Buddleia + butterflies

Loads of fantastic butterflies in the garden this morning. I am smitten with Painted Ladies. Most around now are of the generation that hatched in the UK/northern Europe, the offspring of the North African immigrants which themselves emerged in the Atlas mountains. The newer ones are in pristine condition. I could almost... eat one!

Peacock and Painted Lady


Peacock basking on a dead tree stump

Painted Lady (see a bit of a theme here?) and Large White

Painted Lady...

Meadow Brown has its own subtle charms

Teasels are fabulous wildlife garden plants. Insects go mad for the purple flowers and later on, Goldfinches can't get enough of the seeds. Well, male Goldfinches do, anyway. I think the females have thicker bills which don't let them get the seeds! Must check...

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Rainbows

The weather's been changeable this week, to say the last...




But there have been loads of butterflies around during the drier bits. At least three Painted Ladies graced our buddleia bushes this afternoon, with lots of Large Whites, some Peacocks and Gatekeepers

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM, Extender EF 1.4x II

Garden butterflies

Small Copper


Red Admiral

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Butterfly twitching!

My afternoon's work was interrupted (briefly) this afternoon by a phone call informing me there was a Silver-washed Fritillary on a buddleia nearby. I managed to 'connect' with it at the second attempt, but not until after I'd been spotted loitering by the Chief Executive... Just as well I wasn't the only one there.

It was a fantastic butterfly - a big, less-tatty version of a Comma - but it was far too quick on the wing for me to get any photos.

So here's another Painted Lady, instead:


We spent some time looking after work, in case it had hung around, but there was no sign of the fritillary. Still loads of Silver Ys and Painted Ladies, and at least four Hummingbird Hawkmoths.


Well, there were until one of them got caught by a Hornet!


I didn't witness the event itself, but apparently the Hummer was minding its own business, nectaring along with all the other insects when a Hornet came along and grabbed it.

The moth must have received a sting before someone came to its rescue (argue about the ethics of that one, if you like, but it wasn't me!) and, despite the best efforts of those present, it did not recover.

Later, at Grafham Water (for no particular reason)...

Common Blue Damselflies in 'mating wheel'

Cinnabar moth caterpillar on its foodplant, Ragwort

Silver Y moth on Knapweed

Spider on web

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Insects for lunch

Peacock


Comma




Red Admiral


Meadow Brown


Ladybird


Buff-tailed Bumblebee


Wasp

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995