Snatching Some Light for the Marbled White!

Often, during a 'typical' British Summer, we are hard put to snatch the occasional warm and sunny week, sometimes it is just the odd day here and there but this year it has been difficult to find even an hour or two of nice weather! It is immensely disappointing for those of us who like to get out in the countryside with our cameras. But if it has been disappointing for us it has been devastating for our wildlife with ground nests washed away, nests in holes in river banks flooded out and much needed grubs and insects washed from foliage resulting in many dead nestlings. Unfortunately, many people too have had their homes flooded out, some more than once...truly devastating! And while we in the UK suffer the effects of extreme weather, many abroad are also experiencing devastation with baking temperatures and dreadful, damaging fires. Whether these extremes are anything to do with global warming will no doubt be the subject of much discussion and, I suspect, little conclusion.

I have managed to get out with the camera from time to time but have been dismayed by the small number of butterflies and Odonata seen in comparison to other years. This Common Blue was photographed in the rain so not the best of photos.

Common Blue Butterfly

 This one was taken in much better conditions! 

 '[Butterflies] That flash like meteors through the shady bowers,

And rest like broken rainbows on the flowers,

Themselves more rich and beautiful of hue

Than any flower that's nourish'd by the dew.'

(Unknown)

The Song Thrush, with its predilection for snails, will be one bird which has seen some benefit from all the rain! This one was seen in fading light so the photo has been lightened a little.

Song Thrush

When I was coming to the end of a walk, again in not very favourable conditions, I spotted what I thought was a fledgling among the grass but quickly realised it was this handsome fellow.

Common Toad

'The world has held great Heroes,
As history-books have showed;
But never a name to go down to fame
Compared with that of Toad!

The clever men at Oxford

Know all that there is to be knowed.
But they none of them know one half as much
As intelligent Mr Toad!'

(Kenneth Grahame)

Something which, by any stretch of the imagination, couldn't be called handsome but is nevertheless impressive, is this fearsome looking Yellow Dung Fly. Had I found it in the place which its name suggests it wouldn't have found its way on to my post but luckily it was on a flower. They do feed on pollen but it was most likely to have been hunting for smaller insects to prey upon.

Yellow Dung Fly

Not quite as fearsome from this angle!




This Grey Squirrel was intrigued enough by me to pose for a photo.

Grey Squirrel

A walk along this stretch of a local canal a few weeks ago should have produced a wealth of Odonata. The vegetation is usually teeming but on this occasion absolutely nothing at all was seen!




More recently on a different stretch of the canal I have seen a few damselflies but nowhere near as many as other years. These were in the classic 'wheel' (copulation) position.

White-legged Damselflies

One rare, fine afternoon recently (the sun only lasted for about an hour!) I decided to look for the butterfly with which I started this post, in a location within easy walking distance of home. I have seen them there in the past and was pleasantly surprised to find them straight away.

Marbled White Butterfly (female)

'A rustle of corn-leaves;

a tinkle Of bells on the hills;

a twinkle Of sheep in the lowlands;

a bevy Of bees where the clover is heavy;

A butterfly blundering by, —

And that is July!'

(James Newton Matthews)

I wasn't able to get one with wings fully open. I do think they are very attractive butterflies!

I have no idea why but the next little insect is one I always enjoy finding each year and I nearly always see one on the same clump of Ox-eye Daisies. It's my old friend the Fat-legged Beetle (Oedemera nobilis).

Fat-legged Beetle

Finally, they say this is the weather for ducks so I thought I would finish with Mrs Mallard

Mallard Duck

and baby mallard.

Mallard Duckling

Until the next time...enjoy the beauty of Nature, wherever you are.