www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Starting this week the first opportunity to showcase your favourite shots of 2014! Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year 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.
Here we got then!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Brimstone

I did give everyone plenty of time to "beat me to it" but in order to get the ball rolling...

This was taken back in the earlier part of the season when I nipped off for 5 minutes or so during a family picnic at Martin Down. When looking through my Brimstone shots this one stood out not because of the composition of because of the action. It stood out because of the little hitch hiker on the wing, a Nettle Moth with another one flying in to possibly take its seat on the other side. I never knew that butterflies had panniers . Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi Wurzel,
It is great to see you involved in doing this
One comment I would make about your above picture is that I have noticed brown marks on the wings of very old Brimstones (not the eye spots) so I am guessing that your butterfly is quite old.
Here is my picture of a Brimstone in what I thought was a Pear Tree in April. Please don't ask me "where is it?"
I have cropped it deliberately slightly off centre to make it a little harder for the untrained eye Best Wishes,
Philip

Brimstones generally lay many eggs on the alder buckthorn in my garden. The house sparrows and blue tits take a heavy toll of young caterpillars but a few reach maturity every year. Here is one of this years survivors. Downland boy

A lucky shot. Just about to take flight after nectaring RSPB Otmore 6th August

Probably my favourite was one of two that greeted me right outside my front door one lovely sunny spring morning (29th March). A distinctly overexposed butterfly in the strong sunlight. Less than six months to wait now!

A better image was a lovely new one from Noar Hill on 9th August. Dave

Despite a number of attempts to capture a Brimstone with open wings, most of my results were total failures, my Lumix FZ150 is just not fast enough. The best I managed was the shot below taken at Aston Rowant.
My favourite Brimstone photo was taken at Ryton Wood in late April on a cloudy and windy day. I saw a number of Brimstones on that day and in the breezy conditions they were only making short flights and stopping more often than they usually do at this time of year which gave me the opportunity to take some decent photos for a change.
Cheers,

Neil.

My favourite Brimstones are always those in spring, especially if it's a male resting for any length of time.

That flash of yellow in March is always a major highlight of any year, beckoning in hope and excitement for the warmer months to come.

As ever, my image is decidedly ordinary, but it fulfils several criteria, namely that it is a male actually AT REST in early March, and that the individual concerned was observed in a part of the country where I've never seen one before: Linda Vista Gardens, Abergavenny, 9th March 2014 (a most glorious early spring day when temperatures hit 16c):

Nice one Wurzel, that is original!

Neil, not bad for an open-wing shot with an FZ150, I encounter the same limits with mine! Anyone know how to increase the max. shutter speed ?
Rosalyn was more successful - that's what I would like to aim for.

I'm so spoilt and used to Cleopatras most of the year down South here, that its always a surprise for me to see a Brimstone, and its usually when I'm further North on holiday. This one was seen on a summer ski slope in the Massif Central region of France. Holidays seem so long ago now.
Chris

My favourite photo's were taken at Gaits Barrow, one on the 15th April, when I was looking for the Duke and found this female Brimstone with her head inside the Dukes favourite flower and the other one on the 16th May when I was lucky enough to find two males following the female ready to mate, they were totally absorbed in their chase and flying slower than usual so I managed the photo Goldie

A shot which I feel captured the atmosphere of a delightful Spring day on Lough Down, above Streatley, Berks. It is also one of my few reasonably successful in-flight shots, taken with the Lumix. Interesting to note that the male is flying upside down in his ardent pursuit of the female!
Mike

Like your image, Goldie!! So evocative of the early spring cavorting that Brimstones indulge in!

My favourite Brimstone photo was taken on 29th June 2014, of this female Brimstone just short of her first birthday. The oldest female Brimstone i have seen.

Strewth - some awesome photos in this thread! Anyway - this lot didn't take no for an answer ...
Cheers,

- Pete

That photo's crazy Pete, how do you do it ?
Chris

cjackson wrote:That photo's crazy Pete, how do you do it ?

Your challenge, Chris, is to provide something similar only with Cleopatras.

Brimstones are one of my favourites with one of the reasons being their (slowish wing-beat ) flight lends itself to getting action shots. This pair caught my eye at Bentley in the way the male followed the female and held station below her rather than circle her. The picture is not perfect as the male is not fully accommodated but it's easily my favourite for this year

Stunning pictures all.

Here's an up close and personal shot, taken on 1st April last year:



Guy

Philzoid wrote:Brimstones are one of my favourites with one of the reasons being their (slowish wing-beat ) flight lends itself to getting action shots. This pair caught my eye at Bentley in the way the male followed the female and held station below her rather than circle her. The picture is not perfect as the male is not fully accommodated but it's easily my favourite for this year

Lovely image, Philzoid. It reminds me of one of my all time favourites on this site taken 3 years ago:

Don't think I have ever seen so many pictures of open winged Brimstones! Really enjoying this forum