www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Always good when the butterflies come to your own garden - especially on Bank Holiday weekends!

Going back to some earlier posts, your red dragonfly is a male Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) - the red colour develops quite slowly in males as they mature, while females are a pale fawn colour.

For your Hong Kong butterfly, it's hard to tell from that angle but it is one of the Swallowtails. This website should help your friends to decide which.

Mike

More nice garden shots Goldie especially the egg laying White

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Not a bad garden selection, Goldie....and I see your Bowles Mauve wallflower is still going strong!

Thanks Mike for your post, I'll tell my nephew to look up Hong Kong Butterflies after all he's living there I know he'll be interested. Thanks also for the ID of the Dragon Fly, it landed quite close to us that's why I took a shot. I'm not too keen on them since I saw a rather large one at Gait Barrow attacking a High Brown frit, also at the weekend in the garden one attacked a white Butterfly and I chased it off, there's a lot of ponds in gardens near us

Thanks Wurzel, she couldn't seem to settle but kept flying around from one bit of greenery to another, I looked for eggs but I didn't find any. I did find a caterpillar last week, I keep a few nettles right at the back of the garden and a few other wild flower plants
as well, I try to control them and it was while doing this that I found the cat, I tend to leave things alone when I see them and let nature take it's course. Unless I see Dragon Flys attacking Butterflies

Hi! David, my Bowles Mauve, is a cutting from the original one I bought, I was lucky, I took a few cuttings the year before in September and potted them up in the Green House, over wintered them in there then placed them in pots outside before adding them to the Garden, I kept two after giving the other's a way to the Neighbour's , I was pleased they took and I'll do the same this year because has you know they get very leggy so it's better to make fresh ones. Goldie

Today I was very busy with shopping ,etc, and the weather was cloudy but at lunch time for a spell the Sun came out and I saw a flutter of white in the garden, so I picked up the camera and shot outside, i was surprised to find a Green Veined White, I'd not seen one in the garden for ages, it's under wings were very darkly marked so I was pleased to get a few shots.

Later in the day just has the light was changing in the garden I came across a Red Admiral and although I only got shots of it's silhouette I was happy
Not exactly QOSF but the best I can do . Goldie

Beautiful Red Admiral shots Goldie And that's a very well marked Green-veined White

Have a goodun

Wurzel

That's a cracking Green Veined White you've captured there, Goldie. There seem to be a fair few heavily-marked specimens at the moment. A lovely specimen!

That's a lovely and well marked Green Veined White you found in your garden, Goldie

Mike

Thank you for your comments Wurzel,David and Mike, they are very much appreciated
I wasn't sure about the Red Admiral shots Wurzel at first thinking them too dark, then I thought but that's a natural shade etc, and that's just how the Admiral appeared, must be okay.

I was surprised David when I saw the GVW, I thought at first it was just another White, then I saw it's deep veined markings, I was
ever so pleased, not having seen too many this year

Thanks Mike, I've been surprised at the Butterflies I have seen in the Garden, only one or two have not been pristine I'm still waiting to see if any Small Tort's arrive in the garden that would make my day. Goldie

I love that tail view of the GvW, Goldie. It shows the markings in a new light. It must be very confusing to a pursuing bird!

Hi! Mike, It was a lovely day yesterday, in the garden I'd to chase two Wood Pigeons out of it, they were going to have a go at some white Butterflies that landed near them on the flowers, the woodies are getting a nuisance lately they're here every day, I don't mind but they take over This morning however they got a shock, I looked through the kitchen window and ran for the Camera, a really lovely Sparrow Hawk was sitting on the fence viewing the Garden, it didn't attack any thing but it did swoop next door into their garden.

At last!! yesterday the sun shone and the Small Tort's arrived, between my neighbour's garden and mine we saw PL, RA, ST's, PC ,LW's/SW's, what a day I was in my garden back into my neighbours garden, it was great. I took the photo's of the Butterflies in their garden and I've just e-mailed them. I'm going to post mostly the ST's because I've waited so long to see them in my Garden, one in particular looks different, it seems to have a smaller black spot than the other's, also posted the Hawk I saw on our fence, it's all happening but today it's raining, wouldn't you know Goldie

Lovely selection of Small Tortoiseshells, Goldie - the one on the rose is a very unusual perch to choose. That's a lovely fresh-looking Painted Lady too. Splendid sparrowhawk on the fence as well - that might keep your nuisance pigeons away!

Dave

Great Sparrowhawk shots Goldie I agree with Dave the ST on the Rose is a really interesting shot as I've not seen them land on those before

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi! Dave and Wurzel, thanks very much for your posts , I was surprised has well when I saw the Small Tort on the Rose but it wasn't the first time I'd seen this, last year a Red Admiral did the same thing, also another Small Tort much darker than the first had landed on another rose, this time a Pink Rose so they didn't choose the Roses for their colour.
I've posted a few more shots from yesterday of the Rose landings which were all in the front Garden, but also some from the back, of a bird bath landing etc
the weather here is miserable like yesterday only the Hawk was out hunting in the rain yesterday, so I thought a few more shots would brighten the day Goldie

Really well captured Small Tort and Painted Lady Goldie and that a interesting pose thrown by the Red Admiral I was back at work today so unable to get out and your shots birghtened up the day

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel, I if brightened your day that's great. I thought you might like to see the flush of Butterflies I got in the Garden yesterday after the rain.

It was raining for much of the morning but then the Sun came out and so did the Butterflies, still the same gang but many more seemed to arrive, two on one flower, then three, it was great. We also had a visit from the Long Tailed Tit's
The Red Admiral's were back on the Roses and even with the rain still on them they landed, I did wonder if one of them had even sheltered from the rain in a rose
Small Whites were every where even on the Anterinums( Not sure I've spelt that right) which I've never seen them do before.
Large White's also were there in good Numbers, and I'm pleased to say my Small Tort with the Small Black spot was back, also with a rather lovely Peacock, it was quite unexpected after the rain we'd had. Goldie

Another lovely selection of late-season photos, Goldie. I do like that White against the plain grey background - it's a very striking shot.

All the Butterflies seem to have moved up your way, Goldie.
With the grey gloom we've had I'm not surprised.
Lovely selection of images.

Best wishes,
Trevor.

Many thanks Mike and Trevor, the weather here as been hit and miss really, the Butterflies taking advantage when the Sun came out, so a lot of the shots were taken in either cloudy or sunny conditions. I was surprised has was my neighbour when we saw so many Butterflies all at once.
The Large White shot was taken Mike with the grey tarmac road behind it, so I was pleased it didn't show the gritty stones

Yesterday morning was wet, and didn't really get bright even when the rain stopped. My neighbour's next door have had Gold Finch coming back wards and forwards all Summer even making nests in their tree which borders our garden, so it's been great watching them.
I took some shots of them through the window yesterday although dark you can make out a few of them in my Buddliea tree, it's nearly ready for chopping down now on the back garden but the Gold Tit's seem to like the dead flower seeds on it so I've been reluctant to do it just yet.

Today is supposed to be the best day of the week and guess what!!!!! It's raining! Goldie

I just love the Red Admiral sheltering from the rain amidst the rose petals, Goldie. I saw some some flying in the rain yesterday - it doesn't seem to put them off much. I also saw loads of Goldfinches today, but they were after thistle seeds - I didn't know they liked buddleia as well!

Dave