Boring Brown Butterflies

You can't get boringer or brownerer than the Meadow Brown.

Nope, can't do it.

Meadow Brown

It's brown and lives in a grassy meadow.

Behold the trick;

"Boo!"

 

 

 

 

"Did I scare you..?"

Yeah..

Note the single white dot in the eyespot, which is an easy distinguisher from Gatekeeper [some of which are quite big*], which has two white dots in the spot. MB starts earlier, but with this weather, I'd be not entirely shocked if we get Gatekeepers soon [and we get LOADS of them around here]

I went back to That Small Blue Site and found only brown butterflies. [I wasn't expecting much else, but you never know]. These and a lone Marbled White [which is a brown, but don't get me started] which really didn't want to be photo'd and a Red Admiral which posed just in the 'too grainy' range band.

A few pale brown moths flushed out of the grasses, but only one landed where I could see it;

Chrysoteuchia culmella

Possibly the least well-marked Crambid, but hey, at least I hit it.

However, there was also this;

Ain't she gorgeous?

Note the claws. [Yes, I always check**]

Just flew up and perched very close to me. Then withstood a bored Crow [whose flying was rather sub-par; can't even git a Kestrel...]

Flower time.

Pyramidal Orchid

Pale one

Lots of heads [I lost count - distracted by flyover - at 37] in a small area where the public can't trample / pick and discard them easily...

Far less vulnerable to mundanes are these beauties;

Musk Thistle

Back away from thoughtless feet,

Wild Rose with

Flower Beetle sp.

Valerian with

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

Reflexed Stonecrop

Hairy St. John's Wort

Purple*** Iris

making bid for freedom

Common Broomrape

Ivy Broomrape

[Insert amusing summing-up comment here]

Be Seeing You...

[[* Gatekeepers are very naughty and can be big and Brown-y or tiny and bright and very like a skipper if you only see it briefly as it zips by... Tut. ]]

[[** Common or 'our' Kestrel has black claws. Lesser Kestrel {or "Holy BLEEP!!!" as it's often known by UK birders} has pale claws. There are other differences, but when you see a Kestrel a' perchin', always check.]]

[[*** I dislike the name Stinking Iris. There are far worse-smelling flowers, and you have to admit it, they're lovely to look at. ]]