I.Ds please :)

[Jop]

I'm pretty new to butterflies so you'll have to forgive me if these are really obvious. To be honest I'm afraid of them, and moths. All I managed at Bristol Zoo's butterfly house was opening the doors lol. I don't mind looking at them but not when they're flying round my face or at me or near me etc.
Managed to get these pictures when the weather was really nice last week, thank god for a 20x zoom eh? Means I didn't have to get overly near lol...

[Shirley Roulston]

You have taken a beautiful Orange Tip and the lower photo, a Speckled Wood. Welcome to this web-site. Butterflies are gentle creatures.
Regards Shirley

[Jop]

Thanks

Am I right in saying that its a male Orange Tip?

[Shirley Roulston]

I'm not 100 per cent sure, you'd better wait for one of the other members to answer that, sorry. When the wings were open did it have orange tips?
Regards Shirley

[Jop]

Yeah I think so, tbh I was lucky to get the photo... None of the butterflies I saw wanted to stay still for me
Someone suggested "stunning" them by tapping their heads?? This sounds a bit cruel though...

[Shirley Roulston]

If you tap their heads you'll have to touch them and if you do they will fly away then you won't get any photos at all. Their less active in the morning and evening but I wouldn't recommend tapping them on the head, its cruel.
Shirley

[Pete Eeles]

Thanks

Am I right in saying that its a male Orange Tip?

Hi Jop - this looks like a female Orange-tip to me. Even with the wings closed, the make typically shows a hint of orange.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Inachisio]

Anthocharis cardamines and Pararge aegeria f. tircis.

[Padfield]

Yeah I think so, tbh I was lucky to get the photo... None of the butterflies I saw wanted to stay still for me
Someone suggested "stunning" them by tapping their heads?? This sounds a bit cruel though...

'Someone' was having a joke! This method would not work!

With common and/or easily identified butterflies, patience, skill and luck are the only worthy tools of the trade. With rare and tricky species (which in England means essentially just pale clouded yellow/Berger's pale clouded yellow, if you're lucky enough to come across one of those) I occasionally net the butterfly and place it in a plastic box in a cool dark place for some minutes. It rapidly cools down and becomes still and amenable. It can then be photographed, upperside and underside, for record purposes, and released unharmed.

Guy