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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


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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!


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


Ref: 20141024_df2_20140814_1417_056 brown argus butterfly male feeding on clover (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


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