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Small White - Favourite Photo of 2023

Week 18
Not long to go now! Time to check the final selection for the overall Fave but don’t forget the last few species!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Small White

This was taken back at the end of April. It reminds me of a frustrating weather day which eventually came good. It had been sunny all morning and then, camera in hand, I stepped out of the door the clouds conjured themselves out of nothing and put a dampener on my lunch time foray. Luckily as I watched this Small White flutter weakly across the grass the sun managed a few rays so I was able to get some shots without the perennial problem of bleaching. The light was just strong enough to highlight the lemon wing tips and the gorgeous black/grey scales peppered across the lemon under wing. It was enough to banish the glum and return the cheer.
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Taken at work in August. Not often you see two at rest that aren't joined in cop, they were both males too.

Plenty of Small Whites in the area, in the garden, and particularly along the River Chelmer. I managed to get some lovely images too. I reduced the choice to 4, but decided to add the following as they were a little different from the usual ones of bathing and nectaring. Firstly, a couple performing their function at Hazeleigh Wood, Essex during the beginning of July:
And a lucky in-flight shot [2 years in a row now] from later in the year. Not surprisingly, this is never planned as I am using an iPhone 11 plus. It just happens when I disturb and click just at the right time with a great deal of fortune:
And I saw my final Small White, quite a fresh-looking one, nectaring on dandelions on the 19th of October.

Not many photos of these this year - there were enough of them around, but most were quite active and I must admit to not going to quite the same lengths as I would with some other species. This one in early August, at a local country park near Epsom, settled nectaring for long enough to be added to the gallery.
As did this one, on a rather flashier nectar source at the RHS Wisley gardens in early October.

The Small White were very plentiful in my Garden last year , it was definitely a good year for them, my photo was taken on the 15th of July in my Back Garden Goldie

If you plant some common candytuft you might get Southern Small White soon, Goldie!

Sorry, think I posted a wrong photo up there - the first one's a Green-veined White, innit? Must pay more attention.

This rather unusual specimen was my pick of 2023, from the Botanic Gardens of Wales on 7th September:

Small Whites had a very slow start around here in 2023 and spring brood numbers remained low. I still managed to take some of my favourite photos in the spring however.
Numbers in the summer were a bit better but they didn't really take off until later in the year. By then they were much more active in the warmer weather making them much more difficult to approach unless some cloud slowed them down for a bit.
Cheers,

Neil.