Favourite Photo of 2014

[Wurzel]

Week 20 - the grand finale!

The time has come, with the 20 weeks of 'Favourite Species Shots' all over and dealt with, today is the opportunity to showcase your favourite SINGLE image (or video) of 2014. As like last year there are no restictions on species, subject or location. Also like last year 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

[Wurzel]

Overall Favourite of 2014

A couple of apologies to start with. First sorry as I have finally given in to temptation and have posted first. Second sorry if my choice could be considered as 'rubbing it in' but this will be the last time I post about this particular butterfly...

‘Number 56’ had to be my favourite really It is my favourite shot of the year as it was a first for me and it was taken on a pretty awesome day and when I see the image I’m taken right back there to the day. Also the more I see it the more convinced I become that the species should be renamed the “56er”.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Nick Broomer]

It has to be this photo of mating Orange-tips, because it was the first time i had realised that this species sometimes mated overnight. They were joined for at least fourteen hours, Which must be a world record for this species.

[bugboy]

A really tough choice but I think my favourite is this one of a very friendly male Adonis Blue from Box Hill on 20th August. It was one of my target species since I re-awakened my love of photographing butterflies in the summer and one of my first trips to Box Hill. I was overjoyed when I came across this obviously freshly emerged individual who allowed me to get a good set of pictures before he flittered off in search for his first female.

[downland boy]

My favourite image of 2014 is of this Raft Spider (Dolomedes fimbriatus). This one was feeling for the vibrations of any approaching prey by holding its feet under the water. I'm not that relaxed in the company of large spiders but this one was a handsome creature.

[Nick Broomer]

Great photo downland boy.

All the best, Nick.

[Vince Massimo]

My favourite is not necessarily the best image I have ever taken of a Red Admiral, but it is the most memorable because it was taken on Christmas Day and became my latest ever sighting of any species.

Red Admiral - Crawley, Sussex 25-Dec-2014

I was really expecting many more sightings to be reported that day because the weather was fantastic, but I suppose that most people had other things to do. Fortunately, because the site is only 5 minutes from home, I managed to sneak away and get back to the sprouts before anybody missed me .

Vince

[David M]

My favourite image of 2014 wasn't a particularly good one; it's just that feeling you get when you finally 'corner' a species that you've yearned to see for a long time - Apollo in the French Alps:

Following close behind for the very same reason was this male Cynthia's Fritillary:

As far as being satisfied with the clarity of subject matter goes, this image of a Purple Edged Copper on the same trip comes out top:

From a UK perspective, this Adonis Blue taken on 8th August at Swellshill Bank, near Stroud, was particularly attractive, since it was so recently emerged that it had a 'two-tone' lustre to it that I had never seen before:

[Nick Broomer]

Hi David,

lovely photos, Especially the Apollo, and the Purple-edged Copper.

All the best, Nick.

[Tony Moore]

I'm torn between two. This female Common Blue, which was the 'bluest' I've ever seen:

And this male Aetherie Fritillary from Portugal, as it was the result of a carefully planned pilgrimage to see this wonderful butterfly:

.

Scarce Fritillary is my main target for 2015.

Tony M.

[downland boy]

Thanks Nick, glad you liked the spider photo.

I must say that I have enjoyed looking at everyones contributions to these threads over the winter months; there have been some lovely shots appearing.

Not too long to wait now for that first Holly Blue or Speckled Wood fluttering along the hedges in my garden.

All the best, Downland boy

[Goldie M]

I'd like to say ' THANKS " Wurzel for all the time you've taken with the the Favourites Postings, I've really enjoyed and looked forward to posting each week, it's certainly makes the Winter seem shorter and it's great to see all the lovely photo's people have taken through the year, more so the " where and when" the photos were taken

I've looked through my shots and I think the most memorable one is the Speckled Wood I saw at Gaits Barrow which tricked her suitor by playing dead Photo taken 16th June
I also loved the courtship of the Brimstones, photo also taken at Gaits Barrow 16th May they were so caught up in chasing the Female they didn't notice when she slipped a way Goldie

[Chris Jackson]

Thanks for running the show this winter Wurzel, it did keep my moral up, although down here I should be the last to complain.

Some excellent photos above - all of them in fact.
I love the toe-dipping spider - that's original.
David's "Cynthia's" is particularly remarkable.

Here are a few of my favourites from 2014, most of them born from an obsession to get decent open-wing shots out of my Panasonic FZ150
Provence Orange Tip, female, April in Marseilles

Cleopatra, female, June in Marseilles

Cleopatra, male, June in Marseilles

An unlikely pair - Berger's Clouded Yellow male + normal Clouded Yellow female form helice, October in Vitrolles, near Marseilles

Lesser Purple Emperor, July in the Massif Central, France

Chris

[David M]

Nice stuff, Chris.

I hope I'll finally get to spend some time with Provence Orange Tips when I visit Var after Easter!

[bugboy]

Some brilliant pictures there of some fantastic butterflies David, I've always wanted to see the Cynthias Fritillary since I first saw a picture of one in a book as a kid, still not happened though!

[millerd]

I am hopeless at choosing between so many - searching back through the year brings back all the associated memories of sunny days, lovely bits of countryside and some amazing insects. This selection are among my favourites from a pretty good year.

29th April Stanwell Moor

14th May Denbies Hillside

14th May Denbies Hillside

17th June Whitecross Green Wood

7th August Bedfont Lakes CP

9th September Bedfont Lakes CP

5th October Stanwell Moor

11th October Stanwell Moor

I could equally well have posted half a dozen splendid Red Admirals!

Dave

[CFB]

Two of my favourite photos from last year concern two first-ever sightings.

From June 15 to July 2 there were Spanish Festoon (Zerynthia rumina) larvae on Aristolochia pistolochia, seen several times at the same location near la Roche d'Ardy.

Then from July 3 to July 17 there were several of the white underside form of the Marbled White (Melanargia galathea f. leucomelas) seen on several occasions between July 3 and July 17 near the Moulin des Gabres by the Brague river.

And I can't resist posting a photo of the only Small Tortoiseshell I saw last year.

So far this year, I have only seen two or three (presumably) Red Admirals going past at great speed, so I am still waiting for my first butterfly photo of the year .
--
Colin

[Reverdin]

Only just found this thread... some great shots !!
My contribution is two from Turkey, the first, Blue Argus, was much hoped for, but only this single one was seen, after a long trek. The second one is a Loew's Blue from the Antalya coast, this species is just awesomely beautiful as it flits in numbers across hillsides of Spiny Milk Vetch. Good memories...

Blue Argus

Loew's Blue

[MikeOxon]

A seemingly impossible task - a SINGLE favourite image! I see many 'cheated' and posted several images but, after sitting on the fence for a long time, I've gone for this one of mating Large Blues at Daneway Banks:

Daneway Banks, Glos. - 26th June 2014
Lumix FZ200 (fl=65mm) - 1/40s@f/5.6 ISO100

I've posted a very similar shot, taken with my Nikon, before but, when skimming through my collection, I preferred the colours of this version.

Mike

[John W]

I love David's Apollo, Tony's female Common Blue, and Mike's Large Blues!

My favourite has to be this Purple Emperor with all four wings showing purple taken at Fermyn Woods on June 30th. I was lucky enough to spend 50 minutes with this one on the ground, which gave me time to figure out the best angle to take the photo from in order to get all wings purple.

Cheers
John