Nick Broomer

[Nick Broomer]

Life cycle of a Clouded Yellow, continued.

Clouded Yellow pupa 022_4.jpg

2nd day into pupation.

Clouded Yellow pupa 089_4.jpg

3rd day, pupation complete.

Clouded Yellow pupa 217-7_1.jpg

This photo shows how well camouflaged the pupa would be in the wild.

[Wurzel]

The photos in this series just keep getting better and better Nick and that last one is sublime, the effectiveness of the mimicry is wondrous , there certainly is grandeur in this view of life I can't wait to see what happens next...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Nick Broomer]

Thank you for your very kind comments Wurzel, much appreciated. The secret lives of these insects really fascinate me in the way that they live, so i`m glad you are enjoying these posts.

All the best, Nick.

[Nick Broomer]

Life cycle of a Clouded Yellow, continued.

pupalarva 009_4.jpg

5 days before emerging.

pupa 003_5.jpg

4 days before emerging.

pupas 071_3.jpg

3 days before emerging.

pupass 022_2.jpg

About 44 hours before emerging.

[David M]

This is wonderful. I hope the next set will be posted tomorrow?

[Nick Broomer]

Thank you David for your kind comments, as always appreciated.

All the best, Nick.

[Nick Broomer]

Life cycle of a Clouded Yellow, final part.

Clouded Yellow empty pupa case 001.jpg

Empty pupa membrane.

Clouded Yellow just emerged 008_2.jpg

Newly emerged female Clouded Yellow.

[David M]

Lovely specimen. I can only surmise that you weren't present for those 'inbetween' moments?

Nevertheless, what you have posted is a wonderful commentary. Thanks for sharing.

[Nick Broomer]

Thank you for your very kind comments again David, its really appreciated. You surmised correctly about not being present for `those inbetween`moments. Work got in the way of proceedings as usual, and right at the most important stage, the emergence, but at least i managed to get all the other sequence of photos to make this life cycle worth while. Maybe another time.

All the best, Nick.

[Maximus]

Lovely series of photos of the life cycle of a Clouded Yellow Nick

Mike

[Wurzel]

Absolutely fantastic finale and what a cracker she is, well worth the patience and looking after I'll bet
So what species are you trying for this year?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Nick Broomer]

Thank you Mike and Wurzel for you kind comments, much appreciated.

Wurzel, i have no idea as yet to what species i will be doing a life cycle report on later this year. I have a couple of butterflies in mind that i would like to study, but i will just have to wait and see what materializes.

I still have the life cycle of the Small White to post, with a couple of surprises thrown in. I will start the report as soon as i start to sort the photos out.

All the best, Nick.

[William]

Absolutely magnificent Hideandseek - I have thoroughly enjoyed every instalment, I particularly like the pupa a few hours before emergence, just brilliant .

[Nick Broomer]

Hi William,

Thank you so much for your very kind comments, really appreciated.

All the best, Nick.

[Neil Freeman]

Great stuff Nick and superb images, I really enjoyed following the sequence

Cheers,

Neil.

[Nick Broomer]

Hi Neil,

Thank you for your kind comments, as always appreciated. I`m really pleased that you and a few others enjoyed my life cycle of a Clouded Yellow. Not the easiest of projects to undertake, especially when one has to work.
Apart from the emergence of the butterfly i only missed one photo of the pupa, 24 hours before the hatching of the butterfly. Due to it raining. I wanted to make sure that all the photos were taken in the same light conditions, [outdoors] to achieve the correct colours of the subject at any stage of the life cycle, which i believe i have achieved, including the newly emerged butterfly.

So thank you all again for your comments.

All the best, Nick.

[Nick Broomer]

Here are a collection of some of my favourite wing shots, so a little teaser. Can you put the correct name to the butterfly wings, or in some cases a small section of the wing as in a couple of the photos. Some of them are very easy, some not. And are they male or female?

3.8.2013 062-13_5.jpg

7.7.2013 CW 215-1_3.jpg

3.9.2013 084-2_1.jpg

11.7.2012 C.W. 029-2_2.jpg

11.8.2013 CW 071-1_2.jpg

18.8.2013 032.jpg

IMG_9968-3_3.jpg

31.7.2013 116-5_8.jpg

[David M]

Can you put the correct name to the butterfly wings, or in some cases a small section of the wing as in a couple of the photos. Some of them are very easy, some not. And are they male or female?

Going to make a fool of myself but here goes:

1. Clouded Yellow male
2. Brimstone male
3. White Admiral (no idea which gender....or even if it's a WA!)
4. Purple Emperor male (only because females are so seldom photographed)
5. Clouded Yellow female
6. Large White (again, I'm unsure of the gender)
7. Silver Washed Fritillary? (again I'll say male because they're more ubiquitous)
8. Common Blue female (Brown Argus a possibility)

[Nick Broomer]

David, you certainly have not made a fool of yourself. You have five correct answers, including the sex of the butterfly. So well done. I will tell you that number 3 is wrong, [by a mile] but it is the most difficult one there. The section of the wing in photo no. 3 is only about 1/20th of the actual wing, which is in pristine condition. The two other answers that were incorrect, you have the right family, but the wrong butterfly.

All the best, Nick.

[William]

Could 3 be a Pearl Bordered Fritillary, and 8 a Chalkhill Blue (male)? All are lovely photos .