www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Brimstone - Favourite Photo of 2021

Week 1

Another year and another set of Favourite Photos! I swear it comes round quicker and quicker!

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.

Also a quick reminder that it might be a good idea to select your Overall Favourite Butterfly Photo of 2021 first so that you’ve got something to post when the series of threads culminates in 20 weeks time…

Anyway in the words of Eric Robson; “Onwards and upwards”.

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

My most memorable photo of Brimstones comes from a visit to Hutchinsons Bank in Surrey on 29th May which was primarily for a variety of other species. However, this is also a particularly good location for Brimstones, and there were good numbers flying. Female butterflies were frequently magnets for more than one male, but this was a an unusually close group caught in flight. Dave

We were up early one morning in July
This was about 1 hour before "Prim" emerged from pupation Hint
From our observations, the antenna seen through the pupa case, turns darker, just before the butterfly emerges.
We had an iPhone time-lapse video clip of the butterfly emerging.
Kind Regards,

I took a classic Springtime photograph at a local nature reserve that was looking like my favourite until 5 months later I photographed a backlit male in my garden. Unable to decide, I will post two photographs.

My one and only photo of a Brimstone was taken on the 7th of May when I was in Kent looking around for property, I went to a place called Brooks and managed two quick shots :trouble is the Butterfly was damaged At the time I wasn't too bothered thinking I'd see more ,the year was young, needless to say the year was too busy Goldie

Brimstone

My favourite Brimstone photo came from an early visit to Martin Down. I’d seen a few first for the year and mopped up a few first photos for the year as well and while I was waiting for an Adder to come back out I made my way over the main road and investigated Kitts Grave and Vernditch. Things were pretty quiet as I wandered the trackway which runs parallel with the road but then as I turned the corner things really kicked off. There was a Holly Blue, Green Hairstreaks, Peacocks all along the path but the star of melee were a pair of Brimstones which were in mid courtship. The harassed female dropped to the deck and the male followed her. But when she landed she opened her wings up fully and raised her abdomen. I’ve seen this before but this time the female was completely exposed and showed the lovely orange spots on the fore wing to really great effect – easily my favourite shot of this species this year! Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

I've not taken many butterfly photos this year but this Brimstone was posing on a clump of bushes when I took a walk around my local Thrupp Lake, now an Earth Trust reserve.
Mike

I didn't see that many Brimstones this year and most of the photos that I managed were taken in my garden in the spring. One particular female tuned up on a number of days in late May and laid a large number of eggs on my alder buckthorns thus providing me with what is probably my favourite shot of this species this year.
Cheers,

Neil.

I did rather well with them this year. This first one was the individual that started my butterfly season way back in February I can never pass up an opportunity for a backlit Brimstone and a third was this lucky shot on one of my trips to catch up with the Swallowtail

My best memories of Brimstone this year were of possibly the same male making repeat visits to the garden in August and nectaring on Dianthus carthusianorum, to the exclusion of everything else in the garden.

bugboy wrote: ↑Wed Oct 27, 2021 10:02 pm...and a third was this lucky shot on one of my trips to catch up with the Swallowtail

That's a hell of a shot, Paul. What is it about Brimstones that seems to attract other insects to land on them? Many times I've seen flies settle on their wings but to see another butterfly doing so is extraordinary.

David M wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 1:08 pm

bugboy wrote: ↑Wed Oct 27, 2021 10:02 pm...and a third was this lucky shot on one of my trips to catch up with the Swallowtail

That's a hell of a shot, Paul. What is it about Brimstones that seems to attract other insects to land on them? Many times I've seen flies settle on their wings but to see another butterfly doing so is extraordinary.

I think it's down to their exceptional camouflage David. A nice pale leaf reflecting sunlight, particularly in the weak early spring sun, is very attractive to any insect looking to stay warm enough to remain active. I can only presume this Large Skipper saw this Brimstone as a handy leaf to bask on and was probably very surprised when the leaf shook him off

bugboy wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 9:36 pmI think it's down to their exceptional camouflage David. A nice pale leaf reflecting sunlight, particularly in the weak early spring sun, is very attractive to any insect looking to stay warm enough to remain active. I can only presume this Large Skipper saw this Brimstone as a handy leaf to bask on and was probably very surprised when the leaf shook him off

Yes. Sounds perfectly plausible. Possibly the bright, primrose yellow colour attracts insects too.

It's always a relief to get your first image of a spring Brimstone given how flighty they usually are. I was fortunate to see a handful in February this year, including this male which came down unexpectedly at Crymlyn Burrows on the Swansea coast on 28 Feb:

Male Brimstone in action, July 2021.