Butterfly/ Moth /Dragonfly Images

Mullein Moth caterpillar on Buddleia.

 

Dark Green Fritillary, underwing.


Marbled White.


5 Spot Burnet Moth.

 

Another Marbled White and a Scarlet Tiger moth.

 

A beautiful Holly Blue @wiseowl

 

I have another Elephant Hawk Moth in my greenhouse. I saw one in there last year, left the door open so it could toddle off outside if it wanted, but, sadly, found it deceased in the greenhouse a couple of days later. Should I carefully evict the new one onto the nearby fuschia bush?

 

Ringlet.


Grayling.


Gatekeeper.

 

When I went downtown on Saturday to some shopping I tried to keep a look out for butterflies, to see how many I could see in a couple of hours & at the same time how many species I might see/recognise. I wasn't able to get any photos - mostly because I hardly saw any! The few I did see were mostly Cabbage Whites - though I believe there are 2 species but I wouldn't know the difference between the two! I think I counted a grand total of about 8! I chose to walk along the paths were there was the most wild vegetation a 15 minute walk alongside the river where there are 100s of trees as well as lots of native flora. But I only saw 2 or 3 Cabbage Whites, even on a Buddleia with 100s of flower spikes!

As I got within a couple of minutes of home I spotted my first, & only, Tortoiseshell of the year! Though a minute or so later I saw a 2nd! I also saw a very small butterfly that I have no idea might be called. It was very small & flew very fast & very erratically! I couldn't make out the colour but it may possibly have been a very light green or yellow or possibly blue!

Then the most incredible thing happened as I was reaching our block of flats what did I see? I saw a Peacock butterfly - on the railing of our balcony of all places!

To think I'd been out in the street for 2 hours & on returning there was one on our balcony railings! This year I've hardly seen a Cabbage White on the balcony, other years hardly a day went by without seeing a couple. But perhaps that has more to do with growing Nasturtiums as this year I don't have any.

 

I don't think I've seen one of these so far this year. But in general I seem to have seen less butterflies & bees & even hoverflies around this year. There is a flowerbed in the grounds of our block of flats that was planted up with Veronicas about 4 years ago. I got some good photos of bees on the flower spikes! Yet sadly these plants have hardly sprung back again this year. The council gardeners no longer plant anything in the bed. It used to look really wonderful but the council seems to have abandoned our area of town as they have removed lots of plants or just let them waste away. It's also a shame because we no longer get the bees & butterflies that were once so common here.

 

Comma.