Butterfly ovum, [eggs] part 4

Brown Hairstreak Ovum are laid on Blackthorn, anywhere between 300mm and 1500mm, [3'-5'] they normally hatch towards the end of April, to the middle of May.

Clouded Yellow ovum a off white when first laid on the undersides of the chosen larval food plant, in this case Red Clover

Turning red after a few days and hatching a couple of days later.

Comma ovum are laid on the edge of a Common Nettle leaf,  the contents are green when first laid
And the membrane/skin is transparent. They hatch after about 13 days.

This Comma ovum has been laid on a female Nettle flower
which is very unusual

The contents turning a light greenish yellow after 8 days.

At least 24 hours before the tiny larva emerge you can visibly see the caterpillar through the skin of the ovum.

The grey/brown colour of the body is on the left and the head which is black is on the left of the ovum

Orange-tips ovum are white when first laid and are one of the easiest butterfly eggs to find. The tiny larva emerge after about one week.

Turning orange in colour after about four days

Just before the larva emerges it is visible through the transparent membrane/skin of the ovum

All these ovum are about 1mm in size.

All photographs were taken by Nick Broomer as are all the photos on this blog.

Brimstones, males opened wing shots

Both photographs were taken at Chiddingfold Wood, Surrey

The Brimstone butterfly always land/rest-up with there wings closed, so if you want an opened-winged photo of these butterflies you either have to photo them in flight or just as they land on flowers etc.

Two males

All summer brood males

jax

Common Carder Bee, 2016

Common Carder Bee on a Dandelion flower

The same one from a different perspective

Orange-tip, female 2016

Female Orange-tip, Chiddingfold Wood, Surrey

Female Orange-tip close to my home

Green-veined White

The Green-veined White is a common butterfly and, can found throughout Great Britain. It prefers a slightly damper habitat than other whites and can also be found at higher altitudes than their cousins. The Spring brood can vary a little from the Summer brood but mainly with the males.

Spring brood male Green-veined White

A Spring brood male Green-veined White showing the lack of the black spot
which can be found on both Spring and Summer brood males, the easiest way of distinguishing
between male and, females which have two black spots on the forewings

Spring brood male Green veined White

Spring brood male Green-veined White showing the wing undersides
the coloration of the hindwing does vary

Spring brood female Green-veined White

Female Green-veined White showing the upper wings and
the best and easiest way of identifying the females from the 1st and 2nd brood males
who can have one  black spot on each of the forewings,  or none at all

Spring brood female Green-veined White

Female Spring brood Green-veined White photo showing the underwing
which can vary in colour

Summer brood male Green-veined White

Summer brood male Green-veined White showing the single black spot on the forewings

Summer brood male Green-veined White

A Summer brood male Green-veined White's underwing
which are normally duller than the females, but can vary in coloration

Summer brood female Green-veined White

A beautiful fresh Summer brood female Green-veined White nectaring on Wild Marjoram 

Summer brood female Green-veined White

A very faded Summer brood female Green-veined White but,
showing the two black spots making for easy identification

When nectaring various plants are used. In the Spring Dandelions, Bugle and Cuckoo Flower are frequently visited, whilst in the Summer Bramble flowers, Thistles, Wild Marjoram and Common Fleabane are used amongst many others.

Spring brood male Green-veined White nectaring on Dandelion

Summer brood Green-veined White flying onto Common Fleabane,  proboscis  already out
and ready to nectar, which is quite normal with butterflies

They lay their eggs [ovum] on various plants, including Cuckoo Flower and, Garlic Mustard

Green-veined White ovum on Garlic Mustard, if it was a freshly laid Orange-tip's
ovum [which is also white when first laid] it would  be on the underside of the leaf

which are more commonly used around my home in the wild. Other plants used are Nasturtiums and Alyssums which can be found in gardens and, Garden Centres which are excellent places for butterflies to find larval food plants.

Young Robin in the nest

Young Robin in nest. Close your mouth when your eating

Speckled Wood, pupa to butterfly 2016

Life cycle of the Speckled Wood continued.

After finding a suitable place to pupate, a stem of grass, twig etc., the larva will make a cremaster which it attaches itself to by a series of tiny hooks that are attached to it's abdomen. Hanging upside down for the duration of the pupal stage.

Final instar Speckled Wood larva, stayed like this for five days
before it finally started to pupate.  27th November 2015

The first stage of the transition from larva to pupa is to me the most beautiful of all the pupal stages. The pupa is filled with substance like, a transparent liquified  jelly with a hardened membrane/skin outer casing.

The first stage of the Speckled Wood pupa, 1st December 2015

The pupa changed again six days later, which was it's final change until the Spring and will overwinter at this pupal stage.

The Speckled Wood pupa overwintered at this stage, 7th December 2015

In the Spring, normally April [in this case April 20th 2016] the pupa starts to change after about four months of lying dormant over the winter months, as the butterfly within the pupa starts to develop.

 The first pupal change for four months, 20th April 2016

The changes within the pupa are slow to begin with and, five days later the pupa has taken on a totally new appearance.

The Speckled Wood pupa five days later, 25th April 2016

The changes in the appearance of the pupa are now appearing more frequently, nearly daily.  26th April 2016

Speckled Wood pupa's 5th change, [since the 1st December 2015] 26th April 2016

28th April 2016 Two days later, the 4th change of the pupal appearance of the Spring

Took slightly longer for this change, at two days

29th April 2016 The following day it's appearance has changed again as the wing colours/marking become more apparent.

Now its back to one for each pupal change, this being it's 7th pupal change

30th April 2016 Again the next day, the pupa has taken up a slightly different appearance even though there is no change to the wing coloration, the abdomen/body is a slightly darker green

30th April 2016 and just a small change in the Abdomen coloration

1st May 2016 The final day as a pupa and, the final pupal change as the butterfly becomes fully developed within the pupa.

The 9th and final pupal change

And finally, four days short of eight months, [from the day the ovum was laid to the butterfly emerging] a female Speckled Wood emerges into the world.

A beautiful female Speckled Wood butterfly successfully
making the long journey into adulthood, 2nd May 2016

And what a stunner she is, as she completes the task of drying out before flying away......