Tuesday 7 September 2010

Flutter Roundup (Part 1).

Many years ago I occasionally went birding with a very dour Scotsman who took a keener interest in butterflies than the birds. During the summer months I have often recalled a comment he made to me during a stroll around the countryside .... "When the birding activity drops away in summer you should switch to chasing butterflies ... there are only 59 resident species in the UK ... far smaller list than all the birds".
Well throughout the following years I never consciously followed his suggestion but this year I have tried to photograph every species that I have seen. Whilst I haven't kept a specific 'tick list', when sorting through all the images recently I discovered, to my surprise, that I have actually seen a total of 32 so far this year and most of them not too far from home.
Not unsurprisingly the most photographed was the Silver-washed Fritillary.

Here are some montages of the other species I have manged to capture.
Common and Holly Blues
Brown Argus, Green Hairstreak, Brimstone, Grayling, Purple Hairstreak and Green-veined White.
Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Orange-tip and the Comma.

In Part 2 I'll share an unexpected recent find plus a few more montages of the summer flutters.  FAB. 

15 comments:

  1. wow..that's quite a gathering of butterflies. So colorful...I look forward to the next post. You have so many interesting ones. Especially a lot of blues. I love the Scotsman's quote....that is pretty much what I seemed to have been doing this summer...lot of butterfly chasing and not many birds of interest.

    ReplyDelete
  2. All excellent but the Blues are exquisite. Well done!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That was a very wise Scot Frank. They certainly are an interesting source of observation and make nice subjects to photograph.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree with everyone, esp. Harold. Exquisite was the first word that popped into my brain as I scrolled down. Well done. Only 27 more to go! ~karen

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Frank..your butterfly photos are so pretty !!
    That first of the Silver washed Fritillary is great and of course the blues are my favorites!!
    How much longer will the butterflies be around in your area!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. That's a wonderful collection - very nice camera work.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nice! I bet I will get caught up in butterflies someday too.. Your photos are gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Mary. Should have taken up his suggestion a long time ago then I might have seen a few more. All good fun.

    Hi Harold. Thanks very much.

    Hi Roy. He sure was just that. Sometimes easier than getting the birds in the frame.

    Hi Karen. Quite a few of those will be difficult to locate and require travelling a long way but who knows.

    Hi Grammie. A few can normally be seen right into October but will need some sunshine to bring them out to play.

    Hi Mona. Thanks and just for once I was spoilt for choice

    ReplyDelete
  9. Well, at 32 Frank, you've seen a few more than me lol
    Lovely selection there. I'd love to see the Hairstreaks'; beauties.

    ReplyDelete
  10. A good selection of butterflies, Frank. And, you had a nice Scotsman, a wise man.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow!! Just fabulous, Frank! I esp like the gatekeeper and the green hairstreak, but all are awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Jen. Only when you can't find any other wildlife to snap!

    Hi Keith. I'm fortunate to have a number of excellent locations fairly close.

    Hi Bob. Cheers. I should have picked his brains when I had the chance all those years ago.

    Hi Jann. Thanks. The Green Hairstreak was probably the most difficult to capture .... a master of disguise!

    ReplyDelete
  13. You really have inspired me to get out with my camera to a butterfly house maybe . Autumn is here on the Praires fo Canada and so I m sure what little of the butterflys we did have are gone.
    However our leaves are turning .
    Have a great day.
    and Thanks for stopping

    ReplyDelete
  14. I so love the fritillaries...you have a great collection here.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Lisa. A Butterfly House is a good place to practice then you'll be ready for next year out on the Prairies. Have fun.

    Hi Kim. Me too and ther are a few more varities I have yet to see.

    ReplyDelete

I hope you enjoyed your visit and I always appreciate your comments and feedback.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails