Communal Dragonfly, Butterfly and Insect photo thread

[Harold Gough]

Originally Posted by art frames

Harold,

Many thanks. I have no beetle books at the moment, so thank you for your help.

There is another possible contender in Agapanthia villosoviridescens. Not sure if that is in the Northants area. This was by a river bank, in light scrub. Clearly enjoying the plant sap. What do you think?

This wiki pic looks similar. But I know there are many hundreds. The antennae and colour seem good.

I will read up about your suggestion now. Thanks for your help. It is much appreciated. As are your pictures. Please keep posting them.

I think you may be right. The websites where this species is "unmistakable" are mistaken.

Harold

[DavyG]

Originally Posted by Olybirder

Thanks for the ID. Two more taken at Strumpshaw Fen, which I found on my hard drive. I am pretty sure the first is a Four-spotted Chaser but I am not sure what the hawker is, although I think it might be a Common Hawker. It was taken at the beginning of June this year if that helps.

I do own a good Dragonfly and Damselfly book but you guys are so much better than I am at IDs.

E-M1 and 75-300 II.

Ron

The first is a Four Spot, I think the second is actually a Hairy Dragonfly, this would also tie in with your recorded date of early June.

A fine pair of pics, I can see you've used your bird photographing skills on these also.

Dave

[Beagletorque]

What about this, any ideas?

[art frames]

Originally Posted by Harold Gough

I think you may be right. The websites where this species is "unmistakable" are mistaken.

Harold

Harold

Mistaken is my middle name.

You put me onto looking at a number of websites to find more about the longhorns so your ID species led me to the one I found. So thank you for the effort. There is the possibility that both are wrong...

I only took pictures because of the unusual colour and texture, and the mating was a bonus.

kind regards

[art frames]

Originally Posted by DavyG

The first is a Four Spot, I think the second is actually a Hairy Dragonfly, this would also tie in with your recorded date of early June.

A fine pair of pics, I can see you've used your bird photographing skills on these also.

Dave

Dave - Thanks for the ID - I should have known as it isn't very hairy...

[art frames]

Originally Posted by Beagletorque

What about this, any ideas?

What an excellent colour choice. It really zings.

My ideas are to steam it gently with lots of butter and black pepper. But remove the caterpillar first

[Olybirder]

Originally Posted by DavyG

The first is a Four Spot, I think the second is actually a Hairy Dragonfly, this would also tie in with your recorded date of early June.

Thanks for your correction Dave. I did consider Hairy Dragonfly but decided that it looked more like the Common in my book. Looking at it again I can see why that is not the case. It's a complicated business isn't it?

Ron

[art frames]

Originally Posted by art frames

What an excellent colour choice. It really zings.

My ideas are to steam it gently with lots of butter and black pepper. But remove the caterpillar first

That was posted with three glasses of wine inside me...

So in the cold light of day! Having had the chance to look at a few things and working on principle this was in the UK, and it is on presumably a type of brassica - so maybe a white?

Of these the green veined white seems close, but, you may have other thoughts see here

let me know if you have some other pictures, clues etc.

[Harold Gough]

Originally Posted by Olybirder

Thanks for your correction Dave. I did consider Hairy Dragonfly but decided that it looked more like the Common in my book. Looking at it again I can see why that is not the case. It's a complicated business isn't it?

Ron

It is a Hairy Hawker male. Not a species I have seen.

Harold

[Harold Gough]

The green caterpillar on the Lilac is probably Pieris rapae, the Small White.

Harold

[Beagletorque]

There were a lot of "cabbage" whites flying about so that would be my thought too.

Originally Posted by art frames

That was posted with three glasses of wine inside me...

So in the cold light of day! Having had the chance to look at a few things and working on principle this was in the UK, and it is on presumably a type of brassica - so maybe a white?

Of these the green veined white seems close, but, you may have other thoughts see here

let me know if you have some other pictures, clues etc.

[Beagletorque]

Originally Posted by Harold Gough

The green caterpillar on the Lilac is probably Pieris rapae, the Small White.

Harold

I think you've nailed it Harold, thank-you.

[art frames]

1st of November and still seeing quite a few butterflies. Including a Comma, several Brimstones, a Red Admiral and this peacock which had an appealing shadow. Plus a few darters and a migrant hawker.


Late Autumn Peacock by Peter Willmott, on Flickr

[bredman]

Pleased to have both common and Essex Skippers in the garden this year. They can be awkward to tell apart by colour alone, the best diagnostic is the Essex Skipper has black tips to their antennae whereas the Common Skipper has orange to dark brown. All shots below bar one from the 60mm Macro.

A couple of Essex Skippers.

Essex Skipper by Pete O'Sullivan, on Flickr


Some wing scale detail (best seen on the Flickr) this taken with the OM90/2
Essex Skipper Wing Scales -- OM 90/2 Macro by Pete O'Sullivan, on Flickr


Essex Skipper On Seeds by Pete O'Sullivan, on Flickr

[bredman]

Antennae difference between the two, best shown head on as profile views can still be awkward.


Essex Skipper
Essex Skipper Again by Pete O'Sullivan, on Flickr


Common Skipper
Antennae by Pete O'Sullivan, on Flickr