Tag Archive for: Butterflies

Miniature Miracles of Nature

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I love exploring different wild locations and I find that just as every season brings different natural delights, so these pockets of wilderness have a varying character throughout the year. The local wood is at its most vibrant in April when the bluebells are in full bloom, and the meadow next door takes on its own carpet of colour a few weeks later when the cowslips, cuckoo flower and green winged orchids are at their finest. By contrast, the small patch of marsh just down the road is at its best now in my opinion. There are all sorts of lovely species which call it home throughout the year, but the summer months see a series of colours adorn the anthills and a wonderful buzz in the air. Essentially it is little more than a small field, albeit rather boggy at one end. The abundance of species in this small area is quite astounding though, and considering it’s right next to a train line it is a surprisingly peaceful spot. There is little I enjoy more than a quiet wander through the wildflowers taking in the small wonders around me. I thought that I would share some of the miniature miracles I have found there with you.

I had already found my favourite flower there, the Bee Orchid, blooming as beautifully as ever among the meadow grasses and somehow always tricky to spot despite its lovely colouring. The next thing which drew my attention was a smaller flower still, the delicate bloom of Fairy Flax, plentiful yet unobtrusive among the brighter buttercups.

 

Fairy-Flax

 

It wasn’t long before I spotted another type of orchid, the Greater Twayblade. This flower spike had an ant exploring each flower. There was still dew underfoot so I’m not sure whether it was drinking moisture or looking for nectar.

 

Ant-&-Twayblade

 

I have already mentioned that I like looking for the small things and finding beauty in the minute details. There are few flowers smaller than those of Cleavers (also know to many as Goose Grass or Sticky Weed). The tiny hooks on the seed capsules that allow it to be dispersed by wildlife and humans alike are barely shorter than the petals on these tiny blossoms.

 

Cleavers

 

There were other splashes of colour too including patches of Speedwell and sprawling Forget-Me-Nots which seemed to favour the anthills.

 

Speedwell

 

Most of the meadow was a wonderful shade of yellow which shone in the sunshine. Buttercups were the main contributor and this one had a visitor in the shape of a Marmalade Hoverfly.

 

Marmalade-Hoverfly

There was a wonderful carpet of Yellow Rattle too which added to the golden glow. There were Common Blue butterflies flitting around but never stopping to settle. A male Orange Tip flew past at high speed but it was a Small White that finally gave me a photo opportunity.

 

Small-White-&-Yellow-Rattle

 

While I was crouched to take photos of the butterfly I spotted a Thick Legged Flower Beetle and was just preparing to take a picture when it decided it wasn’t in the mood and flew off. Sadly for me this sort of thing happens all too often but my disappointment was very short lived as I immediately spotted this pair that were in a bit of a predicament!

 

Flower-beetles

 

Hopefully they managed to sort themselves out eventually but I didn’t get the chance to stick around long enough to find out!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my brief tour of a favourite spot, perhaps you will notice some of the smaller details next time you’re out and marvel at the miniature miracles of nature which we normally walk right past.

 

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Beautiful British butterflies

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Recently, I read a wonderful book called The Butterfly Isles by Patrick Barkham (I would highly recommend it if you haven’t already come across it!). The author describes his personal challenge to see every British species of butterfly in one year and I found it gripping reading. There is something intrinsically joyful about seeing the first beautiful British butterflies of the new year on the wing and Patrick captures that wonderfully in his writing. The book also inspired me on a personal level; that is not to say that I intend to try and follow in his footsteps, but it did make me realise that there are quite a few species which I haven’t seen before, be it in Britain or at all. Had this book reached the hands of reputed graphic novel illustrators, I’m sure they might have been able to create wonderful magic with this particular story.

The first to emerge are those who have braved the winter elements and survived their hibernation. Among them Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and Peacock as well as the original butter-coloured-fly, the Brimstone. Having endured the autumn and winter they have a tendency to look a little ragged around the edges but despite seeming so fragile it is staggering that they appear quite able to continue relatively unhindered.

 

Comma

 

Brimstone

Next to arrive on the scene are the first new butterflies which have over-wintered as caterpillars or pupae. Unlike their tattered counterparts, they are fresh and almost sparkling in their newness. One of my favourites is the Orange Tip. I’m not certain that I could sum up why in words, I just love them. Strangely though, despite having been a familiar sight for me since my childhood days I still have yet to photograph a male. The females are just as beautiful but are, I think, a little easier to photograph as they seem to sit still longer than the males.

 

Female-Orange-Tip

 

The next butterfly I thought I should be looking out for was the Holly Blue, a species that I had never managed to find before. To be honest I wasn’t even sure where to look, but there were a few reports on social media appearing so I knew that the time was right. Then one afternoon while sitting in the sunshine with my husband in our garden he pointed out a small blue butterfly flitting around above our heads. Needless to say I nearly fell out of my chair in my effort to get my camera, but the photo was not to be as it had disappeared by the time I came back outside. Since that day around a fortnight ago there have been several more in the garden and they have been taunting me but I still haven’t got the image I want. I will have to persevere!

The following day though I visited a local nature reserve briefly and was astonished to find a group of people clustered in one area (I’d never been there at the same time as anyone else before let alone a group!). On further investigation they were butterfly hunting and with some success. They had found another butterfly that I had never seen before in the UK, the Grizzled Skipper. I didn’t even realise that it was a suitable spot for them but I will definitely remember in future! It was much smaller than I had remembered but I managed a couple of photos and met some great people too.

 

Grizzled-Skipper

 

So, as far as this year goes with butterflies I am off to a good start and what’s even better is that I’ve not travelled further than 5 miles from home! I am looking forward to the rest of the summer and all the other exciting species to come.

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