As I write this, it feels as if we have been plunged into the depths of winter once more, with cold temperatures and the chill factor of stiff breezes taking us down to around 0°C at night and keeping us in mid-single figures during the day!
We did have some sunny and warm spells around the end of March, and then again in mid-April, but it's all gone to pot since then.
I'm living in hope of a late spring which will instantly transform into an early summer - time will tell! In the meantime I'm hanging onto the memory of the previously mentioned warm spells and wishing I'd paid more attention to the butterflies that showed in our garden at those times. They included Brimstone (male and female), Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Orange Tip (male and female), Green-veined White, and Holly Blue. I only photographed a Brimstone and Orange Tip, and got some poor shots of a Small Tortoiseshell which I won't bother you with here.
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| Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) (female) - our garden on 25th March, 2018 |
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| Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines) (female) - our garden on 19th April, 2018 |
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some extended warm sunny weather to re-boot the butterfly season and kick off the dragonfly season in these parts.
UPDATE: Since writing the above, the forecast has improved considerably, with the chance of some warm weather in a couple of days time. We had some sunshine briefly today (2nd May), after a morning of torrential rain, and were visited by a Holly Blue - not good shots as it stayed high up in the ivy and I could not get nearer than about 5 metres to this tiny butterfly.
I'm not sure what my next post will feature but, unless I'm very lucky, it's going to be birds of some description.
UPDATE: Since writing the above, the forecast has improved considerably, with the chance of some warm weather in a couple of days time. We had some sunshine briefly today (2nd May), after a morning of torrential rain, and were visited by a Holly Blue - not good shots as it stayed high up in the ivy and I could not get nearer than about 5 metres to this tiny butterfly.
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| Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) (male) - our garden on 2nd May, 2018 |
Thank you for dropping by.
The weather, putting it politely, has been rubbish other than a few good days! It looks like we will gently warm up this week and should be at 24C on Sunday, but the rain returns so, the garden will be mud again!
ReplyDeleteYesterday I went out while the sun was shining and really looked for bugs of any kind. I also managed to see a holly blue, plus a speckled wood.
I love your shot of the orange tip, certainly one of the few that are more spectacular with their wigs closed.
Hope you warm up soon. Take care, Diane
Sorry to hear that your weather is no better than ours, Diane, when you are so much further south.
DeleteI agree with your comment on the Orange Tip. Other species that are wonderful with their wings closed are White Admiral and Painted Lady.
It's beginning to look as if my wish might come true, with better weather forecast. I'm booked on a survey for Dingy Skipper on Sunday, so fingers crossed!
Have a great weekend ahead, and take good care - - - Richard
Whatever happened to spring indeed.
ReplyDeleteI was checking out the Pied Flycatchers yesterday, on a day more reminiscent of 2 March than May, dull and a cold wind took the edge of the enjoyment of it all....Excellent set of butterfly pics Richard.
I went out for a short walk with Mrs P. this afternoon (she doesn't do long walks), and the weather was distinctly pleasant - managed my first photos of Speckled Wood for the year - so am full of hope for the near future.
DeleteI hope your weather improves soon too, Pete. Best wishes - - - Richard
Indeed. It's passed us by already. Lovely set of flutter photos.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marc. The latest forecast for this area has it warming up considerably from tomorrow, but no sunshine until Sunday. As soon as we get some sun I'll be out again trying to find my first odos of the year - had no sign of anything at all so far!
DeleteBest wishes - - - Richard
It's been a long winter, a winter with warm spells. I have seen a Peacock butterfly but they over winter as adults. Never see Brimstones here but do get Orange Tips.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos as always.
The spring barley was only drilled ten days ago but has germinated and is showing well. We need a good harvest this year as 2017 is best forgotten. The crop only just covered the cost of seed. It's a rum job. One can never get back losses. Little wonder folk like working for the Government. They print money to pay their wage bill.
Hi Adrian. Great to hear from you again, and thanks for your kind words.
DeleteSorry to hear that 2017 was a bad year on the farm. I hope your early signs with the barley are a portent for a good harvest this year.
Take good care - and please put up a blog post soon. Best wishes - - - Richard
Hi Richard! Just wonderful pictures! Greetings
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anne - best wishes!
DeleteThere is suddenly a multitude of butterflies here too, Richard. Suddenly we have gone from winter to summer with barely a hint of spring! Yesterday was 28.5 degrees. Today it is raining so with all the recent heat everything will be blooming - nectar for the butterflies.
ReplyDeleteHi David. It looks like we are are in for a few good days here too! Mostly sunny forecast for today, peaking at 19°, and then a couple of unbroken sunny days, peaking at 22° on Monday - then a bit 'downhill' again! Already nature seems to be springing into life - I just hope I'll be able to take advantage of this!
DeleteLove to you both - - - Richard
Wow, beautiful Butterflies, especially the first one, Brimstone, love it.
ReplyDeleteThe Brimstone is one of the first butterflies I see each year, Bob, and it's always a delight to see the first one! With my very best wishes - - - Richard
DeleteLove that Holly Blue, beautiful little butterfly, luckily it's got hot again
ReplyDeleteAt long last we've had some decent weather, Doug, although it looks as if it's all going to pot again later today. Had a great day yesterday with my first damselflies of the year, and a couple of 'star' butterfly species. I agree - the Holly Blue is a delightful little butterfly.
DeleteWith my best wishes - - - Richard
Hi Richard,
ReplyDeletereally great to see these butterflies.
You also have them very nice up close and therefore nicely sharply photographed. It is nice to be able to see the details down to the smallest detail. Beautiful photo work.
Kind regards, helma
I love to be able to photograph the butterflies Helma, especially when I get close-up shots. I never cease to wonder at how uch it is possible to see that one would never see with the naked eye. Thank you for visiting and your kind words.
DeleteWith my very best wishes - - - Richard
Hello Richard
ReplyDeletewhat nice colors and a great selection .. great post
Greetings Frank
Thank you, Frank. My best wishes to you from a sunny UK - - Richard
DeleteI won't bore you with our above-normal temperatures lately, but the mornings have been glorious! Cool and low humidity, very unusual for central Florida.
ReplyDeleteRichard, thank you for sharing such spectacular photographs! I simply must find a way to try and ignore birds and concentrate on the insect world. The Orange Tip looks like its wings have been embroidered with green thread from an emerald!
Okay, I'm already planning to mount my "smaller" lens on the tripod and head for a nearby pond. Wish me luck.
Gini says she forgives you for your comment on capturing a female, but just to be safe you should still look both directions prior to crossing a street. She has a long memory ...
Hi Wally. Thank you for those very kind words.
DeleteStrangely I just read a piece about an hour before seeing your comment which noted "The Orange-tip and /bath White have pretty olive mottling on their undersides, but theirs is an illusion created by an intricate mixture of black and yellow scales"
I hope you do get out with your 'smaller' lens soon and capture some of the wonderful insects that you must have in your area. By the way, I almost never use a tripod. It came up last night at a talk I gave, when I noticed that my last use of a tripod was in January 2016! However, I did buy a monopod at the back end of last year, intending to use it with the macro lens this season.
I'll keep an eye open when stepping off the sidewalk.
Best wishes to you and Gini (got it right this time!) - - - Richard
Just a quick follow-up, Richard. My "smaller" lens is of higher quality than my "regular" birding lens but it does not have image stabilization. Alas, I've reached that stage in life where I cannot safely perform surgery due to unsteady hands - of course, I never could perform surgery - but I also have a lot of blurry photos! So, the tripod gets packed a lot lately.
ReplyDeleteYep, I'd be lost without image stabilisation, Wally.
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