This week will be the last for a while in which I show readers’ wildlife photos, but keep sending them in, though I’m going to ask readers to restrict their emails to me when I’m on the road, as my email access will be spottier.
Continuing from yesterday, we have Swiss reader Jacques Hausser’s second batch of lepidopteran photos (including a lovely wasp mimic) with his detailed information:
Vanessa cardui (Nymphalidae). The painted lady (UK) or the Cosmopolitan (US): a well earned name, since except for South America and Antarctica, it can be found on every continent. This is a migratory species. In Europe, successive generations spend the winter in Northern Africa, and in early spring they cross the Mediterannean and move North, adding further generations in the way. For example, the individual shot in my garden the 30th of May was probably born in southern France. This spring migration can be very impressive, as the butterflies fly mostly at the level of the vegetation. A return migration was observed in the late summer, but as the returning flights are mostly at higher altitude (this was demonstrated using radar), it is usually not noticed.
Lycaena virgaureae (Lycaenidae). The Scarce Copper. This spendid coloration denotes a male, while the female is brown-orange with dark spotting. It lives in meadows of mid-montain areas, in Switzerland from about 750 up to 1800 m.
Gonepteryx rhamni (Pieridae): the common brimstone (the upper part of the wings is yellow). The strange morphology of its wings associated with their coloration give it a leafy look, camouflaging them very well when resting in the vegetation. According to A. Hoskins, they are also excellent meteorologists:
“Brimstones are very adept at detecting changes in temperature, humidity and air pressure. At Crab Wood in March 2007, shortly after midday I watched 5 males actively investigating bramble bushes in a sunny glade. At first I thought they were searching for females, but it soon became clear that they were all looking for places to shelter, having detected an imminent change in the weather. One by one they settled under bramble leaves to roost. Minutes later the sunshine disappeared, clouds had rolled in, and rain was beginning to fall.”
This is a gorgeous beast.
Melanargia galathea (Nymphalidae). The marbled white. Black and white elegance. . .One of the most commong species in the natural meadows around my village, in French it’s called “le demi-deuil” = the half mourning.
Synanthedon spuleri. Yes, it is a Lepidopteran, family Sesiidae. Moths of this family are diurnal and more or less imitate wasps: their wings for the most part lack of scales and are therefore transparent. The caterpillar of this species either lives in galls produced by fungi or bores tunnels between healthy and rotten part of various diseased trees, in both cases feeding on parasitic fungi.
And, of course, we must have photos by Stephen Barnard. This first one, called “Get off my back!” features a female northern harrier (Circus cyaneus) and red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). Don’t ask me what that blackbird is doing there; perhaps it was mobbing the harrier.
And a rare Barnard black and white photo of another female northern harrier.
Beautiful pix, as always. I really enjoy seeing butterflies that I have not seen often.
Lovely black and white butterfly!
The clearwing moths tend to be elusive in the field and tricky to find but in recent years, synthetic sex pheromones have been available for some species and lures using these have greatly facilitated the task of locating and recording them.
Many of the species in this group are wasp mimics and the Lunar Hornet Moth (Sesia bembeciformis) and the Hornet Moth (Sesia apiformis)are splendid and dramatic mimics of hornets and other large ‘yellow-jackets’.
Forgot to add: great photos!
Caption should not be “Get off my back!” Rather, something along the lines of “Another satisfied Uber rider!”
Good one!
Redwing Blackbirds are very aggressive where their territory is concerned. Essex County where I used to live, is very flat with miles of deep drainage ditches. While riding my bike along the road the birds would come out, one after another as I passed their individual territories and would dive bomb. Every third or fourth would bounce off my bicycle helmet which made me glad I was wearing it. If they contacted flesh It hurt! Did you know that they have hard spikey faces?
Well, did you pay the toll on that stretch of the road? I’ve heard Redwing Blackbirds are very insistent about that…
The photo of the hawk and redwinged blackbird reminded me of a certain photo of a weasel riding a woodpecker.
Of course here I think the appearance is more a trick of perspective rather than possibly a trick of photoshoppe.
Lovely lepidoptera!
Beautiful birds!
I had a huge collection of butterflies as a pre-teen.
Thanks for sharing the photos!
Thanks for the Lepidopteran photos today (and yesterday), plus the pertinent commentary. The marbled white takes the cake for me…stunning.
Stephen: good choice on the B&W as it really shows off the contrasting and variegated plumage. Did you set your camera for B&W or did you convert in Photoshop (or similar)?
I chose the B&W option in OS X Photos. The light was flat and the colors were washed out, but the dynamic range was good.
What’s the procedure for submitting wildlife photos to Jerry?
Look up my email address (just Google my name and university) and send them to the address on that page.
You have to promise to always always hang your toilet paper in the under orientation because that’s how Jerry likes it! 😀
Red winged blackbirds will mob harriers and even vultures (which are no threat). They will also mob humans who walk into “their zone.” That zone extends all around the nest and inadvertently walking into the zone can get one a real closeup of a redwing. A couple males (never females) come to our feeder and all other birds yield including the intimidating red bellied woodpeckers and blue jays (whose young are still at the goofing around “teenager” stage). Hummingbirds just come and go and zip around the larger traffic.
I neglected to day that I really admire the photographs of Stephen Barnard (and his camera gear and car). The B&W harrier is particularly striking.
Nice photography, nice way to start my day..
thanks.
I love the way that Painted Lady is in such perfect focus that it seems to be floating on the background!
How on earth did the charming Brimstone earn its common name? And that Marbled White is unlike anything we have in the States–exquisite!
Stephen, great capture of the harrier & red-winged! And I love the choice of B&W for the subsequent shot.