Photo Gallery
This page is for you to share your Dorset butterfly and moth photos
- We want you to share your enthusiasm in butterflies and moths, so your shots do not have to be technically wonderful - but tell us a bit about the photo and why you took it.
- Photos should be taken in Dorset, and can be of adult butterflies or moths, or eggs, caterpillars or chrysalises - or of a habitat or foodplant if it is of particular note.
- Your photos will stay up for a while, then drop off the page as other new ones come in.
- By giving us your photos, you are allowing us to add them to our Branch Photo Library, and they may be used for our publicity or other non-commercial purposes. We will say whose photo it is on this page of the website, but may not be able to add this information if we use it elsewhere (branch leaflets and the like) - apologies, but we are all volunteers and resources are scarce, so we sometimes have to keep things simple.
- Send no more than two photos at a time to dorsetbutterflies@btinternet.co.uk PLEASE don't send any single e-mail of more than 4MB - it can stop other e-mails getting through. An attached JPEG is ideal but most formats are OK. Thanks.
Your Photos
Green-veined White at Cerne Abbas.
"As the weather got cooler and damper, I didn't think I'd see any butterflies, until I came across this little butterfly which was well hidden in the vegetation alongside a lane, presumably waiting for conditions to improve."
Photo: Sarah Faulkner. 12/05/2013.
Orange Tip male. Sovell Down DWT Reserve near Gussage St Michael.
Photo: David Longshaw. 05/05/2013
Grizzled Skipper. Sovell Down DWT Reserve near Gussage St Michael.
Photo: David Longshaw. 05/05/2013
Orange Tip male just emerged from its chrysalis, which is visible in the shot. Bred through and emerged 2/5/2013
Photo: Martin Raper.
Grizzled Skipper. Fontmell Down, North Dorset. 02/05/2013
Photo: Mark Pike
"Managed to track down this single little Grizzled Skipper after a lengthy stroll around Fontmell Down this morning. Also seen was a single Peacock, Green-Veined White and Small Tortoishell."
Comma. Townsend Quarry Nature Reserve, near Swanage. 18 April 2013
"I saw this comma sunbathing during during my butterfly transect walk. Although I disturbed it initially, I stood still and it soon resettled in the same place. With blue sky, sunshine and fabulous views it really was a wonderful day to be at Townsend. The reserve feels like it's coming to life now, with two small tortoiseshells also seen, lots of insects, violets flowering, cowslips just coming into flower, and orchid leaves emerging.....summer is definitely on the way!"
Photo: Sarah Faulkner
Large White. Waddon Hill Lane, Stoke Abbott. 26/04/2013.
Photo: Rex Bale.
Eyed Hawk-moth caterpillar. Wareham by-pass, 23/8/2005
Photo: Mike Skelton
Adonis Blues, mating. Ballard Down 6/5/2009
Photo: Mark Pike
Wall Brown. Ballard Down 8/8/2009
Photo: Mark Pike
Holly Blue. Upton Heath 23/7/2009
Photo: Mark Pike
Marbled White
Photo: Mark Pike
Alners Gorse 24/6/2012
Chalkhill Blue
Photo: Mark Pike
Badbury Rings 25/7/2012
Brown Hairstreak
by Mark Pike
Alner's Gorse Butterfly Reserve
16/08/12
Bloxworth Snout moth
by Sarah Faulkner
"This Bloxworth Snout was resting on the wall outside my front door all day, and a little later on in the evening I located it by torch higher up on the same wall. There were a couple of mystery pupae on the wall which hatched at a similar time and whilst I don't know if this moth originated from those it's exciting to think it is possible, especially since it's footplant Pellitory-on-the-Wall grows at the base of the wall. I'll be paying much closer attention to my "weeds" and plain brick wall next year!"
Wyke Regis November 2012
Elephant Hawk-moth Caterpillar
by Rachel Hamlin
"I came across three Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillars in a corner of my garden. All munching away happily on the Willowherb at some pace. The joy of an 'untamed' garden!"
Thornford 15/9/2012
Painted Ladies
by Keith Beswick
"Had a pleasant day at Durlston Castle. Outside the Education Centre, there were three butterflies (Red Admiral, Painted Lady and a Small Tortoiseshell) nectaring together on Buddleia. Unfortunately they didn't cooperate for a good photo but did manage two together" [bottom photo shows a Red Admiral at the top and a Painted Lady below]
Durlston Castle (Purbeck) 16/09/12
Oak Eggar Moth caterpillar
by Martin Warren
Nigel Spring commented: "This was taken on 9 December. I can't think why it wasn't hibernating: maybe it was parasitised"
Adonis Blue with ant
by Pauline Pires
"This photograph of a freshly emerged male Adonis Blue was taken during a routine transect recording walk at Black Hill near Cerne Abbas in May 2011. Caterpillars of Lysandra bellargus are attended by ants, normally the red species Myrmica sabuleti on chalk downland. When the chrysalis breaks open, there are surrounding ants and the one in the picture appears to be clinging onto one of the butterfly’s legs by its pinchers. One wonders if it hitched an aerial lift on the Adonis’s first flight!"
Painted Lady
by Colin Nunn
"A welcome visitor to my Worth Matravers garden today (27/12/12), probably blown in by the southerly gales."
Silver Y moth
by Sarah Faulkner
"This Silver Y moth was resting on the door frame of my garage door, which enabled me to get a close view of it's profile and see the almost feathery looking 'horns' down it's back."
