Sunday 6 May 2012

Adel Churchyard Orange Tip

At St John the Baptist Churchyard in Adel we spotted two male Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines) on the go, occasionally resting to nectar on the purple flowers of Honesty (Lunaria rediviva). Whilst watching one at rest, the second male flashed into view at the top of the frame. This is the nearest Ive got to photographing an Orange Tip this year.





The colours of the Churchyard are constantly changing, Crocuses provided the first colour of the year, then Daffodils were suceeded by Bluebells, Forget-me-nots, Wild Garlic, and irregular patches of purple flowering Honesty standing above about the surrounding vegetation on tall thin stems. 



Here you can see the green seed pods beginning to form where the flowers have fallen, these will develop into the translucent round papery seedheads commonly found in flower arrangements.


There are usually a lot more Orange Tips around in Adel Churchyard at this time of year, a result of the poor weather I'm guessing. 



This Treecreeper picked its way up and around the tree trunk in front of the church, also spotted, Robin, Wren, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tail Tit, Chaffinch, Nuthatch, Blackbird, Magpie, Crow, Mistle Thrush, Wood Pigeon. 


5 comments:

  1. Wow you did so well to get these lovely Orange Tip photos. As soon as I point my camera at one it always flies off!

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  2. I really like those wildlife photos that have some church feature in the background as well

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  3. Lovely shots of the Orange Tip Linda. The weather is definitely having an effect at the moment on most of the species that should be flying at this time.

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  4. Hello Jerry, thank you we waited patiently for the Orange Tip to come to us and it eventually did, what luck!

    Hi Clare, I didn't realise it was you and Daniel until we waved. Silly me, too busy watching out for the Orange Tip! Isn't it a lovely spot, there's always something of interest in the churchyard, whatever the time of year. I hope you and Daniel enjoyed the rest of your day. Thanks so much for dropping by and taking the time to leave a comment.

    Hello CB, ooh thanks that's good, time and space permitting, where possible I'm trying to incorporate surrounding features into some shots.

    Hello Roy, thank you,yes there's definitely fewer about compared to this time last year. In fact I had a week off during the warm spell at the end of March/beginning of April and saw more species in greater numbers than at present.

    Thanks for stopping by, best wishes, Linda

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  5. Lovely orange tip photos Linda - I've only seen a few this year (a couple in the garden and a few at some Gardens I visit) - certainly far fewer than usual.

    Wonderful to see a churchyard so full of wildlife too.

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Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment.

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