Butterfly and Moth Pictures By Species: Pieridae


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Pieridae

Brimstone

This butterfly is worth a mention as I have seen plenty of them around Stockley Park, and in a few other locations too. I have never seen (with certainty) a female. But the males are a luminous bright striking yellow and easy to spot. The reason I have no pictures so far, though, is that the males seem to be constantly on the move, and they move fast too. I only remember seeing them in the spring (around April time).

STOP PRESS: On August 21st I finally took some Brimstone pictures after I found females feeding on purple flowers at Lasham Airfield. Close up they are the same size as Large Whites, but their wing shapes are unmistakable. Then on 19th April 2006 I was lucky enough to have a Male Brimstone land on a dandelion right in front of me. It got better in June 2007 when unexpectedly while observing a courtship the Male landed on my hand twice!


Brimstone1.jpg

Brimstone2.jpg

Brimstone3.jpg

MaleBrimstone.jpg

MaleBrimstone.jpg
21st August 2004 - Same butterfly (Female).
Lasham Airfield
18th April 2006 (Male).
Barnhill
10th May 2006 (Male).
Bison Hill

FemaleBrimstone1.jpg

FemaleBrimstone2.jpg

FemaleBrimstone3.jpg

FemaleBrimstone1.jpg

FemaleBrimstone2.jpg
10th May 2006 - Same butterfly (Female).
Bison Hill
21st April 2007 (Female).
Bison Hill
21st April 2007 (Female).
Ivinghoe Beacon

FemaleBrimstone.jpg

BrimstoneEggs.jpg

Brimstones1.jpg

Brimstones2.jpg

MaleBrimstone.jpg
29th April 2007 (Female laying eggs).
Ivinghoe Beacon
3rd June 2007 - Same butterflies (Mating Pair with Female tatty wings open and the Male on my hand).
Sharpenhoe Clappers

Brimstone1.jpg

Brimstone2.jpg

Brimstone2Closeup.jpg

FemaleBrimstone1.jpg

MaleBrimstone1.jpg

FemaleBrimstone2.jpg
4th August 2007 - Male
Bald Hill, Aston Rowant
4th August 2007 - Same Butterfly (Male)
Oakley Wood
28th July 2008 - Female
Oversley Wood
28th July 2008 - Male
Oversley Wood
28th July 2008 - Female
Oversley Wood

MaleBrimstone2.jpg

BrimstoneEgg.jpg

CourtingBrimstones.jpg

Brimstone.jpg

Brimstone.jpg

Brimstone.jpg
28th July 2008 - Male
Oversley Wood
9th May 2009 - Egg
Banstead Downs
9th May 2009 - Courting Pair
Banstead Downs
9th May 2009 - Female
Banstead Downs
9th August 2009 - Male
Sharpenhoe Clappers
3rd June 2010 - Female
Park Corner Heath

IMG_9358.jpg

P1030109.jpg

P1030112.jpg

P1030113.jpg

P1030114.jpg

P1030281.jpg
14th April 2013 - Male
Barnhill
4th May 2014 - Same Courting Butterflies
Bison Hill
12th May 2014 - Female
Regents Canal near London Zoo

P1130442.jpg

P1130448.jpg

P1150761.jpg

P1210764.jpg

P1220089.jpg

P1220343.jpg
25th April 2015 - Male
Ivinghoe Beacon
25th April 2015 - Male
Ivinghoe Beacon
16th May 2015 - Male
Bison Hill
5th April 2016 - Male
Barnhill
4th May 2016 - Female
Ivinghoe Beacon
8th May 2016 - Male
Ivinghoe Beacon

P1230010.jpg

P1240019.jpg

P1250478.jpg
19th June 2016 - Female
Sharpenhoe Clappers
19th July 2016 - Male
Frankfurt Botanical Garden
31st July 2016 - Male
Bald Hill, Aston Rowant

Green-Veined White

This 3-4cm butterfly seems to be quite a lively one much of the time.


