Egg-Laying
I’ve enjoyed being amongst the butterflies in Parco della Caffarella. There are many different species and it’s great to see them actively egg-laying. This looks like an Eastern Bath White, Pontia edusa:
There’s also a Green Hairstreak, Callophrys rubi, at it as well:
I’ve seen Green Hairstreaks before, in Devon:
They are so tiny that it’s easy to overlook them. I’m glad I didn’t.
A much larger butterfly, the Swallowtail, should be laying eggs about now, too. Here’s what a fabulous creature it is:
It’s also much, much larger, so it should be easier to spot, yet I haven’t seen one yet. Wish me luck!
More Butterflies
It’s all in the details I love walking around the Vatican Museum. It's great to see the treasures that were accumulated while the majority of… read more
Eastern Dappled White Butterfly There are butterflies galore in Broken Tower Meadow, il Pratone di Torre Spaccata. Here's one. I think it's the Eastern… read more
2022 highlights of a wilder Italian life (part 2) Being able to explore a natural world with different, unfamiliar species is a privilege. It was a thrill to visit… read more
A Silver-Washed Fritillary I took a photograph of this Silver-Washed Fritillary, Argynnis paphia, this summer in Italy. They are astonishingly fast, have pointed… read more
Flutterbyes Here's a flying Swallowtail butterfly, Papilio machaon: It's a little tattered but beautiful all the same: Here's a perfect example… read more
Have you ever seen a photograph like this? I've seen a lot of photographs of butterflies but never one like this. It's not just that it's a shot… read more
Orange and yellow This Orange-Tip, Anthocharis cardamines, is a beautiful spring sight, especially when feeding on an intense yellow dandelion. Have you seen… read more
Clouded Yellow This yellow butterfly is such an attractive species. It's a Clouded Yellow, Colias croceus. It's flying in Italy in winter… read more
Knees up Meadow Brown There's a Meadow Brown butterfly, Maniola jurtina, on Angelica, Angelica sylvestris, at the Castle o' Burrian. It makes a lovely… read more