Photos.

Flutterbys

I have discovered a new hobby over the past few weeks - photographing butterflies. On sunny days, there have been lots of butterflies around everywhere. I have also been learning to identify them, thanks to my good friend, the internet. I think I have the labels on all of these right. Most of the photos are from last weekends trip to the Fowlmere nature reserve. It's a chalk marsh/grassland, so there were tons of butterflies around. So, time to look at some pretty insects:


A green-veined white. I called it a cabbage white when I saw it, but I was wrong. This is one of the whites that doesn't feed on members of the cabbage family, so it gets bonus points.


A meadow brown. These guys are everywhere.
The one underneath it is actually a day-flying moth. Some kind of Burnet moth, I think. Moths are much harder to identify because there are a ton of them.


A gatekeeper. Pretty cool name. Also very similar to the meadow brown, and actually there are about 4 kinds of butterflies here that look pretty much like this. I'm sure this one is a gatekeeper though.


A common blue. Blue butterflies are pretty.


A peacock. Well, that is an obvious name.


A brimstone. A much less obvious name. Brimstone makes me think "fire and brimstone" which brings to mind red and orange, not a leafy green butterfly. However, apparently the males are yellow, and the word brimstone actually refers to sulphur, so it does make sense after all.


A speckled wood. This one wasn't out in a field like the others, it was in the trees on a pile of branches. So I guess they named it well too.


A red admiral.
And that concludes today's butterfly information session. If the rain goes away, maybe I'll have some more for you next time.

posted by Sian at 12:58 PM