Butterfly.jpg

Butterfly4.jpg

GreenWhite1.jpg

GreenWhite2.jpg

GreenVeinedWhite.jpg

GreenVeinedWhite.jpg

GreenVeinedWhite.jpg
15th May 2002
Kenton
21st August 2002
Stockley Park
22nd April 2003 - Same Butterfly.
Stockley Park
26th April 2004
Stockley Park
27th April 2004
Stockley Park
25th May 2004
Stockley Park

GreenVeinedWhite.jpg

GreenVeinedWhitesMating.jpg

GreenVeinedWhite.jpg

GreenVeined1.jpg

GreenVeined2.jpg

GreenVeinedWhite.jpg
26th May 2004
Stockley Park
5th July 2004
Stockley Park
7th July 2005
Barnhill
This one was very large (4-5cm)
14th May 2006 - Same Butterfly
Aldbury Nowers
28th July 2008
Oversley Wood

DeadGVW1.jpg

DeadGVW2.jpg

DeadGVW3.jpg

GVW.jpg

P1030321.jpg

P1050157.jpg
11th May 2009 - Same Butterfly
Horsenden Hill
28th May 2009
Strumpshaw Fen
14th May 2014
Regents Park
3rd June 2014
Ariundle, Ardnamurchan

P1050203.jpg

P1050493.jpg

P1050569.jpg

P1210856.jpg

P1210863.jpg

P1220763.jpg
3rd June 2014
Ariundle, Ardnamurchan
4th June 2014
Fishnish, Isle of Mull
4th June 2014
Grass Point, Isle of Mull
1st May 2016 - Same Butterfly
Barnhill
27th May 2016
Totternhoe Knolls

P1230563.jpg

P1250240.jpg

P1260538.jpg

P1260541.jpg

P1270052.jpg

P1270055.jpg
6th July 2016
Park Wood
24th July 2016
Biskirchen, Northwest of Frankfurt
6th August 2016 - Same Butterfly (Left in 2nd Picture)
Fornighty, Southeast of Nairn
8th August 2016
Fornighty, Southeast of Nairn
8th August 2016
Fornighty, Southeast of Nairn

P1270061.jpg
8th August 2016
Fornighty, Southeast of Nairn

Large White

This is about 4-5cm in size. It is often a difficult one to photograph as it almost never seems to stop moving, and when it does it rarely seems to stay still for long.


LargeWhite.jpg

LargeWhite1.jpg

LargeWhite2.jpg

LargeWhiteOverhead.jpg

LargeWhiteSide1.jpg

LargeWhiteSide2.jpg
2nd September 2003
Stockley Park
15th September 2003 - Same Butterfly.
Stockley Park
6th May 2004 - Same Butterfly.
Stockley Park

LargeWhite.jpg

LargeWhite1.jpg

LargeWhite2.jpg

LargeWhite.jpg

LargeWhite1.jpg

LargeWhite2.jpg
2nd June 2004
Stockley Park
23rd May 2005 - Same Butterfly.
Gunnersbury Park
26th August 2005
Gunnersbury Park
14th July 2007
Sharpenhoe Clappers
14th July 2007
Sharpenhoe Clappers

LargeWhite.jpg

LargeWhiteScales.jpg

P1170258.jpg

P1170664.jpg

P1250286.jpg

P1250287.jpg
8th August 2009 - Same Butterfly.
Whitecross Green Wood
11th July 2015
Park Wood
19th July 2015
Aston Rowant NNR
30th July 2016 - Same Butterfly.
Lasham Airfield

P1270361.jpg
14th August 2016
Shipton Bellinger

Orange Tip

This 3-4cm butterfly is distinguished by the brown tips, and the bright orange areas on the male. It is a very lively butterfly. I was lucky to catch one feeding on some flowers for just long enough. I was even luckier to some individuals briefly resting. Much of the time they keep moving almost constantly.


