White Admiral - Favourite Photo of 2011

[Vince Massimo]

This is a thread in which to post your favourite photo(s) of a particular species taken in 2011...................or the last time you saw one!

This is part of a series which has grown throughout the winter and will eventually cover all 58 British species. Only two species are being introduced this week, with the remaining two saved for next week. Our overseas friends are welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to our rare migrants.

Details of places, dates, times and circumstances would be appreciated and please feel free to contribute observations of behaviour, personal encounters, anecdotes and other interesting points.

Vince

[marmari]

I reckon that the White Admiral must be one of the most elegant of British butterflies
My pic dates from the 3rd july(2010, sorry) and was taken at Firestone Copse,Wootton,on the Isle of Wight.it was a beautiful summers day and the butterflies were out in force.

[johnv]

Definitely one of my favourite butterflies.

[ChrisC]

this is an easy one for me, had a great time with white admirals at a local wood but one of my butterfly highlights this year was this visitor (brief a visit though it was) to the garden.

[Wurzel]

I am very envious of you now John - I have tried for the last two years to try and get the gorgeous underwing shot of White Admiral - I thought I had it at Garston Wood this year but the a Valesina appeared to distract me
That said I saw them plenty of times this year, including at Garston Wood for the first time, but they weren't as obliging as last year (and nowhere near as obliging as for Chris ). Still this is my favourite shot as it was taken at Bentley Wood on the same day as my fave Purple Harstreak - it was Father's Day and so that was as good a reason as any to have our Sunday jaunt to a place where there were some cracking butterflies. When I got home I uploaded my photos and sat there reliving the day with a nice bottle of Badger.

As we're coming to the end of the British List I am becoming increasingly worried about how I will cope for the next couple of months until the butterflies start appearing in numbers, my patience is wearing thin and I'm wishing the days away...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[MikeOxon]

I have to go back to 2010 as well, since I only got one photo in 2011 and the specimen was too tatty to call a 'favourite'

There seemed to be several with reduced markings (ab. obliterae) at Fermyn Woods when I visited in July 2010 so i was pleased to get something a little 'different'.

Fermyn Woods - 9th July 2010
Nikon D300s with Tamron 90mm - 1/180s@f/6.7 ISO400

Mike

[millerd]

The White Admiral season was early in 2011, as with many species, and they definitely seemed a bit thin on the ground too. Consequently my trips to Botany Bay didn't provide any photos of gleaming new butterflies as they had the year before. However, I did manage this one from Strawberry Wood, Black Park (next to Pinewood Studios) on 1st July. I had watched this individual flitting around some honeysuckle in the shade, but out of range of a photo - I suspected egg-laying, and eventually it emerged into sunshine close by and I'm pretty certain it was a female. There seems to be a lot of velvety texture and depth to the black colouring on this one - not remotely a uniform black at all.

Dave

[Neil Freeman]

I saw White Admirals at a few places around the midlands in 2011 including Oversley Wood, Grafton Wood, Ryton Wood and Snitterfield Bushes, but usually only one or two each time.

I never did get a photo showing the topside that I was happy with but did manage to get a couple of underside shots that I like.

The first one was taken at Oversley Wood towards the end of June. I particularly like the way the light is coming through the wings from the far side.

White Admiral - Oversley Wood

and this one at Fermyn Wood when I went there to look for Purple Emperors in the first week of July.

White Admiral - Fermyn Wood

Cheers,

Neil F.