Summer Butterflies ~ Communal Thread

Shirleyr

Shirleyr

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I've search for a communal thread on butterflies but I cannot find one, is there one?
In the meantime, around here in Gwynedd the butterflies have started to appear. Orange Tips still about, Common Blue, Small Heath, most White's, Wall, Speckled Woods, Red Admiral and a Small Copper.
.I'm going to post my photos here: I mostly am out with my long lens so there are a few miscues in taking a photo of a little butterfly without walking backwards and ending up in a ditch, like yesterday whilst trying to take a photo of a Small pearl-bordered fritillary. I think ID is the name of the game and not so much for quality.
Yesterday even on the hills on Snowdonia it was hot and although I went for Whinchats and the like I kept my eyes open for butterlies and my first ever Sm-bFrit', in fact there were about 5, deep orange. I knew as soon as I saw them they were special. Small pearl-bordered fritillary.jpg
 
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Well I never, I didnt think about a thread for butterflies, well, now there is one and thanks Molly.
I live in the South of France, to date I have 42 different butterflies, thats not male and female as different types.
I guess i`m kinda lucky :) I got several more to get at sea level and end of June I head up into the mountains for a day as there are lots of other similar type there that live only at altitude.
I would venture out early in the mornings to capture the butterflies roosting from the day before but I really don`t want to meet with a wild boar as there are so many about here.
Thanks for starting this Thread, heres my contribution...but one you might not see in the UK Its a NETTLE-TREE BUTTERFLY - LIBYTHEA CELTIS and it has no other relatives :-(
Nettle-tree Butterfly (Libythea celtis).JPG
 
Graham said:
Well I never, I didnt think about a thread for butterflies, well, now there is one and thanks Molly.
I live in the South of France, to date I have 42 different butterflies, thats not male and female as different types.
I guess i`m kinda lucky :) I got several more to get at sea level and end of June I head up into the mountains for a day as there are lots of other similar type there that live only at altitude.
I would venture out early in the mornings to capture the butterflies roosting from the day before but I really don`t want to meet with a wild boar as there are so many about here.
Thanks for starting this Thread, heres my contribution...but one you might not see in the UK Its a NETTLE-TREE BUTTERFLY - LIBYTHEA CELTIS and it has no other relatives :-(
View attachment 66003
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Thank you so much for all the replies. Never heard of a Nettle-tree Butterfly but I am really interested in all butterlies and look forward to seeing all sorts of different ones. As I said I'm up in North Wales on the Lleyn Peninsula and its so windy most of the time so we don't get a great variety. I love the Holly Blue, reminds me of a Song Thrushes egg.Holly Blue 15th May 2016.jpg
 
The Holly Blue photo is not very sharp, I give myself 2,out of 10 but this Orange Tip faired a bit better as the butterfly was resting on a stem on the other side of a little river, perfect for my birding lens, its not a posh lens its the cheaper of all the 400mm range, f5,6l. Taken on the 11th May.
Orange Tip 10th May 2016.jpg
 
Large Skipper Edern 15th June 2016.jpg Painted Lady 2016.jpg [ Had a lovely walk along a country lane at Edern (Lleyn Peninsula) this afternoon and just managed to get a shot of a Large Skipper on the one and only flowering Thistle. Painted Lady from last week in my garden.
 
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wardy07 said:
+1 more here as well, great idea Molly.
Are we including Moths as well or just Butterflies?
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Bring on the Moths, I was in a friends garden last evening and there was an Elephant Hawk moth it was huge and stunning. It was the first time I'd ever regret not having a smart phone to take a photo. It was on Honeysuckle leaves.
 
molly said:
Bring on the Moths, I was in a friends garden last evening and there was an Elephant Hawk moth it was huge and stunning. It was the first time I'd ever regret not having a smart phone to take a photo. It was on Honeysuckle leaves.
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They're amazing to see, as you say so colourful and huge creatures. I went on a photography course a few years ago and one of the subjects we were to photograph was an Elephant Hawk moth, that got some people running for the hills as they were scared of them!
I'm patiently waiting for the Hummingbird Hawk moth to appear again this year, they're amazing but so far, I think because of the colder weather, they haven't arrived yet. I've had them regularly in my garden for the past 2 summers but they would normally be here in late May / early June.
 
Couple of nice photos there @molly when ever I get some free time it seems to rain which is frustrating.
 
One from today. Nothing special - only a small tortoiseshell, but I'm just pleased to see a few around at last. We don't seem to have had many butterflies at all so far this 'summer', but the thistles are starting to get their flowering act in gear so I'm hoping to start seeing some more.


Small tortoiseshell by Jannyfox on Talk Photography
 
Ok heres my 2 inputs, both from the South of France,
1st one, I saw hundreds of butterflies drinking water along a muddy way, but to get 3 GVW`s in a row was a shot I had to get.
3 green veined whites.JPG
What can I say, a Dusky heath on the road.
Dusky Heath (Coenonympha dorus) 2.JPG
Enjoy.
 
The first and second one is a Ringlet, named after the beautiful rings on the wings and the third is a Meadow Brown. Both love grassy fields but not easy to photograph, great set of photos.
 
molly said:
The first and second one is a Ringlet, named after the beautiful rings on the wings and the third is a Meadow Brown. Both love grassy fields but not easy to photograph, great set of photos.
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You're not wrong, they don't hang around for long in one place.
 
I don't know if it's been a bad winter for butterflies in my area (Shropshire), I've hardly see any this year.
Apart from the ones i posted in this thread (which we have quite a lot of in the long grass areas around home).
 
I have been trying for a decent butterfly shot for a couple of weeks now, but the meadow browns and ringlets that I've seen are very flighty. Last night this lovely small skipper (I think?!) posed beautifully for me...but I only had my 35mm lens. A wide angle, shallow depth of field shot it was, then!

summer's evening by Em Jay, on Flickr
 
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Emja said:
I have been trying for a decent butterfly shot for a couple of weeks now, but the meadow browns and ringlets that I've seen are very flighty. Last night this lovely small skipper (I think?!) posed beautifully for me...but I only had my 35mm lens. A wide angle, shallow depth of field shot it was, then!

summer's evening by Em Jay, on Flickr
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I wouldn't worry if you only had a 35mm, when I was returning from the Alps a few weeks ago I had a 24mm on as butterflies were not what I was intending to shoot but......
I saw some apollos in cop so I just had to do the deed, well they were too [emoji12] [1468002405211.jpg
 
Thanks, short and dumpy, is how i would describe their look.
 
The Peacock butterfly, common in the UK but still very beautiful.


i-krSv66B.jpg
 
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I'm starting to see a few more of the later butterflies at last - red admirals, peacocks, commas. I apologise for the blown highlights in the flowers. The lighting was a bit difficult. I couldn't tempt it to go wings open.

Red admiral by Jan, on Flickr
 
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This thread has inspired me to go out tomorrow and find some butterflies! In the meantime can anyone ID this moth? it's a bit dull but was quite large! Unfortunately my cat got hold of it, I think I saved it but couldn't ID it from the common species, any ideas?

Tom

Unknown moth.jpg
 
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