Jubilee Country Park Butterflies

The group identifying a butterfly.  Jubilee Country Park butterfly walk, 15 July 2012.

It rained the day before, the night before, the night and day after.  We were very lucky to have a rain-free day for the annual butterfly walk in Jubilee Country Park.  And we were pleased to see that there were lots of butterflies; no rarities, but in places the more common ones were fleeing in flocks as we walked among the grass and wildflowers.

Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina.  Jubilee Country Park butterfly walk, 15 July 2012.

Here, a Meadow Brown is feeding from Creeping Thistles among grasses and Corky-fruited Water--dropwort.

Ringlet, Aphantopus hyperantus.  Jubilee Country Park butterfly walk, 15 July 2012.

This Ringlet is perched on a Blackthorn leaf among Bramble flowers.

But the closest we got to a butterfly was when one decided to perch on the back of one of the group, giving all but one of us a good look!

Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta.  Jubilee Country Park butterfly walk, 15 July 2012.

You usually see the upper side of the Red Admiral's wings, because they are so showy.  But I like the undersides.  The colours are muted but the patterning is excellent.  I would have showed the upper side too if the butterfly had given me a good look at it - but it didn't.  When it did open up it was at a sharp angle to me.  But I didn't mind; I like the profiles.

Those three are easy to tell apart, even from their undersides.   The next two, less so.

Small Skipper, Thymelicus sylvestris.  Jubilee Country Park butterfly walk, 15 July 2012.

The Small Skipper and the Essex Skipper can only be told apart (to the naked eye) by the tips of their antennae.  In the Small Skipper, they are partly black; in the Essex Skipper, wholly black, like a cotton bud dipped in ink.  (Although this next one's antennae could have been pale underneath from this viewpoint, in fact they weren't).

Essex Skipper, Thymelicus lineola.  Jubilee Country Park butterfly walk, 15 July 2012.

We saw a few other species as well - Gatekeepers, Commas, Large Whites, at least one Green-veined White - but I didn't get any photographs of them.  Either they were too far away from me, or they moved too fast.  But it wasn't only butterflies we saw that day.  Often, I was chasing other interesting things to photograph instead of concentrating on the butterflies.  Next time I will show some of those photos.