BB FANS

A few from today.
Spotted some unusual Damselflies and if correctly identified they are Male (Blue) and Female (Green) Banded Demoiselle. They look very similar to the 'Beautiful Demoiselle' so it might be the later though they are normally found near fast running water and not in the East Midlands according to my book.






Also thought you might like these.

They are very good larry. The top picture is especially good.

The female one has been sitting around in the garden all afternoon. Don't know where the male went.

The bright Metalic Green catches you eye when the Female moves. And the males with there darker wings stand out as well. Their wing movements are more like a Butterfly (quoting the field guide) so when you see a dark thing fly past you you (I) then to look to see what it is.

There are hundreds for the more common smaller Damselflies around the garden and you can't walk anywhere without loads of them taking to the air. Most are the immature Brown ones but the are a few Blues and Greens.

Haven't seen a Red one yet or any Dragonflies but it's early days.

All these are Thumbnails ,click for the full picture.

Holly Blue


Ringlet


Comma


Gatekeeper



Comma and two Tortoiseshells


The Garden looking from the top showing two Buddleias


Grasshopper


Wasp


Teasle

Very good. The blue butterflies are nice. I've not seen those before. Here are some of my pictures. The teazel picture was taken before the bees started pulling the flowers out!

If that caterpillar had a raised section where the black goes across it's back then it might be a Grey Dagger Moth lava though the head is listed as Black ?

The rest looks very much the same.
I have a book here 'The Colour identification guide to caterpillers of The British Isles' and that was the closest from the photos I could see. Try Google images with the name and see what you think. I haven't see one like that before.

I took that photo at the beginning of July and I took several photos, so I have looked at the others and there is one where I must have disturbed it, as it was tucking it's head under and you can clearly see the raised bit on it's back.

Also, there were lots of them on my new Amelanchier Lamarckii tree which has berries on and I read that Grey Dagger caterpillars like fruit trees.

As for not having a black head - I think this could be an earlier instar, not completely mature yet. The younger ones usually don't have the white stripe down the side. I have tried to look for a white stripe on the other photos but can't see one, so that maybe why the head is a different colour.

The photo HERE shows an earlier instar without the white stripe and that seems to have the same colour head as mine.

Thank you for helping me to identify that.

Cinnabar Moth Caterpillars - That plant has now been eaten completely above ground


Small Copper - Only the 2nd one I've seen in the garden ever - Sorry bad focus


Another Holly Blue Butterfly. A very good year for these.

Blimey that's a lot of Cinnabar Moth Caterpillars!!

I have a series of Brimstone Butterfly pictures from today all Butterscotch Yellow (Wings open).
I'm sure there was at least 2 of them and they are pictured on varies different Buddleias.

Thumbnails again ,just click for the full-size image



Bees on the Yellow Buddleia


A Gatekeeper


A Female Holly Blue doing strange things on a blade of grass


A Damselfly


And a Grasshopper

The Brimstone Butterflies look almost like leaves! The Gatekeeper looks nice and also the Female Holly Blue.

The Brimstone comes in two colours Yellow and Green though the underside of the wings look the same. It's also very rare to find one sitting with the wings open.

The Holly Blue was on the end of a blade of grass just going round and round which made no sense unless maybe it was a mating thing ?

Yes maybe it was some sort of ritual to attract a mate.

A Brimstone blending in on a bush


Red Admiral


Elephant Hawk Moth Caterpillar

Thanks larry

That Brimstone really is camouflaged well on the bush.