butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/orange-tip

Common and widespread, this medium sized butterfly can be found in gardens and hedgerows.

The males are unmistakeable; white butterflies with bright orange wing tips. The females are white with black wing tips. Both have mottled green underwings.

The Small White is very similar to the female, but lacks the underwing markings. Discover how to identify white butterflies with this handy guide.

Size and Family

Family: Whites and yellows

Size: Medium

Wing Span Range (male to female): 45-50mm

Conservation Status

Butterfly Conservation priority: Low

European status: Not threatened

Caterpillar Foodplants

Several crucifers are used, especially Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis) in damp meadows and Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) along road verges and ditches. Occasionally, it uses Hedge Mustard (Sisymbrium officinale), Winter-cress (Barbarea vulgaris), Turnip (Brassica rapa), Charlock (Sinapis avensis), Large Bitter-cress (C. amara), and Hairy Rock-cress (Arbis hirsuta). In addition, it lays its eggs on Honesty (Lunaria annua) and Dame's-violet (Hesperis matronalis) in gardens, but larval survival is thought to be poor on these plants.

Habitat

Orange-tips prefer damp habitats such as meadows, woodland glades, hedgerows and the banks of streams and rivers, but readily visit gardens.

Distribution

Countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland

Widespread throughout Britain and Ireland, having spread considerably in Scotland over the past 30 years

www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=cardamines

Life Cycle

There is a single brood each year, with adults flying from the beginning of April, through May and into June. In exceptionally early years a small second brood may appear.

He sat beside me and enjoyed the Sun for a minute or two.

Wren looking around at Kelham Bridge

Finally!!!...It's the first day of spring 2022. And what a fantastic day it was here in the UK as I spent a few hours out and about on Greenham Common in Berkshire.

This youngster must be from an earlier brood to yesterdays post as there only appeared to be one parent bird.

Moorhen - Gallinula

Hesketh Farm Park, Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire, UK.

As always I extend my sincere appreciation to all those who take the time to stop by and comment on my photos.

DSC_5783. Explore # 103. 5th July 2019.

Spring Watch - Starling chick

Spring Watch - Starling

Please see Suffolk April 2017 album. www.flickr.com/photos/wendycoops224/albums/72157682818547896

The Mute Swans on loch Milldam near Dunkeld.

Blunthorn Nomad Bee - Nomada flavopicta

Hedgehog on an evening patrol sniffing out sunflower seeds. Such a wonderful sight.

There's a new blog over on my website, with a bit of a spring update. www.flyladyphotographybywendycooper.co.uk/article/a-lot-m...

Please do pop over for a read and feel free to share!

In Tentsmuir forest this morning

A tiny, nimble, curious and quick British Wren taken yesterday at a rainy Springwatch 2018 location of Sherbourne Park in Gloucestershire. This little one was great fun to watch, entertaining me for quite some time by repeatedly disappearing and then popping up again nearby, little tail bobbing.....

I have just returned from a trip abroard (more of this at a later date) to find this flickr mail -

Thank you for adding your image to the BBC Springwatch Official Flickr group - I am writing to let you know that we selected your image for use in last night’s Unsprung programme.

If you weren’t able to catch the show live yesterday you can watch it on the BBC Springwatch website here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07dx2t8

Best wishes

***************

BBC Springwatch Unsprung Production Team . .................................. What a nice thing to to find !!!!! . This popular nature programme was shown on U.K national television at eight in the evening on BBC 2 and the episode number is number 9 . The above picture is not a re post but two frames ahead of the featured image

Northumberland

Self isolation birding. Part 1

Helophilus pendulus laying eggs.

Two birds which possibly feature in the BBC Springwatch program, which is filmed at Pensthorpe

Yesterday in the woods near Dunkeld.

Female kestrel spreading those wings and perched nicely

Delicate Insect: A little solitary mining bee coming in to land on white micro clover flowers

HMM!

At the Stannergate near Dundee this afternoon.

At Morton lochs this afternoon.

Pixie is wondering when the green leaves will appear , maybe

Not quite as much fog as predicted but by the 3rd day we really got it. Lasted beyond noon. This is a favourite area of mine in Epping Forest with a mix of ancient beech with younger silver birch.

Red Kite over the Gwrhyd mountain in the Amman valley in West Wales.

Another shot of these amazing fighting Little Egrets Keyhaven Nature Reserve Lymington.

Blue tit in late afternoon sunshine

One of several hedgehogs living in our garden.

1 of 5 fox cubs spotted by my wife on some land at the bottom of our garden...

RSPB Old Moor

So good at camouflage it even fooled this fly!

Growing fast and trying to keep cool in a heatwave.

Sparrow & Juvenile