... Please could someone state that they took one of those photos with an extremely affordable camera or even on a phone. That would lift my spirits even more. First off, welcome to the forum and I hope you will enjoy your new hobby although, be warned, it can be very addictive :) I will try to lif...

I had just started to write "No luck with photography so far", when my wife called that there was a Red Admiral basking on an arch in the garden! It was in an awkward position but I managed to get some shots by holding my camera high above it and hoping for the best. The air was cool and t...

I notice I was not alone in having to turn to a non-butterfly subject for this thread. Perhaps it needs a better focus for next year.

May I suggest photos of favourite butterfly habitats/sites, for example?

Mike

I seem to have 'shot my bolt' regarding butterfly photos during the species-specific topics, so hope I am not breaking too many rules by posting a non-butterfly photo in this section. One of my current interests in photography lies in photographing miniature orchids from my wife's collection. These ...

Saw my first Brimstone today, around noon in a relative's south-facing garden in Andover.

Mike

After some hesitation, I chose this particular shot because I think it brings out the contrasty and colourful markings associated with ssp. insula , which is endemic to the isles of Scilly. This photo was taken on St.Martin’s, on a very memorable bright and sunny day, while we were enjoying lunch on...

Like my earlier post of Green-veined Whites, this photo was taken during a search for Brown Hairstreaks along the Roman Road at Otmoor, Oxon. It is one of several photos of this butterfly that I took at the time, which indicated how rapid changes in lighting can make a dramatic difference to the sho...

There are only 11 resident species of butterflies on the Isles of Scilly, so I was pleased to spot this Small Tortoiseshell nectaring on a small patch of flowers in a corner of a field on St. Martin’s. Although the weather at the time was very wet on the mainland, the islands were basking in brillia...

As a result of BT almost doubling their charges for web-hosting, my website will close early in February. If there are any items that you find of interest, i suggest you copy them soon, for your future personal use. I have not yet decided whether I will create another site with a different provider ...

This is one from a short sequence of shots I took on Bald Hill, which is at the quiet Western end of the Aston Rowant reserve, well away from the noise of M40 traffic. I especially like the clarity of the silver spots in this photograph.
Mike

This is another shot from my Niece’s wild garden in Somerset. I like the way in which the Ringlet’s dark colouring provides good camouflage, whereas the Gatekeeper in the background looks so much brighter. It’s a photo that needs a second look!
Mike

A few more New Year's Eve party drinks and I'm not sure I'll be either good or upstanding but ...

Happy New Year anyway

Mike

I notice that several of these photos show double spots on the forewings. Is this a variation that is increasing in abundance? The old adage that MB had one spot and Gatekeeper two seems to be less reliable than it was.

Mike

I always enjoy my first visit of the year to Dry Sandford Pit reserve, in the village of Cothill, not far from my home. The butterflies love the sun-soaked 'cliff face' of the old quarry, there. The butterflies were out early in 2019, so I got my first 'fix' before the end of February. I shall hope ...

Even though I didn't do much 'butterflying' this year, there are some species that one almost can't help bumping into. This Meadow Brown was visiting my Niece's wild garden near Yeovil.
Mike

My favourite is another photo from a splendid holiday on the Scilly Isles. The islands are not a great butterfly location, with only 11 resident species, but Holly Blues were out in good numbers during our stay.
Mike

My photo was taken on a late-August day when my Son joined me in a hunt for Brown Hairstreak along the Roman Road from Beckley onto Otmoor. We only managed one sighting of a single very worn individual but, by way of compensation, I spotted this mating pair of GvW along the path that runs along the ...

Mnay thanks for your friendly comments, Paul, Wurzel, and David.

I've now transferred the rest of my natural history website to http://www.botanicdesign.co.uk/Natural% ... y/home.htm but it needs a lot of updating. Another indoor task for the winter

Mike

Until very recently, I have had a small natural history website, hosted by BT. Unfortunately, BT have now ceased offing free website hosting, so I have had to move selected pages to a different location. You can now find my 'Butterflies' pages at http://www.botanicdesign.co.uk/Butterflies/butterfl.h...

Perhaps it's not a very good butterfly photo but it reminds me of a splendid day in my Niece's wild garden, where the flowers always attract many species, including Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns, and Ringlets.
Mike