 01 Nov 2026

At the top a Small White Butterfly, and below a Green Veined white, sharing the same stem of purple Loosestrife.
The wide angle/macro lens makes the Green Veined white look disproportionately small.

Ref: 20261101_r52_20260906_1228_225 small white butterfly (top) + green veined white butterfly (bottom)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 21 Aug 2018 at 12:50 Image of day on 09 Oct 2018

In the crop field margin we found this very tatty Small White Butterfly feeding from what we identify as a Lesser Burdock plant.

Ref: 20181009_df3_20180821_1250_024 small white butterfly (very tatty) on lesser burdock flower(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 17 Sep 2015 at 09:45 Image of day on 17 Nov 2015

A few late Butterflies are gracing the plot - this one was by the side of the main pond enjoying the nectar from a Water Mint flower.

Ref: 20151117_df3_20150917_0945_011 small white butterfly feeding from water mint flower (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 03 Jul 2018 at 17:32 Image of day on 20 Aug 2018

Here is a Small white Butterfly enjoying a Blackberry flower. Without the cue of scale, you can most easily tell Large and Small white butterflies apart by the area of black at the wing tip.

Ref: 20180820_d72_20180703_1732_094 small white butterfly feeding on blackberry flower(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 09 Sep 2016 at 08:58 Image of day on 28 Oct 2016

Before 9 a.m. on a mid-September morning some warm early sunshine brought out variety of insects into a east facing hedge.
A Small White Butterfly (that is the common species name) is tackling a Blackberry flower.

Ref: 20161028_df3_20160909_0858_059 small white butterfly feeding on blackberry flower(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 14 Sep 2022 at 14:25 Image of day on 22 Oct 2022

A Small White Butterfly feeds on a Great Willowherb flower.

Ref: 20221022_df3_20220914_1425_079 small white butterfly feeding on great willowherb flower(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 27 Apr 2021 at 12:48 Image of day on 29 May 2021

A small white butterfly feeds on the Lady's smock (Cuckoo flower) that the deer have not eaten.

Ref: 20210529_d73_20210427_1248_111+1249_114 small white butterfly feeding on ladys smock (cuckoo flower) flowers (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 09 Oct 2023 at 12:09 Image of day on 23 Nov 2023

In some fitful sunshine this slightly tatty Small White butterfly sips nectar from an equally late arrived Dandelion growing from one of the hundreds of tons of stripped soil dumped outside our south hedge.

Ref: 20231123_df3_20231009_1209_007 small white butterfly feeding on late blooming dandelion(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 24 Aug 2021 at 17:37 Image of day on 07 Oct 2021

This sprig of Oxford Ragwort seems to have escaped the attention of Cinnabar caterpillars, and this Small White butterfly is enjoying the flower's nectar.
Although the plant itself is poisonous, the flowers offer genuine poison-free offerings to get their pollen distributed.

Ref: 20211007_df3_20210824_1737_080 small white butterfly feeding on oxford ragwort flower (crop 2)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 17 Aug 2026 at 11:08 Image of day on 14 Oct 2026

This year the main small-white Butterflies seem to have lasted non-stop, moving from one species of flower to another as each plant 'does its thing'. You can see the uncoiled proboscis reaching into the flower.

Ref: 20261014_r52_20260817_1108_009 small white butterfly feeding on purple loosestrife flower(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 02 Aug 2026 at 16:13 Image of day on 28 Sep 2026

This Ragwort plant seems to have escaped the ravages of Cinnabar caterpillars, and here a Small White Butterfly takes some nectar while a Ladybird climbs up a leaf

Ref: 20260928_r52_20260802_1613_012 small white butterfly feeding on ragwort flower + incidental ladybird(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 19 May 2023 at 13:02 Image of day on 07 Jul 2023

Another visitor to Red Campion is this Small White Butterfly.

Ref: 20230707_d72_20230519_1302_412 small white butterfly feeding on red campion flower(r+mb id@768).jpg

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