Fresh
At a time when so many butterflies are looking tatty and tired, it’s good to see spanking fresh Speckled Woods, which can have up to three generations per year, emerging. This is a butterfly that I tend to associate with the arrival of spring, but they are even more welcome at this dog-eared end of the season.
Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria. Nikon D5200 Tamron 17-50mm f8 50mm 1/250 ISO 200
Summer
This image from a few months ago slipped through the net somehow, allowing me the luxury of reflecting on it from a distance. It remains one of my favorite images of the year, representing a fabled golden period before the quality of my photography entered what feels like a long steady decline. Sigh.
Sony DSC-HX20V f3.2 4.5mm 1/320 ISO 100
Nymphs (no shepherds)
Green Shieldbug nymph, Palomena prasina. Nikon D5200 Tokina 100mm f16 1/45 ISO 200
Tortoise Shieldbug nymph, Eurygaster testudinaria.
This Is Not A Hornet
This is not a hornet. But it wants you to think it is. Which is exactly what I did when I saw it. Round 1 to the fly.
Hoverfly, Volucella zonaria. Sony DSC-HX20V f3.5 7.5 mm 1/640 ISO 100
Evil Weevil Wednesday
Evil? Well they’ve certainly made a mess of my dahlias this year.
Vine Weevil, Otiorhynchus sulcatus. Nikon D5200 Tokina 100mm f22 1/250 ISO 100
Migrant Hawker
Migrant Hawker, Aeshna mixta. Nikon D5200 Tokina 100mm f16 1/45 ISO 200
My 2015 list (as of 25.08.15):
Azure Damselfly
Banded Demoiselle
Black-tailed Skimmer
Blue-tailed Damselfly
Broad-bodied Chaser
Brown Hawker
Common Blue Damselfly
Common Darter
Emerald Damselfly
Emperor Dragonfly
Four-spotted Chaser
Large Red Damselfly
Migrant Hawker
Ruddy Darter
Southern Hawker
Variable Damselfly
Two For Joy
Magpie feather. Nikon D5200 Tokina 100mm f16 1/90 ISO 200
My lasting shame and embarrassment
Silver-Washed Fritillary, Argynnis paphia. Nikon D5200 Tokina 100mm f16 1/125 ISO 200
It is to my lasting shame and embarrassment that it has taken me so long to get to Bedford Purlieus. Fabulous.
AJC Photography 