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Marbled White - Favourite Photo of 2021

Week 10

Seasons greetings all! Only a week to go until the obese Northern gentleman with a penchant for Sherry reverse burgles everyone that’s been good!

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 and stay safe

Wurzel

this was at Telegraph Hill in the Bedfordshire Chilterns

June 26th

A couple of pics from a memorable day in the company of Millerd which started of with a failed attempt to find HIM at Chiddingfold, an afternoon on Denbies where we found our first Chalkhills of the season and a beautifully dusky female DGF and ending up at Box Hill where large numbers of male DGF were still active whilst even larger numbers of Marbled White sat around like squadrens of black and white fighter planes:

I saw my Marbled Whites at Temple Ewell in Kent on the 16th July, I tried my best to get one with open wings but had to settle for half open, still they look good what ever position . Goldie

Saw my first MWs on 26th June on the NW Gower coast:

Marbled Whites were definitely late emerging around my local patch and didn't last long with the storms at the end of July apparently finishing them off.
Numbers around here were also down on previous years although they seemed to do better further afield around Warwickshire.
Cheers,

Neil.

I maintain most of my garden as a “meadow” which seems to suit Marbled White. The photograph I have selected was taken on an early morning stroll in the garden.

As often happens, I saw my first one of the year up at Whitecross Green Wood when looking primarily for Black Hairstreaks on 22nd June.I then went on to see plenty of the species on various chalk sites from Surrey to Yorkshire - but only encountered a handful on my local patch. Out of the many photos taken, the one that sticks in the memory is one that happened by complete chance down at Denbies Hillside on 6th July. I had achieved a slightly more unusual underside view, but it was only when I looked at the shot later that I spotted the egg emerging from this female butterfly's abdomen. I have read that the species isn't very precise when laying eggs, and this seems to be evidence for that theory. Dave

Marbled White

This was taken back in July at Daneways whilst Philzoid and I were out searching for Large Blues. We’d been quite successful and whilst strolling along the top field on our final ‘lap’ we found plenty of Marbled Whites that were fresh out of the box. This one proved to be my favourite as it was so fresh and crisp and also had the palest of blue spots along the hind wing margin. It also reminds me of one of my favourite trips of the year having missed Daneways in 2020 due to Co-Vid restrictions.
Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Some great shots in this thread !........................my two pictures ,were taken at two different sites ,the pair in cop were taken at the Temple Ewell site ,near Dover ,where they had a pretty good season ............ but maybe not quite as plentiful as last season .the shot on the Pyramidal Orchid ,is from an early morning Orchid hunt at the superb Fairmile bottom in Sussex.
Allan.W.