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Wood White - Favourite Photo of 2022

Week 20

Drum roll please as we build ready for the final selections of the 2022 Favourite Photo posts. In this final week we kick off proceedings with the Wood White.
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 didn't make the effort to see this species in the UK as I knew I'd catch up with them in Kefalonia, and indeed I did, they were everywhere.
I had ample opportunity to photograph them and below are the ones I was the most happy with.

After discovering after all these years that I could reach Chiddingfold under my own steam last year, I made full use to catch the second brood WW at the end of July. This female is the first one I came across when it was still cool and cloudy.

I didn't see as much of this delicate little species in 2022, with visits to Chiddingfold on 28th April and 14th June effectively bracketing the first brood. I found a scant handful of early males on the first trip, somewhat sluggish in intermittent sunshine.A solitary rather tired female was still flying as the hunt for Purple Emperors started. First and second broods can overlap here, and though I personally didn't witness it in 2022, I believe others did.I think the forewing spots are where something has rubbed the scales away, rather than patches of actual dark scales.

Dave

Stevieb wrote: ↑Mon Feb 27, 2023 3:50 pmI didn't make the effort to see this species in the UK as I knew I'd catch up with them in Kefalonia, and indeed I did, they were everywhere. I had ample opportunity to photograph them and below are the ones I was the most happy with.

Nicely captured, Steve. Those rich black markings are so much stronger than we generally see in our own populations.

Poor effort from me with this species in 2022. Only saw them once in the UK, at Haugh Wood, Herefordshire, on 14th May:

A species that I often miss due to various reasons. On June 22nd, after spending the morning at Oversley Wood, I carried on to Grafton Wood in Worcestershire hoping to catch up with Wood Whites. The colony here is the result of a re-introduction carried out a few years ago (2018 I think) by West Midlands BC as part of their Wood White Project and although it was getting a bit late in their flight period I was hoping that some might still be flying.
I made my way to the main ride and eventually found a dozen or so, mostly worn examples, during a couple of hours spent here on what had become a mostly cloudy but warm and muggy afternoon.
Cheers,

Neil.