Tuesday 11 August 2009

Brimstones, there and here


I wanted an excuse to post one more butterfly from Tadpole Bridge, and now I've got one. My Mum phoned last night with one of her occasional bulletins about moths in her porch, which has a nightlight and various niches in the stones and woodwork where moths like to rest. Her description made it clear that she'd found a Brimstone Moth, common but attractive and a genuinely bright yellow. The picture, left, is courtesy of the excellent www.gardensafari.net My Tadpole pics are of the Brimstone butterfly, which is more of a lemon colour, turning to pale lime when caught in the shade, as in the second photo. It's one of the first to appear in the Spring, so this must be a second brood. They feed on Black Alder and we planted a few of these as a hedge six years ago, getting them from the excellent Hollybush Farm run in Leeds by the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. Two years later, our first Brimstones appeared, although we've never (yet) had as anything like as many as the flocks at Tadpole Bridge.

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