I've got 50 species so far, still a few to go, ... The last few can be the hardest but perhaps re-introductions will help. I had to go up to Scotland for my final one - Chequered Skipper - but since then, I've photographed some in Fineshade Wood, Northants in 2022. I'm not sure which are your last ...

A friend reporting seeing a Brimstone in flight today, during a walk near Ardington, Oxon (near Wantage)

Mike

Like others, I enjoyed reading your retrospective Jack. In comparison, I was a late-comer, largely through photography, where butterflies presented an interesting challenge for obtaining attractive images. It was my son who really caught the 'bug' and encouraged me to photograph all the 'mainstream'...

There have been a number of constraints on me this season which have been outside of my control. These have significantly impacted the number of butterfly outings I have been able to enjoy and severely restricted my time at venues. A superb resumé of your 'butterfly year', Pauline. Despite the cons...

While what Jack says is all true, I'm not sure that it is the problem in your case. The two cameras have the same size of sensor and very similar specifications overall, except that the FZ330 maintains constant aperture across the whole zoom range and also has weather sealing. I looked at the EXIF d...

Even a boring 'Cabbage' White can make a nice photo, so I shall give this one a moment of glory. Photographed on 12th September at Nuneham Arboretum, near Oxford, where it was nectaring on the attractive white flowered shrub Heptacodium miconoides.
Mike

Sorry, not a butterfly but the Hummingbird Hawk-Moth ( Macroglossum stellatarum ) is a species that has been eluding me for years. They seem to have been especially prolific this year, however, even visiting my son's garden in central Reading. My photos were taken in a relative's garden near Salisbu...

Pauline wrote: ↑Thu Aug 18, 2022 8:45 amIf anyone finds them of interest then that is a bonus.

A wonderful collection - browsing through has given me a lot of pleasure, thank you.

Mike

I like your darker-style images too. You could try using a touch of fill-in flash on some of the against-the-light images. I sometimes think flash is at its most useful in bright sunlight, where dark shadows can seem much 'blacker' than in reality. The Jersey Tiger shots are very nice too. My son wa...

I always like to see SSS - where did you find those?

Wonderful emergence sequences, Pauline, and some interesting early stages too. You are obviously having a great season

Mike

I've added a note - in my post - there is no need to go beyond the public access area.

22nd May - Fineshade Wood Northants From the Forest England website https://www.forestryengland.uk/fineshade-wood/chequered-skipper-butterflies " The [Chequered Skipper] butterfly which was previously extinct in England has been successfully breeding in Fineshade Wood. The population is now st...

While, fortunately, the upperside view of a Peacock basking in sunshine is still a frequent sight in UK, I have chosen an underside view. It is an extraordinary result of evolution, to create such a cryptic underside that hides this butterfly so well during its hibernation. peacock_uns-2021a.jpg Mike

I always enjoy seeing that flash of orange when I visit my local Dry Sandford Pit reserve in the Spring. They are always very active, constantly patrolling the cliff face that forms a boundary to the reserve, so photographs always involve a lot of watching and waiting for the brief moments when they...

With both holly and ivy growing in my garden, I can always rely on seeing Holly Blues flitting around throughout the season. They are not so easy to photograph, however, having a knack of perching on top of leaves in inaccessible places! I managed to manoeuvre myself into position for a shot of this...

My butterfly photography has been quite limited this year but I did have a small collection of Green0veined White photos to choose from. I selected this particularly colourful example, taken at my local Dry Sandford Pit reserve in April.
Mike

No problems in choosing: this is the only Gatekeeper I photographed this year. A nice array of spots, though.
Mike

I think those are beautifully created artworks Chris, of which any illustrator would be proud. There are now Field Guides that use modified photographic images to ensure 'realism' of their subjects. I think yours have considerable artistic merit and you should be proud of them

Mike

As someone who believes that post processing is an integral part of photography, I'm always aware of the potential for taking things too far! Way back in film days, techniques such as 'dodging and burning' were part of the photo printer's art and, indeed, the preparation of a good print was consider...