Photograph of Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) on Butterfly-bush (Buddleia davidii), taken on August 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Nikon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens.
This afternoon, after work, I was greeted by not only one Painted Lady butterfly, nor just two as pictured, but three on the same Butterfly-bush, which is quite something to see.
I hadn’t seen this butterfly all year until to my delight I came home from work this afternoon and found it flying around my garden and feeding on my Buddleia. Quite a large and distinctively marked butterfly. It has a wingspan of up to 90mm.
The caterpillar feeds mainly on thistles, but also mallows.
It flies April to October in two or three broods. Found in almost any habitat, including parks and gardens. They breed throughout the year in North Africa and migrate in huge swarms northwards through southern Europe in the spring. It cannot survive the winter in any form in Britain or Europe for that matter, except possibly the far south in Spain. Far ranging migrant, and very common.
Photographs of Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) on Butterfly-bush (Buddleia davidii), taken on August 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Nikon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens.
Photographs of Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) on Butterfly-bush (Buddleia davidii), taken on August 2016, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Nikon 18-55mm lens.
Photograph of Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria), taken August 2016, local woodland path, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
Photograph of Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) on Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) taken July 2016, local field, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D3200, with Nikon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens.
No tricks of Photoshop here. A just by chance combination of depth of field and the angle the butterfly is positioned, and perhaps its dark colouration, gives a three-dimensional impression to this image. I think it does, anyhow. Can anybody else see this, or it just me?
Photograph of Peacock (Inachis io) butterfly, taken August 2007, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2007. Camera used Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W1.
Photographs of Peacock (Inachis io) butterfly, taken May 2012, during a walk in a local field, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2012. Camera used Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38.
Also called the ‘Hedge Brown’, the upper forewing is a rich orange with thick dark brown borders and an eyespot bearing twin highlights (double pupillate). The smaller male has a brown sex brand running diagonally through the centre of the wing. Wingspan 45mm.
The caterpillar feeds on a wide range of grasses.
It flies June to September, and is found in hedgerows, woodland rides and clearings, scrubby grassland, and gardens. The dual common name of this butterfly indicates its common sighting around hedges and field gates. Widespread and common throughout England and Wales, but absent from Scotland and the north of Ireland.
Nature Journeys 