Return to moorhen home page

Return to section index

Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Image Taken on 23 Jul 2006 at 17:35    Image of day on 06 Aug 2006

Peacock butterflies are very common but beautiful nonetheless.


Ref: 20060806_d10_20060723_1735_928 peacock butterfly on teasel(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 22 Jul 2006 at 18:09    Image of day on 31 Jul 2006

Teasels are all over the place and attract all sort of nectar feeders.


Ref: 20060731_p32_20060722_1809_939 peacock butterfly on teasel(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 12 Jul 2020 at 12:18    Image of day on 18 Aug 2020

A Peacock Butterfly enjoying a Thistle flower


Ref: 20200818_d73_20200712_1218_062 peacock butterfly on thistle flower(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Jul 2023 at 10:04    Image of day on 21 Sep 2023

A Peacock Butterfly perched on a ground-level thistle leaf. When you are small enough, all those sharp spines become just a bit of 'texture'.


Ref: 20230921_df3_20230729_1004_041 peacock butterfly perched on ground level thistle leaf(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 14 Apr 2016 at 13:19    Image of day on 22 May 2016

A peacock Butterfly contrasting itself with the brilliant yellow of a cultivated Daffodil. The butterfly is in good condition considering that it will have spent the winter somewhere safe while waiting for the Spring!


Ref: 20160522_df3_20160414_1319_033 peacock butterfly perched on outside of daffodil(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 13 Aug 2017 at 14:38    Image of day on 01 Oct 2017

A Peacock Butterfly sunning itself on the clover.


Ref: 20171001_df3_20170813_1438_342 peacock butterfly warming itself on clover(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 22 Jul 2014 at 17:41    Image of day on 27 Sep 2014

Here on a Buddleia this Peacock Butterfly has it's proboscis clearly down the centre of one of the florets. The Proboscis is a figure of 8 cross-section which stops it getting in a tangle when it rolls it up.


Ref: 20140927_df2_20140722_1741_253 peacock butterfly with proboscis in centre of buddleia flower (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 30 Jul 2015 at 17:53    Image of day on 25 Sep 2015

This Peacock Butterfly has it's proboscis clearly inside the solitary remaining flower at the top of this teasel head.


Ref: 20150925_df3_20150730_1753_120 peacock butterfly with proboscis in solitary teasel flower (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 05 Jun 2016 at 15:52    Image of day on 20 Jul 2016

A rather faded Peacock Butterfly (that will have overwintered) nevertheless makes a beautiful splash of colour with the delicate blue of Green Alkanet flowers.


Ref: 20160720_df3_20160605_1552_086 peacock butterfly with worn wings on green alkanet(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 15 Jun 2023 at 14:51    Image of day on 11 Aug 2023

After we released one of the Peppered moths he chose a desiccated Blackberry leaf to hide on. The camouflage really works rather well.


Ref: 20230811_d71_20230615_1451_002 peppered moth chooses withered blackberry leaf to hide after release (crop 1)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 02 Aug 2015 at 11:24    Image of day on 03 Oct 2015

Another regular visitor is the Peppered moth - a study in the beauty of Black and White. An average sized moth, but stands out as we empty the moth trap.


Ref: 20151003_da1_20150802_1124_218+1235_246_ft1 peppered moth in flight + great willow herb flowers (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 15 Jun 2023 at 14:30    Image of day on 11 Aug 2023

The Peppered Moth (on the large side for 'ordinary' moths) has this wonderful intricate pattern of black spots on white background.


Ref: 20230811_da1_20230615_1430_218+1433_239+1517_321_ft1 peppered moth in flight with grass seed head (montage(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Jun 2024 at 13:16    Image of day on 05 Aug 2024

This beautiful little flower grows from a crack in the concrete track.
We think that it is Perennial Flax


Ref: 20240805_r70_20240629_1316_367 perennial flax (q) (linum perenne (q)) flower growing from crack in concrete access track(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 03 Aug 2024 at 10:54    Image of day on 18 Sep 2024

A beautiful delicate flower


Ref: 20240918_r70_20240803_1054_030 perennial flax (q) (linum perenne) flower(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 19 Aug 2006 at 10:42    Image of day on 25 Aug 2006

The Persian Speedwell is an old introduction and now the most common form. Today we guess conservationists would have been trying to exterminate the invader!


Ref: 20060825_p32_20060819_1042_742 persian speedwell(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 12 Nov 2010 at 10:14    Image of day on 10 Jan 2011

We spotted this female pheasant keeping completely still relying on her camouflage. There are probably many more we don't spot. Certainly the sudden flight of the female pheasant from close by is a characteristic of a walk about at this time of year. She did suddenly decide to make a hurried exit - on foot!


Ref: 20110110_df1_20101112_1014_038 pheasant female crouched in leaf litter (crop)(r+mb id@432).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Jan 2017 at 08:19    Image of day on 08 Mar 2017

We ASSUME this female pheasant has been startled and is making a vertical take-off with such force that all the dry leaves around are lifted by the draught from the wings.


Ref: 20170308_e64_20170129_0819_287_fb2 pheasant female leaping upwards (q) making flurry of leaves (uncropped)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 13 Feb 2017 at 13:40    Image of day on 29 Mar 2017

This female pheasant doesn't know what to do about the sudden appearance of 2 humans on the disused farm track. She ran erratically a few paces as you see here, and stopped at the right hand side, before setting off left at speed and looped back the way she came to disappear behind the collapsing straw stack.


Ref: 20170329_df3_20170213_1340_003-008 pheasant female running erratically over grass and stopping 1-6 of 7 (accurate montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 21 Oct 2018 at 17:19    Image of day on 15 Dec 2018

Here we see our (still only one) female Pheasant showing us her re-growing tail. One of a pair of falling leaves is casting it's shadow onto her side as she walks by.


Ref: 20181215_e64_20181021_1719_173_fb2 pheasant female with tail re-growing with shadow of falling leaf on her plumage(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 23 Nov 2007 at 07:17    Image of day on 28 Dec 2007

Contrast the lovely golden colour of the pheasant with those of the surrounding leaves.


Ref: 20071228_d3a_20071123_0717_040 fb2 pheasant male among autumn leaves(r+mb id@576).jpg

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:-