Butterfly/ Moth /Dragonfly Images 2025

@Escarpment stunning comma on borage.

 

Scarlet Darter, only discovered here in Dorset last year the only breeding site in the UK.




Brown Hawker and Emperor ovipositing.








Red Eyed Damselfly.

 

Small Copper, first I have seen this year and Wall Brown both at a local GC.




Small Tortoiseshell on the Buddleja in the garden.

 

Grayling, one of the butterflies you never see with it's wings open.




Jersey Tiger moth resting in the Camellias.

 

I was lucky to just be sitting when this wee chap appeared a few days ago.
I've forgotten the name, but I'm sure someone will remind me. We don't see them very often here though.

 

Mint moth on Eryngium again, but a better shot with my new camera!

 

Not the best pic, but snapped in passing

 

I think your butterfly is a Comma @fairygirl
and yours is a Peacock @Penny_Forthem

 

Chalkhill Blue, dozens around at the quarries at Portland but most settled with closed wings.
They were being chased by Adonis Blues and Gatekeepers.

 

Painted Lady this afternoon, I haven't seen one for two weeks so this maybe a different one.

 

Thanks @Michael Hewett . I looked it up later, and came to that conclusion too!
We never used to get them here, but I got a few pix last year or the year before of just one.
Butterflies have all been very scarce this year, although weirdly, the red admirals have been around since early this month. We don't usually see them until August.

 

That's great @fairygirl ...
There have been no butterflies here until this week, but now there are quite a few, although it's only the common whites and Peacocks I've seen so far. A few of the Peacocks have flown in through the windows ! I don't usually see butterflies doing that.

 

I've not seen a peacock b'fly since spring @Michael Hewett and it would have been an overwintering one - very ragged. They're normally quite common here. I saw one small tortoishell then too, but none since, and that's another that's usually plentiful. The whites have been more plentiful than usual, so the conditions must be suiting them better.
It seems to be a problem generally - and I heard yesterday that they're now wanting people to do a b'fly count due to so many reports of the scarcity. I haven't looked into it, but it seems to be similar to the bird one.
I don't know the reason for the lack of them round here, but it must be down to the weird weather patterns affecting the egg/caterpillar cycle etc because the planting itself hasn't changed - just the timings of some of them due to the very hot dry spring we had. Last summer was pretty normal here, although we had a very mild winter again. You'd think that would help them though. Perhaps that's the general reason countrywide too - timings being out of synch.

 

https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/

This is the butterfly conservations count, it's been running since 2010. You count them for 15 minutes and you can do it just once or everyday if you want to. It runs between the 18th of July and 10th of August.

 

A very fresh looking Red Admiral.