Anthocharis cardamines – I had a very welcome vistor to the garden today, and she spent a while there dazzling me with her beauty. This was a first for me, so I was over the moon. The female Orange-tip can often be overlooked as one of the more familar Cabbage White butterflies, as she does not don the bright ‘orange-tip’ wings of the male, as can be seen in the final image which was taken a few years ago. One to look out for now as they have quite a limited flight season. Double-click image for a closer look.
© Peter Hillman ♦ 14th April 2020 ♦ Rear garden, Staffordshire ♦ Nikon D7200
Nature Journeys 
Lovely images. I actually thought the first image WAS a Cabbage white butterfly. I had them wandering over my salad greens in my garden in recent days.
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Thank you, Vicki 🙂 They can look quite similar.
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The female looks pretty despite the lack of orange tips.
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Thank you, Anne 🙂
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Excellent. Especially the first photo. That is so well composed.
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Many thanks, Rabirius! 🙂
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Nice capture Pete, the first is always special.
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Thank you, Brian 🙂 It sure is!
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And lovely she is, Peter.
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Thank you, Sandy 🙂
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My pleasure.
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🙂
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Interesting the difference between the two – he must be trying to attract attention!
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I guess he is! 🙂
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It also act’s as a warning Marilyn. The caterpillars eat plants which contain bitter mustard oils which make the butterfly rather distasteful to predators.
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Beautiful!
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Thank you 🙂
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Lovely! I saw a male on the wing here over the weekend in the wood, but I don’t think I’ve ever had one in the garden. One of my favourite butterflies – it’s like its wings have been dipped in honey.
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Thank you, Adele 🙂 They are one of my favourite butterfiles. First time visit for the garden. Actually this spring appears to be a first time for a few bugs lately 🙂
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With a little imagination, there’s a hint of orange in the brownish patches toward the edges of the forewings and in the patches a but further in. But yes, the similarity of the little lady to her white cabbage cousin is definitely there.
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This was really a nice find today as the females, although not as distinctive as the males, can be quite elusive. And to have one drop in the backyard was something 🙂
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I’ll bet they are tricky to capture! You make it look easy Pete. Pretty.
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They can be tricky, especially in bright sunlight, so have to bring the ISO down to avoid the details from being blown clean out, Thank you very much! 🙂
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Without the blog title I would have thought cabbage white also. That dorsal view of the make is a fine shot, Pete. Once again in Nature, the male is the pretty one. 😀
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🙂 Thank you, Steve. I was lucky to be able to get a few shots in, and this was one of the better ones.
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Thats interesting Pete and so often happens on here, I noticed an orange tipped today in the garden and hadnt seen one before. I will keep an eye out for the female.
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Yes, please do, Alison. The females can be a rarity, but they are around. Hard to tell exactly what they are until they land and you can get a closer look. The underwings of both sexes are mottled green which helps in id.
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Well I didn’t know that. I thought all Orange Tips had orange tips. We often see these here but I’ll definitely look out for the females as well.
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Lots of the males with actual ‘orange-tips’ around here at the moment, but they are not stayng still for one second … yet. 🙂
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We all delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. I love your garden 🙂
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I couldn’t agree with you more about the butterfly. Thank you, Debbie 🙂
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