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Image-of-the-Day by Subject
Insects in flight in controlled setup Page 18
Image Taken on 28 Aug 2017
at 13:13 Image of day on 15 Oct 2017
This Speckled Wood Butterfly was a fairly cooperative flyer. These are 3
different flights montaged together. The right view is of the 'top' of the wings
while the centre and left images are from below.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20171015_da1_20170828_1313_068+1319_077+1315_071+1534_080_ft1 speckled wood butterfly in 3 flight with blackberry fruits (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 07 Sep 2012
at 14:08 Image of day on 23 Oct 2012
There are far fewer of these Speckled Wood Butterflies this year
than usual, but this one provided a couple of separate in-flight
portraits we decided to show as a single image.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20121023_da1_20120907_1408_035+1409_044+1534_127_ft1 speckled wood butterfly in flight showing both sides of wing with buddleia (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 01 May 2009
at 14:38 Image of day on 23 May 2009
In the last couple of years speckled wood butterflies have moved
from occasional sightings to the most common butterfly here.
Unfortunately the previous holder of that title - the Small
Tortoiseshell - is becoming a once in a while siting. Anyway,
this slightly tatty individual make a nice pic with lilac.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20090523_dc1_20090501_1438_078+1543_214 ft1 speckled wood butterfly in flight showing top of wing with lilac blossom (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 22 Aug 2010
at 12:24 Image of day on 08 Oct 2010
This is a speckled wood - the dominant butterfly LAST year and
quite common this year.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20101008_da1_20100822_1224_091+1301_104_ft1 speckled wood butterfly in flight with blackberry flower (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 22 Jun 2014
at 15:21 Image of day on 26 Aug 2014
In a patch of sunshine in the woodland where we have been seeing
them for year, we found a few freshly emerged Speckled Wood butterflies
(even if this one already has a bird peck).
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20140826_da1_20140622_1521_368+1525_386_ft1 speckled wood butterfly in flight with cow parsley (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Jun 2023
at 15:21 Image of day on 09 Aug 2023
This Spring's dearth of Butterflies since the glut of Orange-tip Butterflies is rather alarming.
The only butterfly we see in more than one per hour is the Speckled Wood.
Here are a couple of photos taken in our refurbished insects-in-flight camera kit
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20230809_da1_20230614_1521_039+1526_049_ft1 speckled wood butterfly in flight with red campion flower (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 07 Jul 2013
at 13:07 Image of day on 18 Aug 2013
Of the 3 speckled wood butterflies we tried to photograph in
flight, only this slightly damaged (possibly bird pecked)
individual was a really cooperative flyer.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20130818_da1_20130707_1307_022+1332_088_ft1 speckled wood butterfly in flight with thistle flower (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 22 Apr 2019
at 12:27 Image of day on 20 May 2019
This is an overwintered Speckled Wood Butterfly - a bit tatty but not much faded.
You can't see the bird peck on the rear of the far wing, totally by our choice of photo.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20190520_da1_20190422_1227_013+1536_227_ft1 speckled wood butterfly with ground ivy (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Jun 2023
at 15:26 Image of day on 09 Aug 2023
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20230809_da1_20230614_1526_043+1526_043_ft1 speckled wood butterfly with red campion flowers (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 22 May 2010
at 16:39 Image of day on 02 Jul 2010
One sweep of the net over these frond produced both the damselfly and
this spider. Our quickly acquired Spider field guide indicates the ID.
 in fronds from duck pond (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20100702_da1_20100522_1639_095_ft1 spider tetragnatha extensa (q) in fronds from duck pond (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Jul 2013
at 14:15 Image of day on 02 Sep 2013
A Spinach moth (which doesn't mean it has anything to do with the
vegetable), has a rather subtly marked forewing.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20130902_da1_20130714_1415_254_ft1 spinach moth in flight (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 12 Sep 2010
at 09:36 Image of day on 09 Nov 2010
A really pretty little moth we think is a 'Square-spot Rustic'.
 (q) moth in flight with hawthorn twig (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20101109_da1_20100912_0936_108+0940_117_ft1 square-spot rustic (xestia xanthographa) (q) moth in flight with hawthorn twig (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 18 Aug 2009
at 09:50 Image of day on 27 Sep 2009
Continuing from yesterdays night flying moth, first a
subtle brown moth called the 'Swallow Prominent'.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20090927_da1_20090818_0950_195+1033_287_ft1 swallow prominent moth male in flight with rough hawks-beard flower (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 11 Aug 2013
at 15:32 Image of day on 06 Oct 2013
Teasels have a wonderfully complex flowering pattern with 2 rings
starting at the centre and moving upward and downwards. You can
see the individual flowers here from which many insects take nectar.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20131006_da1_20130811_1532_428_ft1 teasel head part way through flowering (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 07 Jun 2015
at 16:20 Image of day on 07 Aug 2015
Tree Bumble Bees are gradually introducing themselves to the UK.
We are finding dozens on a stretch of Green Alkanet along our
farm track. This individual would fly for us but she always took
off flying backwards. The left and right images are about 150mS
apart from the same flight, and we have slipped in another flight
between them to make a satisfactory montage. We would have
'photoshopped' the insects box on the right for something more
natural if we could have done it convincingly, but in the end
'truth' won out. Nobody got stung - we handle our guests with kindness.
 in flight backwards away from launch (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20150807_da1_20150607_1620_427+1621_430+1620_426_ft1 tree bumble bee (q) in flight backwards away from launch (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 03 Oct 2011
at 13:03 Image of day on 19 Nov 2011
This appears to be a Cuckoo Bee but we don't have enough
experience or the right books to definitively ID it. Cuckoo Bees
do what their name says - they lay eggs in another bees nest.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20111119_da1_20111003_1303_139+20111001_1605_043_ft1 unident cuckoo bee in flight with yellow buddleia (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 05 Jun 2010
at 14:35 Image of day on 15 Jul 2010
We often see Lacewings as an almost ghostly blue haze slowly flying
in and out of hedges. So here is a good look at one of the larger one.
One ID book says are 14 species in the UK, of which we can find
photos or drawings of about 5 altogether. None of them include the
wing spots this one has, so are not even going to guess at further
identification.
 in flight with blackberry leaf (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20100715_da1_20100605_1435_059+20100604_1627_370_ft1 unident lacewing (24mm span & dark head & wing spots) in flight with blackberry leaf (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 21 May 2010
at 11:28 Image of day on 26 Jun 2010
A stunningly beautiful White Ermine moth caught overnight in a moth trap
You don't see the orange body when it is 'at rest'.
 in flight (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20100626_da1_20100521_1128_322_ft1 white ermine moth (spilosoma lubricipeda) in flight (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 27 May 2017
at 11:30 Image of day on 20 Jul 2017
A 'frequent flier' is the White Ermine Moth, here echoing the colours
of an Oxeye Daisy flower. This is a concoction of 3 separate flights
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20170720_da1_20170527_1130_136+1131_145+1145_185+1326_200_ft1 white ermine moth flights + oxeye daisy flower (montage 2)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Jun 2021
at 13:56 Image of day on 03 Jul 2021
A montages celebration of this beautiful White Ermine moth.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20210703_da1_20210601_1356_279+1358_293_ft1 white ermine moth in 5 flights (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
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