Wyke Regis, Weymouth 7/11/2012
Small Tortoiseshell
by Rob
"This just goes to show the error of hatching in November if you're a Small Tortoiseshell."
Wool 10/11/2012
Small Tortoiseshell
by Rob
This is the empty case that shows where the imago above came from.
Wool 10/11/2012
Small Tortoiseshell
by Rob
"Here's one of the Tortoiseshell pupae from my field - only this time it's a butterfly - this must have hatched today. It had fallen from the roof of the field shelter where it was one of the pupae which I was watching to see if they could overwinter as pupae, apparently this one couldn't. It was very dozy but then it was about 4pm and getting dark. It's nice to see that they're not all infested with parasitic wasps."
Wool 9/11/2012
Small Tortoiseshell - pupae/ caterpillars
By Rob
"Here's a little update on my tortoiseshell larvae.
These pictures will be of exceptionally poor quality - from my £10.00 nokia
I thought at first that these were "the fly" sturmia bella but I'm pleased to say they're not.
I found 5 caterpillars and 9 of these!
It looks like they might be a parasitic (of course) wasp - possibly Apanteles - but the pictures I found were so varied it's hard to be sure. If you can't see properly this might help, the fluffy whit things are frothy stuff with pupae inside, white pupa shaped and about 6mm long, the dark bits are the dead caterpillars. If reading this is making you itch as much as writing it is making me itch then I apologise!"
Wool 13/10/2012
Small Tortoiseshell caterpillar and pupa
By Rob
"These were taken in my field near Winfrith. The "hangers" made it this far in 2 days short of 3 weeks. I still have hope for the rest but time will tell.
The photo on the right is of the caterpillar as it starts its metamorphosis. The one on the right is of the pupa, and the blob beside it is the caterpillar's last skin.
Near Winfrith, 29/9/2012
Small Tortoiseshell caterpillar
By Rob
This is a single, older, caterpillar.
Small Tortoiseshell caterpillars
by Rob
Young Small Tortoiseshell caterpillars live in a protective web.
Fox Moth caterpillar
by Sarah Faulkner
"I found this in the middle of one of the hard chalky footpaths which run through the quarry. The caterpillar was covered in dust and wasn't moving - I wasn't sure if it was even alive initially and it was in prime position for being stepped on by other visitors to the quarry, so I gently picked it up and was amazed when it responded by curling around the top of my finger and "holding on". Pleased to discover it was still alive, I took a quick photo and carefully relocated it to a safer and more caterpillar friendly spot. I don't know what it was doing on that piece of footpath, but very bizarrely there wereseveral beetles in a similar state on the same stretch."
Tout Quarry, Portland 22/9/2012
Elephant Hawk-moth caterpillar
by Martin Raper
"My wife found this in our garden, so we gave it a bucket of peat, as it was ready to pupate, and it dived in, to make a cocoon down inside."
Bridport, 13/9/2012
Large White
by Lyn Pullen
"I grow nasturtiums every year, so the Large and Small Whites can lay their eggs on them. The Large Whites turned up in force this year, and after decimating the nasturtiums, several made the short journey to the back door of the cottage (though we never saw them en route - perhaps they travel at night?) We started finding caterpillars on the door, on the window ledges, and one even made it inside the conservatory. It was fascinating watching them turn into pupae. They each found their favoured spot and then just sat there for about three days, after which you could see one end becoming distinctly wider than the other, and then they were all of a sudden proper chrysalises. I had assumed the chrysalises would stay there overwinter, but they have started to hatch out: these photos are of an empty chrysalis case and the butterfly that come from it - shortly after to be seen in the garden, finding its first nectar.
I feel quite possessive about "my" Large Whites (I can hear a number of cabbage-growers retorting that I am welcome to them) but fear they are too late to produce another successful brood and unlikely to survive the winter: a short life, but hopefully a nectar-filled one."
Please note: the photos of the adult butterfly and the chrysalis are not in proportion to one another: the chrysalis is about the size of the butterfly's body.
Winfrith Newburgh 15/9/2012
Angle Shades moth
By Sarah Faulkner
"My first Angle Shades moth was a lovely surprise when I finished work for the day and walked across the car park... this intriguing moth was hanging on a dead leaf in the hedge border, the leaf was being constantly buffetted by the wind, but the moth remained totally motionless."
Granby Industrial Estate, Weymouth 11/9/2012
Monarch
by Bob Steedman
Portland - in the centre of Easton, off Park Estate Road
8/9/2012
Painted Lady
by Sarah Faulkner
"I saw this Painted Lady at Buckland Newton whilst doing a Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey. It was nectaring on knapweed with five Silver Y moths. I'd never noticed before how intricately marked the underside of their wings are."
Buckland Newton 5/9/2012
Small Tortoiseshell
by Malcolm Wemyss
Yetminster
9/9/2012
Red Admirals
by Richard and Pat Howard
"The Red Admirals are still here, settling on many types of plants and foliage, and especially on the little blue painted bridge that we have over a pond.
I was amused the other evening to see a frog trying to jump on the butterflies on the ground under the plum tree, perhaps he would try and eat one of them."
Bournemouth, Sep 2012
Red Admirals
by Richard and Pat Howard
"My wife and I live in Bournemouth, and have a victoria plum tree at the bottom of our garden. Although this is close to a Buddleia bush, which they rarely seem to visit, for some days now there have been at least ten Red Admirals at one time feeding on the split open windfalls below the tree. They generally scatter a bit when we go near, but always flutter back shortly rather than going off to other gardens, as they obviously like the plums."
