Nick Broomer

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Nick, just catching up on your diary. I don't think I can really add anything to what has already been said other than WOW!!

Brilliant stuff

Cheers,

Neil.

[Nick Broomer]

Hi Neil,

thank you for your complimentary comments, appreciated.

Female Orange-tip.

[Maximus]

Hi Nick, stunning images in your latest series of diary entries

Mike

[Nick Broomer]

Hi Mike,

Nice to hear from you again, i hope you and Cath are both well. And thank you for your kind comments. Appreciated.

All the best, Nick.

[Nick Broomer]

Green-veined White...

[Wurzel]

Stunning shots of the OT Nick and the in flight Green-veined is fabulous

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

I'll second that, love both photographs Nick Goldie

[Nick Broomer]

Thank you Wurzel and Goldie for your generous comments. Appreciated.

As some of you know the Wood White is one of my favourite butterflies and, one that i have been studying over the last few years.

When the ovum is first laid it is white.

Then after five days the ovum turns yellow, [this could be light refraction]

After eight days it reverts to being white [again this could be light refraction],

. I found this particular Wood White's ovum, which after five days has turned orange and stayed that way until the caterpillar hatched.

The resulting larva on hatching is orange as well.

[Chris Jackson]

Once again some great photos Nick.
Could the difference in coloring have something to do with the sex of the butterfly ?
Chris

[Nick Broomer]

Hi Chris,

thank you for your comments. Appreciated.

As a particular colour being related to either male or female, is completely unfounded. The orange larva is the offspring of the 2nd brood Wood White, and can be either sex. The white larva i found as far as my research tells me is a fluke of nature, and the only one i have found. The 1st instar Wood White larva, offspring of the 1st brood is totally different as depicted in the photo below.

All the best, Nick.

[Nick Broomer]

An insight into the life of Chiddingfold Wood's Wood White.

These are all my own observations, opinions and photographs of the Wood Whites within Chiddingfold Wood.

All photographs are the sole copyright of Nick Broomer, and written permission must be obtained for the use of any of my photographs.

Part one...Getting to know the Wood White

The smallest of our native Whites, this dainty butterfly can be found floating up and down the woodland rides and, with it's awkward unbalanced flight is quite unmistakable. But if you get up close and personal, the Wood White's flying ability is far from unbalanced and awkward. But an extremely capable, agile flyer of the highest level. This butterfly spends most of it's life weaving it's way through/between thick vegetation or just above it, and how often do you see Wood Whites with large chunks missing from their wings?, probably never, or at least i can say i never have, a small tear, yes. Their flying ability totally suiting their way of life. As the following couple of photos depict, with this female flying low through the vegetation, she looks almost certain to collide with the grass stems, but with only a couple of millimetres between her and the vegetation her wings are stretched to the limit, slowing her speed, then before you can blink an eyelid she going up and over, what flying, brilliant.

There are two broods a year, the 1st brood fly from late April to late June and sometimes [but quite rarely] into early July. The 2nd brood normally fly from the first week July [between 5th-7th] until late August and have been known to fly even in the first few days of September but, this is again a rarity. With both broods the flying dates can vary, all depending on the great English weather, [and we all know how changeable that can be].

The 1st brood differ from the 2nd brood, in that the 1st brood Wood White's wings are what i call dirty,

[Like this 1st brood female in the above photo]
compared to the cleaner and certainly whiter wings of the 2nd brood, as depicted in the following photo of a 2nd brood male,

[nowhere near as many grey spots]. Also with the 2nd brood, the upper part of the legs can be totally naked of hair but,[Next photo]

this does not occur with every summer brood. Another not so obvious difference between the 1st and 2nd broods, is the black markings/spots situated on the top corners of the upper side of the forewings. The markings on the 1st brood male's wings

[as depicted in the next photo] are grey in colour, whilst the females have a slightly lighter spot; [no photo]. 2nd brood males have a black mark, fading around the edges to grey,[next photo]

whilst the females are very faint or totally absent as seen in the following picture.