OrangeTip1.jpg

OrangeTip2.jpg

OrangeTipFeeding.jpg

OrangeTipMale.jpg

OrangeTipSide.jpg

OrangeTipOverhead.jpg
23rd April 2003 - Same Butterfly (Male).
Stockley Park
26th April 2004 - Male.
Stockley Park
27th April 2004 - Male.
Stockley Park
7th May 2004 - Same Butterfly (Male).
Stockley Park

FemaleOrangeTip.jpg

OrangeTipMale1.jpg

OrangeTipMale2.jpg

OrangeTipFemale.jpg

OrangeTipMaleSide.jpg

OrangeTipFemale.jpg
10th May 2004 - Female.
Stockley Park
14th May 2004 - Male.
Stockley Park
14th May 2004 - Female.
Stockley Park
23rd May 2004 - Male.
Barnhill
24th May 2004 - Female.
Stockley Park

OrangeTipMale.jpg

OrangeTipFemale.jpg

OrangeTip1.jpg

OrangeTip2.jpg

OrangeTip3.jpg

MaleOrangeTip.jpg
27th May 2004 - Male.
Stockley Park
3rd June 2004 - Female.
Stockley Park
22nd April 2008 - Same Butterfly (Male).
Horsenden Hill
7th May 2008 - Male.
Horsenden Hill

OrangeTip.jpg

DeadOrangeTip.jpg

OrangeTip.jpg

IMG_9902.jpg

IMG_9904.jpg

P1020731.jpg
2nd May 2009 - Male.
Tugley Wood
11th May 2009 - Male caught by crab spider.
Horsenden Hill
28th May 2009 - Male.
Strumpshaw Fen
16th May 2013 - Same Butterfly (Male).
Regents Canal near London Zoo
17th May 2014 - Male.
Regents Canal near London Zoo

P1040576.jpg

P1040590.jpg

P1040592.jpg

P1130376.jpg

P1130387.jpg

P1210908.jpg

P1210917.jpg
16th May 2013 - Same Butterfly (Female, released).
Near Craignure, Isle of Mull
25th April 2015 - Same Butterfly (Male).
Ivinghoe Beacon
1st May 2016 - Same Butterfly
Barnhill

P1220659.jpg

P1300662.jpg
27th May 2016
Totternhoe Knolls
11th April 2017
Barnhill

Small White

This is about 3-4cm in size. It is often a difficult one to photograph as it almost never seems to stop moving, and when it does it rarely seems to stay still for long. (The Large White is even harder as its larger wings allow it to move faster.)


Butterfly2.jpg

SmallWhite1.jpg

SmallWhite2.jpg

SmallWhite3.jpg

SmallWhite.jpg

SmallWhite.jpg
5th June 2003
Stockley Park
14th August 2003 - Same Butterfly.
Stockley Park
2nd September 2003
Stockley Park
13th May 2004
Stockley Park

SmallWhite.jpg

SmallWhite.jpg

Egg.jpg

MatingSmallWhites.jpg

P1020738.jpg
29th April 2005
Gunnersbury Park
9th April 2008
Grove Farm
2nd May 2009 - Egg
Oaken Wood
10th July 2009 - Mating Pair
Kenton
17th May 2014
Regents Canal near London Zoo

P1020778.jpg

P1020783.jpg
19th April 2014 - Same Butterfly.
Golders Hill Park

Wood White

This is slightly smaller than the other whites at about 2-3cm in size. It looks a lot more delicate and fragile in flight too. I am told that it is hard to photograph as it doesn't often stop moving. However I was able to catch it feeding. It always closes its wings when landing.


WoodWhite1.jpg

WoodWhite2.jpg

WoodWhite3.jpg

WoodWhite4.jpg

WoodWhite5.jpg
2nd June 2006
Tugley Wood
2nd June 2006
Tugley Wood
2nd June 2006
Tugley Wood
2nd June 2006
Tugley Wood
2nd June 2006
Tugley Wood

WoodWhite1.jpg

WoodWhite2a.jpg

WoodWhite2aScales.jpg

WoodWhite2b.jpg
2nd May 2009
Tugley Wood
2nd May 2009 - Same Butterfly.
Tugley Wood