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Marbled White - Favourite Photo 2019

Week 10

Last week was a nightmare, nothing political but pet related so I’m really looking forward to leaving it all behind and moving onto week! So bring on your Faves – I need cheering up!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years 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

I had trouble this year trying to get shots of the Marble White, they didn't seem to settle for long before flying off So I was pleased when I did actually get shots of two, it was very hot that day, well into the 20 degrees at Wye NR on the 16th July .Kent Goldie

2019 marked the return of this species to my local patch - though only five were seen altogether, they have been absent for several years and I was pleased to reenter them on my local list. The second one I saw (on 25th June) was a particularly fresh male and posed nicely as the sun went in. I also saw a great many of the species at Denbies, Box Hill and Aston Rowant, but none of those sticks in the memory in the same way as a local-grown one!

Dave

By all accounts Marbled Whites had a good year in Warwickshire although due to our travels I nearly missed them at my local spots, just catching up with some mostly faded examples later in July. I did however see them at a number of other sites including my first ones this year at Daneway Banks in late June.

The underside shot below was taken at Oversley Wood in early July.
Also from Oversley was this individual which had a darker than normal right hind wing. At first I thought this hind wing was also undersized but a closer look shows it is just the angle the fore wing is held at which makes it look smaller.
I also like the shot below, taken on the path up to White Horse Hill at Osmington in Dorset in early September as it continues my record of finding a few late examples of this species down there at this time.
Cheers,

Neil.

Very few of these photoed this year.
This one is from the south of France on 21st July on Cephalaria leucantha: Chris

For this weeks choices I asked my travel buddy/chauffeur to pick some favs, here's her choices from my 2019 catalogue:

Only a short window for me to capture UK Marbled Whites. These two were amongst several seen at Whiteford Burrows on the NW Gower coast on 14 July, although I did have a pleasant surprise seeing another MW at Castle Meadows in Abergavenny a week later, which is the first I've ever seen there:

Marbled White

While Philzoid and I were seeking Large Blues at Daneways back on 22nd June we wandered through a sea of colourful wildflowers. At one point a male Marbled White settled down for a good feed in amongst the blazing yellow flower heads and it was such a contrast that I found my eyes diverted towards it over all other species that were around and about, even the Large Blue that I’d come to see. I love the way that the yellow is reflected on the underside of the butterfly as a lovely lemon colour.
Have a goodun

Wurzel