Allotment Female Orange Tip

Down on the allotment, I saw the first female Orange Tip of the year nectaring on the flowers of Comfrey and Chive. All of the Orange Tips I've seen so far this year have been male so this little lady was a welcome visitor. It provided a pleasant break from removing bindweed amongst the fruit bushes. 

The males have bold orange patches on the tip of each forewing, whereas the orange colour is lacking in the female which have similar upperwing markings to a Small White. Both male and female have the delicately mottled green and white pattern on the underwing.  

I also glimpsed a male Brimstone zipping around the hawthorn border but it shot off as quick as it appeared, well before I could grab the camera.

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. 

Adel churchyard butterfly sightings

During a previous visit to St John the Baptist churchyard in Adel, we caught a brief glimpse of a blue butterfly on the wing a few metres away for no more than a few seconds before it disappeared. Convinced that with good weather and a bit of patience we might manage a better sighting, on our return visit we were chuffed when it eventually appeared in the holly tree nearby.

It's a female Holly Blue, identified by the black margins to the upper forewing which are lacking in the males. It appeared to favour the newly emerged flowerbuds, flying to one bunch, settling for a minute or so before seeking another.

The next couple of pics indicate its intentions more clearly, it appears to be in the process of laying eggs, Thomas, J & Lewington, R (2010) The Butterflies of Britain & Ireland,  refers to the Holly Blue depositing eggs 'laid singly at the base of flowerbuds. In spring, by far the commonest host-plant is Holly, whereas most midsummer eggs are laid on the flowers of Ivy.' 

The egg hatches after approximately two weeks, at which point the caterpillar attaches itself to the fruit, making a hole in the surface to eat the contents. Must remember to look out for signs of the caterpillars in a fortnight or so.

Another highlight was this male Orange Tip, one of five in the churchyard. Although its a common butterfly I really struggled to photograph one last year as they appear to be constantly on the go but this one took a more relaxed approach to life, languidly feeding on dainty forget-me-nots. 

This one viewed from the opposite direction, where you can clearly see the green mottled pattern on its underwing.



Its a great spot for butterflies, we spotted a Green Hairstreak here last year and will be looking out for their return over the next few weeks, Small Coppers are regular visitors too. Other butterflies on the wing included Green Veined Whites x 5, Small White x 4, Large White x 2, Peacock x 3, Speckled Wood x 3, Small Tortoiseshell x 1.