Six-spot burnet moth mating, with soldier beetle on the thistle too Six-spot burnet moth is a striking creature. In flight, the insect is a blur of fast-beating wings and a flash of scarlet and black. Mating is leisurely and can last for hours. This morning, broods of soldier beetles were out and about, tumbling and climbing all over each other, mating and feeding.
This summer on Scout Scar the unsettled weather is in contrast to last summer's heat-wave, affecting flora and butterflies and their behaviour. My blog archive for July 2018 shows a very different picture.
This summer on Scout Scar the unsettled weather is in contrast to last summer's heat-wave, affecting flora and butterflies and their behaviour. My blog archive for July 2018 shows a very different picture.
This summer, the weather is unsettled. Bramble flowers are lasting well into July. Last summer. the extreme heat brought flowers rapidly into bloom and they were quickly over. Scabious is a popular nectaring flower with several butterflies and this last week the flowers have burgeoned. Thistles begin to flower but butterflies are choosy. Smaller, more compact thistles have no takers yet. Buttercups attract the common blue butterflies. This is the season when Lady's bedstraw is abundant, giving off a delicious fragrance. It may attract small insects but not butterflies. Some years ago the anthill flora attracted many butterflies, as my photographic archive shows. This year and last, the larger butterflies show no interest in flowering thyme. The anthill flora and insects do not appear to thrive. Having found small skipper last week I'm eager to see more.
How brief the life of a butterfly! Last week's painted ladies looked faded and ragged. It's a battle ground out there and I watched a bee staggering on the ground, a wing lost. Look closely and you will find chrysalis in the long summer grasses. And exuviae, the cases from which butterflies hatched.
How brief the life of a butterfly! Last week's painted ladies looked faded and ragged. It's a battle ground out there and I watched a bee staggering on the ground, a wing lost. Look closely and you will find chrysalis in the long summer grasses. And exuviae, the cases from which butterflies hatched.
Photographing butterflies, I'm interested in their poise and balance on a flower and in the contrasting textures of their bodies- their veined and powdery wings and furry bodies. Close- up I like to study the colour and pattern of their legs, antennae and proboscis. What I choose to show changes from time to time. At the moment, I like to focus on a butterfly but to capture a sense of the meadow beyond- its territory. Some butterflies are always to be found within a smallish territory, so find them one day and you'll probably find them the next- weather permitting.
RSS Feed