Nymphalid riot

The buddleias are now in full bloom in the garden, and buzzing with bumblebees, droneflies and butterflies. Today it was a particularly wonderful day for butterflies. Eight species were feeding, or passing by the garden, but the 5 Peacocks on one buddleia at the same time must have been a first. A Comma and a Small Tortoiseshell accompanied them at some point. A Speckled Wood fluttered by the garden, not settling long enough for a photo. The three common white species were about, some egg laying and a darting skipper - which didn't settle either made an appearance too.
 The Peacocks spend most of the time feeding on the buddleias, occasionally settling on the wall or the ground for a spot of sunbathing. The Small Tortoiseshell sat on top of the fence, allowing me to take a photo of it at an unusual angle.
A great day for a Big Butterfly Count too.

Peacock underside, such an amazing contrast between the brightly coloured upper wing colours.

Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell together

Two of the five Peacocks feeding on the buddleia

Large white

Small White

Sunbathing on the ground

Comma, showing the paler underside of the summer generation

Comma

Bright brimstone

The sun came out in the afternoon after a grey start, so I went again to my local wildlife garden for a Big Butterfly Count. Although I was disappointed not to see Ringlets or Gatekeepers, the fact that I found the Brown Argus again - this time two individuals - and this fresh male Brimstone made up for it big time. Brimstones, Gonepteryx rhamni, are beautiful, but frustrating butterflies. In the last three years I've seen 13 individuals, and until today, I had only managed to get very distant shots of two of them, the rest flew and flew non stop. The Brimstone hibernates as an adult and is a long lived butterfly. The adults emerge at the end of July or early August, and they can live up to 10 months. Compared this with the few weeks (4 days on average) that Brown Argus can live.
 This male Brimstone fed on Hemp Agrimony for quite a while, and then moved on to buddleias. It was so content feeding that I could get very close for shots. Brimstones have long tongues and they can feed even on Teasels, which have very deep corolas. While in flight, the Brimstone is very visible, but once it lands, its yellow-green colour and the asymmetric dots on its wings give it has a fantastic camouflage, appearing to be a droopy, yellowing leaf.

The Big Butterfly Count. There is time until the 7th of August if you haven't done one. You only need 15 minutes in a sunny spell.

A celebration of butterflies

I have gone through my files and made a selection of common butterflies to celebrate these beautiful insects in anticipation of the Big Butterfly Count, that starts tomorrow (16th to 31st of July) . This year it will last two weeks so there is more chances you can be out during good butterfly weather. You need to count what butterflies - and moths - you see in 15 minutes during a sunny spell. You can complete as many surveys as you want - from different days or different places - and you have time until the end of August to submit your records online. Click in the photo to start the slideshow.