Where is the Gatekeeper?

This morning I went out on a walk to find some butterflies and other insects. But I wondered why I hadn’t seen any Gatekeepers (Pyronia Tithonus) so far. because in my memory those were the only Browns (Satyridae) I always found. And indeed today there weren’t any to be seen. As always, internet gave me the solution…as did my picture archive (the picture on top is one of those): they fly from July onwards after the caterpillar has survived the winter in a half-grown state. So this blog is about everything else I saw in the last couple of weeks.

The very delicate Skippers (Hespiriidae) can only be seen when you look carefully, because they are very small. Thankfully I managed to find both the Large Skipper (Ochlodes Sylvanus) as the Small Skipper (Thymelicus Sylvestris).

The first time I saw a Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum Cancellatum) was in the Green Heart of The Netherlands and I did not expect to see it here as well. So it was quite a surprise to see a mating couple of these dragonflies at Ruislip Lido.

And after this sighting I have seen some more near the water. Because the males will hold a vigil near the warm water edge until his significant other arrives.

Originally, I thought they were Broad-bodied Chasers (Libellula Depressa), but the golden edge on the wings show their true identity.

 

 

Whilst there are no Gatekeepers yet, there are plenty of Ringlets (Aphantopus Hyperantus) around. They can be found on green leaves which makes their colours  stand out even better.

A very pretty butterfly indeed! I will finish this blog with a surprise. I did take some pictures of Small Tortoiseshells (Aglais Urticae), but when I looked at home at this particular picture, there were actually two on the same leaf!

 

On a Sunny Afternoon

It was just one of those Saturday afternoons; sunny after some heavy rainfall and nothing else to do than to walk in the woods. And so I did, following my standard route to Ruislip Lido and back home. But it was still worthwhile… as always.

First I spotted Mr. Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula Depressais) as well as Mrs. BBC. They look a little bit different, but are both beautiful. It was strange that they did not meet up because we need a next generation after all.

There were several different Dragonflies and damselflies to be seen. The Red-eyed Damselflies (Erythromma najas) had met up and were having the time of their life in the sun, which means there will be more of these beautiful insects soon.

But the biggest surprise this afternoon was the Buzzard (Buteo Buteo) flying over the water. It was chased by some ugly black birds and it flew away after some minutes. Therefore the pictures are not particularly sharp. I am just happy to have taken them in time.

A weekend of Insects

This weekend seemed to be perfect for insect chasing. It was sunny and dry and there was not too much wind; I was not disappointed at all! But I did not expect to see the ones I am about to show.

The Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula Depressais) is a magnificent Dragonfly that makes a lot of noise when it flies around your head. Thankfully, this female was kind enough to rest on a plant to pose for my camera. With its transparent wings and the sun shining through it is a truly remarkable insect. The colours are fantastic, as you can see at the picture from my archive (taken in 2012).

It is always exciting to take a picture of an insect that I never saw before. Finding out what it is can take some time, but the internet is patient (just like me..?). The moth on the left is a Yellow Shell (Camptogramma Bilineata) from the family of the Geometridae and the two mating damselflies on the right are Large Red’s (Pyrrhosoma Nymphula) from the family of the Coenagrionidae.

 

Flying over the high grass of Tottenham Marshes I spotted my first Common Blue (Polyommatus Icarus) this year. They are cunning little creatures, because The chrysalis is attended by ants, which will often take it into their nests.The larva creates a substance called honeydew, which the ants eat while the butterfly lives in the ant hill. After changing into a butterfly, they just leave the ant hill…without a simple Thank You.

The first butterfly you normally see in the year, is the Brimstone (Gonepteryx Rhamni). And yet I wasn't able to take a picture from a close distance, until today.

And finally: this blog with pictures of a weekend of insects would not be complete, without a good old fashioned Bumblebee on a flower. I took this picture in my garden this weekend when the bee was feasting on the Osteospermum.