Brimstone egg-laying
Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 3:09 pm
I watched a female brimstone laying eggs today. She seemed quite oblivious to my presence, so intent was she on what she was doing. As she laid, she ranged from the top of the tree (perhaps 7m or so high) to the bottom, depositing each egg with great care, then flying out as if to survey her work, selecting a new bud, flying out again, inspecting the tree all over, choosing a further bud to lay on and so forth. I watched her for at least 15 minutes.
Here she is, on a bud well above my head level:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2010/rhamni106.jpg)
When she came lower I had just a few seconds to move in and get a picture, because it didn't take her long to lay the egg:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2010/rhamni107.jpg)
In this close-up I think you can see her smiling:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2010/rhamni108.jpg)
The eggs stick conspicuously out from the buds, mostly in ones but sometimes in twos (I never saw her lay two at once but she may well have revisited the same bud):
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2010/rhamniegg102.jpg)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2010/rhamniegg104.jpg)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2010/rhamniegg105.jpg)
Meanwhile, not far away, the presumed father was chilling out on a dandelion:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2010/rhamni104.jpg)
Guy
Here she is, on a bud well above my head level:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2010/rhamni106.jpg)
When she came lower I had just a few seconds to move in and get a picture, because it didn't take her long to lay the egg:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2010/rhamni107.jpg)
In this close-up I think you can see her smiling:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2010/rhamni108.jpg)
The eggs stick conspicuously out from the buds, mostly in ones but sometimes in twos (I never saw her lay two at once but she may well have revisited the same bud):
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2010/rhamniegg102.jpg)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2010/rhamniegg104.jpg)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2010/rhamniegg105.jpg)
Meanwhile, not far away, the presumed father was chilling out on a dandelion:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2010/rhamni104.jpg)
Guy