wattsy Posted September 6, 2017 Share #1 Posted September 6, 2017 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) All Portra 400 and 90 Macro Elmar-M. Female Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) at St Lawrence, Isle of Wight Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) on Mayweed in a local field A male Chalkhill Blue (Polyommatus coridon) on Small Scabious. Devil's Dyke at Reach. Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) at St Lawrence Bank, Isle of Wight Edited September 6, 2017 by wattsy 16 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 6, 2017 Posted September 6, 2017 Hi wattsy, Take a look here A few UK butterflies. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wattsy Posted September 7, 2017 Author Share #2 Posted September 7, 2017 (edited) Another Chalkhill Blue on the Devil's Dyke near Newmarket in July. These butterflies can sometimes emerge in very large numbers. There was a reasonable number (a few dozen) where I took this one and a week or so later I saw many hundreds (most probably a thousand plus) on Compton and Brook Downs on the Isle of Wight. There was an emergence at the interestingly named Butchershole Bottom in Sussex a few years ago where the recorders estimated a total of over 800,000! 90 Macro Elmar-M and Portra 400. Edited September 7, 2017 by wattsy 11 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Posted September 21, 2017 Share #3 Posted September 21, 2017 Another Chalkhill Blue on the Devil's Dyke near Newmarket in July. These butterflies can sometimes emerge in very large numbers. There was a reasonable number (a few dozen) where I took this one and a week or so later I saw many hundreds (most probably a thousand plus) on Compton and Brook Downs on the Isle of Wight. There was an emergence at the interestingly named Butchershole Bottom in Sussex a few years ago where the recorders estimated a total of over 800,000! 90 Macro Elmar-M and Portra 400. No fluttering about it, delicate little portraits you capture so well. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted October 3, 2017 Share #4 Posted October 3, 2017 Lovely 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted May 15, 2018 Author Share #5 Posted May 15, 2018 Resurrecting an old thread I started last year to add some more photos. One of those welcome affirmations of spring in the UK, a male Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines), on one of its main larval food plants, Garlic Mustard. These dainty butterflies have a fairly short flight season and are gone before spring turns into summer. M 240 and 90 Macro Elmar-M and goggled adaptor. 9 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted May 15, 2018 Share #6 Posted May 15, 2018 Beautiful series. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted May 16, 2018 Author Share #7 Posted May 16, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) Large White (Pieris brassicae), the classic Cabbage White and bane of vegetable growers. M 240 and 90 Macro Elmar-M with goggles. 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted May 16, 2018 Author Share #8 Posted May 16, 2018 Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus), a charming small butterfly of hedgerows and gardens. Again 90 Macro Elmar-M and goggles. 7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted May 21, 2018 Author Share #9 Posted May 21, 2018 Green veined white (Pieris napi) on a hybrid Lady/Monkey orchid (Orchis x angusticruris) at Hartslock. Thambar-M on goggled Macro-Adaptor (focussed via live view). 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted May 27, 2018 Author Share #10 Posted May 27, 2018 Adonis blue (Polyommatus bellargus) at Yoesden in the Chilterns. M 240 and 90 Macro-Elmar with goggles. 10 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted May 27, 2018 Author Share #11 Posted May 27, 2018 Female of the same species. 8 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted June 1, 2018 Author Share #12 Posted June 1, 2018 (edited) A battle worn Common blue (Polyommatus icarus) at Hutchinson's Bank (a remarkable slice of preserved chalk grassland in Croydon, within the boundaries of London). M 240 and usual goggled 90 Macro-Elmar. Edited June 1, 2018 by wattsy 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted June 1, 2018 Author Share #13 Posted June 1, 2018 And the Small blue (Cupido minimus), the UK's smallest butterfly, also at Hutchinson's Bank (a minor coup for London Wildlife Trust because this is a rare-ish species nowadays and absent from many regions of the UK). This butterfly is small enough to really tax the 1:3 maximum reproduction ratio of the goggled Macro-Elmar as I tend not to crop my photographs. 8 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted June 4, 2018 Author Share #14 Posted June 4, 2018 (edited) The Glanville Fritillary (Melitaea cinxia) is right at the edge of its European range in the UK and only appears naturally in a handful of sites on the Isle of Wight where it is quite abundant in late spring. There is also apparently a small unofficially introduced colony at Hutchinson's Bank near Croydon but I didn't see any when I visited that reserve last week. This one was at Wheeler's Bay in Ventnor. Edited June 4, 2018 by wattsy 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted June 4, 2018 Author Share #15 Posted June 4, 2018 The Wood white (Leptidea sinapsis) is a delightful, very dainty, species of white that is restricted to a small number of woodlands in the UK. 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted June 5, 2018 Author Share #16 Posted June 5, 2018 (edited) The Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia). An uncommon species largely confined to the western side of the UK. A bit prone to parasitization and the vagaries of the weather, the adult emergence can be a bit boom or bust. Some years a colony can number many hundreds (or even thousands), other years might be in single figures. M 240 and 90 Macro-Elmar with goggles. Edited June 5, 2018 by wattsy 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted June 5, 2018 Author Share #17 Posted June 5, 2018 The Grizzled skipper (Pyrgus malvae). Less common than the golden skippers of the summer months, but still found fairly easily in suitable habitat. 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted June 9, 2018 Author Share #18 Posted June 9, 2018 (edited) Mating Heath Fritillary (Melitaea athalia) in an Essex wood. This is one of the UK's rarest butterflies (in terms of the number of colonies) but can be superabundant at the colony level. A view showing the upper side of the wings. Both M 240, 90 Macro Elmar-M and goggles. Edited June 9, 2018 by wattsy 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
heatlarx Posted June 9, 2018 Share #19 Posted June 9, 2018 Beautiful butterflies.. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted June 10, 2018 Author Share #20 Posted June 10, 2018 I forgot this one from a week or so ago. This is the Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene) which is another butterfly which has seen its range shrink in recent decades. Now largely confined to the western side of the UK, this one was in Bentley Wood on the Hampshire/Wiltshire border. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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