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
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
Goosegrass Sticky Willie. Cleavers. Goosegrass. All great names for an extraordinary plant. Here it is is a pool of sunlight in… read more
Green Hairstreak The Green Hairstreak is a green butterfly. Saying it's green really does do it a disservice, though. Just look at… read more