Return to moorhen home page
Return to section index
Image-of-the-Day by Subject
Butterflies Page 4
Image Taken on 28 Jul 2007
at 11:31 Image of day on 22 Aug 2007
You know the saying about fleas have little fleas ...
This newly emerged Brimstone butterfly feeding on nectar didn't take
any notice of the fly that had perched on it
.jpg)
Ref: 20070822_d01_20070728_1131_058 brimstone butterfly male on purple loosestrife with fly on butterfly wing(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 10 May 2008
at 17:43 Image of day on 24 May 2008
Lovely pairing of colours. The female Brimstone is white but
with the orange spot.
.jpg)
Ref: 20080524_dc1_20080510_1743_023 brimstone butterfly male on red campion(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 21 Aug 2013
at 13:29 Image of day on 18 Oct 2013
If we hadn't seen this male Brimstone butterfly land on the
water lily flower, we doubt that we would have spotted him.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20131018_df1_20130821_1329_526 brimstone butterfly male on yellow water lily flower (crop 1)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Aug 2019
at 15:57 Image of day on 20 Sep 2019
This moment caught the Brimstone Butterfly's proboscis fully exposed and
glinting in the sun in all the colours of the rainbow, a sure sign of
iridescence in this bit of anatomy where we have never observed it before. The
light and viewing angle to make this visible is very critical - frames only 140mS
before and after show only a hint of this effect.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20190920_df3_20190801_1557_059 brimstone butterfly male removing iridescent proboscis from purple loosestrife flower (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 21 May 2017
at 13:10 Image of day on 13 Jul 2017
A male Brimstone Butterfly stops on a Forget-me-not flower for a feed. The
Proboscis is beginning to unwind and looks very like the 'hair spring' in a
'clockwork' watch - the only sort of watch there was for the first 30 years of our existence.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20170713_df3_20170521_1310_079 brimstone butterfly male showing spiralled proboscis on forget-me-not flower (crop 2)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 16 Oct 2024
at 13:46 Image of day on 20 Nov 2024
The 'dog-ends' of the summer insects includes this male Brimstone Butterfly soon to
find a place to sleep away the winter months.
His out-of-sight forewing is already a bit damaged, but he should manage just fine.
.jpg)
Ref: 20241120_d72_20241016_1346_037 brimstone butterfly male soon to hibernate(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 04 Aug 2021
at 15:39 Image of day on 14 Sep 2021
As the camera fires on this male Brimstone Butterfly he lifts off from the
spike of Purple Loosestrife in the pond edge for this accurate montage.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20210914_df3_20210804_1539_306+307 brimstone butterfly male takes off from purple loosestrife @7fps 1+2 of 2 (accurate montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 16 Jul 2020
at 12:29 Image of day on 26 Aug 2020
One or more Brimstone Butterflies are visiting the Crocosmia flowers.
The deep trumpet may make the nectar accessible only to these bigger
Butterflies - we have never seen small butterflies on these flowers.
.jpg)
Ref: 20200826_df3_20200716_1229_016 brimstone butterfly on crocosmia flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image of day on 30 Jul 2005
A Brimstone butterfly feeding on a teasel flower with hover-fly
capriciously also in shot. Tomorrow an example of the actual same insect
camouflaged in a beech tree.
.jpg)
Ref: 20050730_p20_1020758 brimstone butterfly on flowering teasel with hoverfly 2005jul23_15-23-18(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Sep 2020
at 15:08 Image of day on 31 Oct 2020
Spot the Butterfly on these mint flowers!
.jpg)
Ref: 20201031_d73_20200914_1508_003 brimstone butterfly on mint flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Sep 2020
at 15:20 Image of day on 31 Oct 2020
Here you can clearly see the Brimstone Butterfly's proboscis busy sucking up the life-giving
nectar.
.jpg)
Ref: 20201031_d73_20200914_1520_013 brimstone butterfly on mint flower(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Apr 2014
at 14:12 Image of day on 11 May 2014
Another winter hibernating butterfly - the Brimstone - is here
feeding on a Red Dead-nettle.
.jpg)
Ref: 20140511_df2_20140401_1412_002 brimstone butterfly on red dead-nettle(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 04 Nov 2020
at 12:55 Image of day on 11 Dec 2020
A mid-day patch of early November sunshine sees this pristine male Brimstone
butterfly warming himself on the south facing Rose bush by the front door.
These insects overwinter in sheltered spots (they love sheds) to appear in
the Spring to mate, relying on spring flowers for fuel.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20201211_df3_20201104_1255_064 brimstone butterfly perches on rose leaf (crop 1)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 21 May 2020
at 17:47 Image of day on 19 Jun 2020
This Brown Argus Butterfly is a good deal smaller than the even the Small Tortoiseshell.
We tend to see one every 2 or three years. Here we catch two views perched on a weed
showing the upper and lower surfaces of the wings.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20200619_d73_20200521_1747_053+065 brown argus butterfly (montage for top & bottom of wings)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 19 Aug 2024
at 10:17 Image of day on 05 Oct 2024
The Brown Argus Butterfly has appeared in most recent years.
The bottom-side of the wing is lighter and differently patterned to the side you see here.
This Butterfly is classed as a 'Blue' despite the dominant colour of brown.
There are a few images of Brown Argus butterflies from previous years, including images
in-flight, starting at https://www.moorhen.me.uk/iodsubject/butterflies_04.htm#13
or the pages that follow.
 - 1st of 2024(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20241005_d72_20240819_1017_008 brown argus butterfly (upperside only) - 1st of 2024(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Sep 2018
at 10:07 Image of day on 27 Oct 2018
In a field margin we found this female Brown Argus Butterfly feeding on one of the
few still flowering Thistle plants. This pic showing both sides of the wings.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20181027_df3_20180901_1007_034 brown argus butterfly female on thistle showing top and bottom of wings (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Sep 2018
at 10:08 Image of day on 27 Oct 2018
Here we see the same female Brown Argus Butterfly with her wings fully open.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20181027_df3_20180901_1008_044 brown argus butterfly female on thistle showing top of wings (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Aug 2009
at 11:07 Image of day on 01 Oct 2009
We have confirmation (based on static images not included here)
that this is a quite scarce 'blue' butterfly called the Brown
Argus where .. err .. neither sex is blue! But it is beautiful.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20091001_da1_20090823_1107_085+1114_120+1251_304_ft1 brown argus butterfly in flight top & bottom with round-leaved mint (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 21 Sep 2020
at 12:51 Image of day on 08 Nov 2020
A male Brown Argus Butterfly basks in the sunshine.
.jpg)
Ref: 20201108_d73_20200921_1251_008 brown argus butterfly male(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Aug 2014
at 14:17 Image of day on 24 Oct 2014
The male Brown Argus is a small Butterfly here enjoying some nectar from a
clover flower.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20141024_df2_20140814_1417_056 brown argus butterfly male feeding on clover (crop)(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:-