I am no expert photographer, preferring to capture the moment than get a perfectly composed shot. The pictures on my blog are either taken with a compact Canon, a Panasonic Lumix FZ150 or on my phone.




Tuesday, 5 May 2015

Favourite butterfly

It is time for my annual indulgence. After a week of miserable weather we actually had some sunshine yesterday. I was able to complete my butterfly transect and on the way back I stopped to take some pictures of Orange Tips. They are my favourite butterfly and represent the start of the butterfly season for me.



I was amused that within seconds of the sun going behind a cloud the Orange Tips would stop flying and close up their wings. They are very difficult to spot when they are roosting like this.


When the sun came back out they would open up their wings and start feeding again!


So far this year I have only seen one female Orange Tip, but I was delighted to spot an egg in this picture behind the butterfly's left antennae. Sadly the weather has turned windy and rainy again, so it may be a few days before they are out and about again.

6 comments:

  1. Excellent images Nick. I have been logging them since 23 April on my transect walks but still to find one at rest! The very high winds and rain here are certainly not helping any of the flutters.

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    1. Thanks Frank. The weather certainly hasn't been good for butterflies. We have only had short warm spells and for the last ten days it has been horrible! I guess that the cold weather has made the Orange Tips a little less active than normal here. I hope things warm up soon.

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  2. Nick, these are extremely beautiful images. I love the color! This must be your best time now for shooting!

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    1. Hi Maria. It should be the best time for shooting, but it has gone horribly cold these last few weeks. It is set to warm up again later this week, so fingers crossed that there will be plenty of butterflies soon!

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  3. Sorry to hear about your bad butterfly weather Nick. We have been having warm dry days so there are lots of butterflies flying out in the fields and gardens. Beautiful portraits of your favorite butterfly. I can see why this butterfly is your favorite. Love the tips that look like they were dipped in paint. And the closed wings are amazing. Hard to see.

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    1. Carol, we had a lovely sunny day today, but it was still not warm. I visited my father who lives in an area of woodland. We have slowly thinned out the trees and this has encouraged a lot of wild flowers. It was lovely watching butterflies drifting amongst the trees. There were no butterflies on the moor above his house, though. Hopefully it will warm up soon!!

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