What is buzzing or flying near you today??

Forgot to mention, hummingbird hawk moths are far more frequent this year too. I've got a window-box-ful of a pale red and white 'species-type' Pelargonium that seems to attract them and on most evenings during the past month, there's been as many as half a dozen darting about at any one time.

 

Is the Red Admiral our most gorgeous butterfly? They let you get quite close - this was taken without a telephoto lens from a few inches.

 

Wow! the detail on those wings Greenwizard.

A friend in Dorset has seen loads of hummingbird hawk moths. I have seen only 1 this year.

 

Slim Jim is a crane fly

 

thanks H

 

How do you guys get such fantastic pics. of butterflies they just wont sit still long enough for me and when they do ...I move and BLURRRR
This one must have been vain.
Dont know which one it is though?

 

Two white dots on the black spot tell that it is a Gatekeeper. The very similar Meadow Brown has only one white spot there. Gatekeepers are hard to photograph as they don't stay still for long. They seem to have sharp hearing also. Some butterflies like Red Admirals and Painted Ladies are very obliging and sit patiently for their portraits. With some cameras, like my old film SLR, you have the ability to change lenses and then you can use a long lens on macro and get close up shots without getting close yourself. Now with digital, I have to get in very close and move the camera to within an inch or so of the insect. You have to move very slowly and silently. When I try for a long distant close-up using the camera's telephoto facility, the results are never sharp.

 

Lovely butterfly in my garden this morning, not sure of the name though

 

Same as Roders

 

The Eucomis flowers are "humming" nicely. Do they count? Whoever called them pineapple lilies had a wry sense of humour. But the bluebottles love them.

 

Stingo, lovely Gatekeeper piccie. Great for a place mat. Here's one I got this morning, that is already place matted ie printed on A4 matt coated paper and laminated. They stop gin glasses falling down the holes in BBQ tables a treat.

 

Buddleia, great for butterflies Nik.
Has anyone had any luck with these guys, they move really fast and dont stop still for long.


The colours are something else when close up.

 

pete ..those are lovely photos

 

Nik that is beautiful, what lovely colours.

Pete, found one of those dead on the lawn unfortunatly possibly killed by one of my cats :(

Their colours are irredescant (sp) arn't they?

 

They are really colourful, the pics dont really do them justice, its amazing how nature can produce such colours.