The Blue Forest
One thing I really like doing is getting lost in the woods because I always know I will eventually find my way out…
This was my first visit to the Blue Forest and of course I strayed from the main route, lost the way and almost run over an adder for the second time this year….both times I nearly fell off my bike! 😮
Wear & Tear
At the end of a long, intense morning photographing insects in the baking sun I decided to rest with a sugary drink in preparation for the return journey back to heartical HQ…
Almost immediately this rather ragged looking Ringlet turns up and seems rather attracted to the orange lid on the bottle and then decides to come and sit right next to me…all morning I had been carefully creeping around after shy butterfies and dragonflies which were acutely sensitive and flew away at the slightest of movements… 😉
Learning to Look
Since spring I’ve been keeping my eye out for skippers but I didn’t seem to find any…they seemed quite distinctive from photo’s bloggers have posted here on WordPress, yet they are actually quite a bit smaller than I originally thought…
Within the last couple of months I started to notice them on the edges of ditches and meadows but failed to attain a decent image due to focusing issues….until the above image…when this Small Skipper just presented itself to me, I think it is a small skipper but I’m hardly what you can call an expert…
In the rest of the images, which were taken on the following days at the same venue, they look more like Essex skippers…whichever skipper they are I’m very proud to be able to present my first skipper images! 😀
Birdsfoot Blues
Quite close to where I live there is a meadow with a network of mowed pathways, here grows mainly birdsfoot trefoil and clover. Lately I have noticed on passing, many butterflies…notably common blues…its a good job I keep my eyes open on my journeys…
It was the birdsfoot trefoil that caught my attention in the first place…about a month ago I read this at “A Tramp in the Woods” blog that this is a good place to look for common blues and it sort of stuck in my head…Thanks Colin and all you other bloggers for your blogs as we learn together! 🙂
Try, Try, Try Again…
On several occasions in the week leading up to these images I failed to get a decent image of a Wall Brown, even when they presented themselves….so when I encountered this butterfly on a semi-cloudy morning, warming up in the morning sun I didn’t hesitate. 😉
Psychedelic Surprise
Don’t be fooled by the mild mannered butterfly you can see in the above image….resting for a while on the trunk of a tree in the shade…a picture like this can tend to lull you into a false sense of security… 😉
For several years I’ve been aware of the hidden beauty of the underwing of this butterfly… the topside of the wings initially demand your attention because of their more instantly striking beauty…but if the underside of the wings catches the light just right you can catch a glimpse of a more subtle and most intricate nature.
On encountering a red admiral out in the open on the heather, in full sunlight…nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to witness…. 😮
A Late Gift
After an unsuccessful day chasing ringlets, meadow browns and various dragonflies I met this comma sunning itself as I returned to my bicycle…the above image is the last one I made on this day… 🙂
Identification Issues
When it comes to identification I’m usually quite competent with birds and butterflies…some insects I’ve noticed can be somewhat trickier and need further research. This particular butterfly got me a bit confused…I think it may be a painted lady yet the lower half of of the wings looks more like a small tortoiseshell… 😕
Update 10.44pm…I should have searched better…This butterfly is called a Map! (Araschnia levana)
A fairly common species here in the Netherlands too…at least I’m living and learning! 😉
Diamonds in the Rough
In late summer the heathland is buzzing with life, the heather is in bloom and attracts all sorts of butterflies, bees and hoverflies as well as damselflies and dragonflies…so it seemed a good idea to pay this small area of heathland a timely visit.
It was a perfect situation as I surveyed the territory, stepping carefully through the heather to capture what was possible…dragonfly reconnaissance kept a watchful eye on my movements while managing to avoid getting caught in the frame. 😉
A Change of Scenery
In my search for inspiration, I always seem to visit one of the many wetland nature reserves in my area…yet in the last weeks of summer I decided to explore heathland and woodland areas instead….just because it was different, new roads to cycle, new sights to see…
Inbetween the farmland, there are forests surrounding remains from the ice age, sandy heathland full of heather and ancient pingo ruins…so different from the type of terrain to which I had become accustomed…
There is an almost intense silence which prevails here, the trees blocking out the sound of nearby roads which in turn provide shelter from the wind…grasshoppers and crickets are the main audio entertainment here other than the occasional call of a stonechat.
Territorial Disputes
This peacock had to fight for his place on the wooden jetty between the reedbeds….if he wandered to far from his own allocated area then he became confronted with a small tortoiseshell who wouldn’t give way to his larger opponent…
Quiet Contemplation
A quiet afternoon…I’m more used to dawn or dusk (mostly dusk)…a day before there was a lot of rain…this day was windy and warm though…many white butterflies and dragonflies and any other buzzy creatures too…it always changes, everyday is different.
a heartical view 