Marbled Whites rule the roost

Marbled White, Melanargia galathea on
Slender St John's Wort, Hypericum pulchrum

to view a gallery with more photos, click here

My Mill Hill transect yesterday morning was bursting with Marbled Whites and the first Gatekeepers: Adonis Blue, Brimstone, Gatekeeper 6, Marbled White 74, Meadow Brown 10, Red Admiral 2, Small Heath 19, Whites 2, moths: Cinnabar, Common Purple and Gold 4, Marbled Orchard Tortrix, Satin Grass-veneer, Straw-barred Pearl, Yellow Shell plus a Mullein Moth caterpillar. 

This was the first opportunity to try my new 105mm micro-nikkor lens. All shots at f/22-40 unless stated.

This morning I arrived at Fairmile Bottom at 6:15am and found a few Marbled Whites flying but most were still roosting. There were also Ringlets, Meadow Browns, a few Dark Green Fritillaries plus Satin Grass-veneer and Cinerous Pearl moths.

Mill Hill:

Beaked Hawk's-beard, Crepis vesicaria

Bedstraw, Galium species

Centaury, Centaurium erythraea

Common Purple and Gold, Pyrausta purpuralis

Eyebright, Euphrasia species

Gatekeeper, Pyronia tithonus

Marbled Orchard Tortrix, Hedya nubiferana

Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina

Barred Marble, Celypha striana

Mullein Moth larva, Shargacucullia verbasci

Satin Grass-veneer, Crambus perlella

Silver Y, Autographa gamma

Straw-barred Pearl, Pyrausta despicata

Wild Thyme, Thymus serpyllum

Yellow Shell, Camptogramma bilineata

Yellow-spot Twist, Pseudargyrotoza conwagana

Fairmile Bottom:

Cinerous Pearl, Anania fuscalis

Marbled White, Melanargia galathea

f/5.6

Marbled White

Marbled White

Marbled White with Red Mite larvae, Trombidium breei

Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina

Pyramidal Orchid, Anacamptis pyramidalis

Ringlet, Aphantopus hyperantus

Ringlet

Satin Grass-veneer, Crambus perlella f. warringtonellus

Slender St John's Wort, Hypericum pulchrum

Tiger Craneflies mating, Nephrotoma flavescens

Wild rose, Rosa species