The easiest way to distinguish the male from the female is by the antenna, the males having white tips to the antenna, [even though i am lead to believe that the white tips to the antenna appear with age, which i dispute]

This photo depicts a very fresh male with white tips to the antenna

And in this photo the male is quite old and worn, but the tips to the antenna are still white. The female's antenna are black in colour,

As shown in this photo with this very fresh female. the male's eyes are also larger than that of the female. Also the coloration of the male's eyes can vary from a blueish tint to a light purple background colour with black and grey spots. [its possible the purple colouring effect could be caused by light refraction, but i have only found this purple coloration in males and, never in females no matter what light conditions occur on any particular day, time of day etc. ]

This photo was taken into the sun.

Whilst this photo was taken in the evening in poor light. The females are normally a light blue, and on the very rare occasion a light green.

To be continued...

[Wurzel]

Stunning shots and fascinating information Nick

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Some cracking images again there, Nick, and yes, you're quite right, Wood Whites never seem to suffer from torn wings, although that is largely true of Brimstones too, which is another species that spends most of its time in flight and always settles with wings closed.

[bugboy]

WOW (Officially lost for words now)

[Nick Broomer]

Many thanks wurzel, David and Buggy for your kind comments. As always, appreciated.

An insight into the life of Chiddingfold Wood's Wood White.

Part two...Getting to know the Wood White continued.

The male spending most of it's life hunting down females in which to mate, [as illustrated in the following photo]

only stopping to nectar, or to chase off any other males he comes across on his travels. As shown in the following pictures.

Males are often found taking in salts and minerals [quick way of replenishing their energy levels] normally before and after copulation as mating depletes a great deal of the males energy, from either damp moss, muddy patches of soil, and even the waste products of animals, [their poo] this behaviour is more commonly observed in the afternoon.Depicted in the next two photos.

The females do not fly about as much as the opposite sex, but once mated and ready to lay her ovum they are continually flying, looking for suitable plants on which to lay her eggs, as shown in the following sequence of a female flying through the vegetation.

Males are found in far greater numbers than females in both the 1st and 2nd broods.

To be continued.........

[Goldie M]

All those Wood White's Nick and I've not seen one yet

Your photos are lovely, I've heard of the Wood and plan to go there,( hope fully this year) if I get there my photos will have to be pretty good to compare with yours Goldie

[David M]

What equipment are you using to take such clear, in flight shots, Nick?

[Nick Broomer]

Thank you Goldie and David for your comments, as always appreciated.

Goldie i hope you do make it down to Chiddingfold Wood to see the Wood whites, brilliant little butterfly. If you send me a P.M. closer to the time of your visit, i will give you details of all the best sites within the wood.

David, its not the camera that takes the picture but, the person behind it, and his knowledge of the subject. I have spent so much time studying this butterfly so that i could write an article worthy of the beautiful Wood White. To capture it's life, then i had to understand the way they flew in order to capture these shots of them in flight. Of course you need a little luck, but most of it is skill and understanding it. But to answer your Question. The same camera equipment i use for all my butterfly photography, a Canon EOS 700D with a Sigma 150 macro lens attached.

All the best to you both, Nick.

[Nick Broomer]

An insight into the life of Chiddingfold Wood's Wood White.

Part three... Roosting Wood Whites

Wood Whites can be found roosting during the day in unsuitable flying conditions, as well as the normal time of early evening on a hot summers day. From a few metres high to as low as just a couple of millimetres off the ground, all depending on the weather, whether its overcast and cold, raining or a warm night. A common flower where they can be found resting is Greater Stitchwort but, otherwise just about any plant will do,
like Bluebells,

unopened leaf buds,

grass of any description etc.

These roosting butterflies are easy to find, except when its bitterly cold or raining, when they hide themselves low down in thick vegetation beneath over hanging branches. I have also found them taking shelter a few metres into the woods when raining, the tree canopy helping to keep the rain off, like a giant umbrella. They can normally be found roosting singly, but can be found in small groups of three or four in number, and when in small groups preferring a dead piece of vegetation, i.e. Bracken, or a old Bramble flower from the year before, to nestle down for the night, as seen in the next photo.

To be continued..

[Goldie M]

Fantastic photos again Nick, I may just take you up on that offer when we've sorted our travel times out. Goldie