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Monday 27 April 2015

A - Z Challenge 2015 - Butterflies 'W'

W - Wall, Large White

At this time in the Challenge I sometimes feel as though I am banging my head against a - 


Wall (Lasiommata megera)
Perhaps its Latin name should be Myheadius brickus! 

However this brown butterfly gets its name from its characteristic behaviour of resting with its wings two-thirds open on any bare surface, including bare ground and on walls, of course.

Wall on bare ground (and photo-bombed by my shadow)
Numbers have declined in previous years but the one on the knapweed and the one above were quiet happy to warm up in the North Yorkshire sun.

When I was a young boy it was common for us to catch and keep Cabbage Whites in a jar on the local allotments where they laid their eggs on cabbage leaves. The term Cabbage White is applied to several common white butterflies especially the Small and Large Whites which are very similar in appearance.

The caterpillars of the Large White are very colourful.

Large White Butterfly Caterpillar on a leaf
You can see quite clearly where it has eaten the edge away. It was my job to remove them from my Dad's cabbages before too much damage was done.

We expect to see white butterflies in early April each year. Despite their numbers I have never photographed one.

Large White (Pieris brassicae)
The female has the black spots on the wings - no spots means it a male.

I hope that I have added my own shot(s) to this before 'W' is posted - No such luck, no white butterflies seen this year yet.


Love is like a butterfly
As soft and gentle as a sigh
The multicolored moods of love are like its satin wings
Love makes your heart feel strange inside
It flutters like soft wings in flight
Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing

I feel it when you're with me
It happens when you kiss me
That rare and gentle feeling that I feel inside
Your touch is soft and gentle
Your kiss is warm and tender
Whenever I am with you I think of butterflies

Love is like a butterfly
The multicolored moods of love are like its satin wings
Love makes your heart feel strange inside
It flutters like soft wings in flight
Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing

Your laughter brings me sunshine
Every day is spring time
And I am only happy when you are by my side
How precious is this love we share
How very precious, sweet and rare
Together we belong like daffodils and butterflies

Love is like a butterfly
As soft and gentle as a sigh

Photo attributions:
  • Large White Butterfly Caterpillar: 6 August 2014, by Michael Palmer - CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Large White Butterfly (Pieris brassicae): 10 July 2006, geograph.org.uk, by Anne Burgess - CC BY-SS 2.0




9 comments:

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Bob - don't bang your head please! I didn't know there was a Wall butterfly .. I know about the Whites - and they do dash around don't they ... also the spots for the females, and sans spots are the males.

Well done .. I'm not sure I've seen a white yet ... and those caterpillars eat their fill that's for sure .. cheers Hilary

cleemckenzie said...

Great line about banging your head. By the letter W, I think we all feel that way.

I loved the images your shadow took. I'd like to hire him.

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

A wall butterfly is new to me as well. Such lovely shots you captured.
In my childhood neighborhood, the boys would drop caterpillars into the girls' hair.

Julie Flanders said...

I can definitely relate to the head banging! Cute intro. :)

Kern Windwraith said...

Beautiful photographs, Bob. That caterpillar is magnificent-surprised they aren't all gobbled up by discerning birds. :)

I empathize with your urge to indulge in head-banging. At this point in the challenge, April is beginning to feel like the longest month in the calendar.

Jo said...

What a lot of butterflies. Don't bang your head Bob, it hurts. I have never liked caterpillars very much. In NC we got lost of parsley caterpillars and if you didn't watch it they would decimate parsley in a flash.

Anne Young said...

I am enjoying the butterfly posts appearing in my feed :)

Zannie Rose said...

WE have done so well to get this far- the end is in sight.

zannierose A-Z

Unknown said...

Thank you for visiting my blog and letting me over here with your lovely comment. ::smile::

We have a local butterfly show which we enjoy attending, and the butterflies are amazing, but I still love more than anything to just have one light on me or near me and get to gaze on the beauty.

I'll be scrolling back through this month of posts, since I just discovered you!