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Have had a surprising number of visitors to see my shots - thanks to all who have taken time to look.
Amazing to see my first Clouded Yellow yesterday - the colour of the wings in flight is amazing! Such a shame they close their wings at rest! But at least I got a shot!
The Clouded yellow (Colias croceus) is a medium-sized, golden-yellow butterfly. A migrant species, it flies here from North Africa and southern Europe. Clouded yellows appear in small numbers most years, but occasionally turn up in large numbers - creating the phenomenon of a 'Clouded yellow year'. It can turn up anywhere, but is most frequent in southern England.
Adults may arrive at any time during the spring and summer, and can be found in a variety of open habitats, although, in southern England, they are particularly fond of chalk grassland. Foodplants of the caterpillars include wild and cultivated clovers and Common Bird's-foot Trefoil.
The Clouded yellow has bright yellowy-orange upperwings, lined with broad, dark edges, and yellowy-green underwings. It rests with its wings closed; two silver-white spots can be seen on the hindwings in this pose.
Clouded yellows are currently unable to survive winter in the UK, but they are one of the butterflies that may become more common, or even resident, if temperatures continue to rise as a result of climate change.
aka Irridescent/Nacreous/Mother of Pearl Clouds.
Explanation here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_stratospheric_cloud
Not seen that often and thought to be due to the high winds caused by Storm Gertrude. My friend Doug 1st alerted me to these the evening before when he saw them above his house but I missed them. But there they were again this morning as I was leaving for work. I only had time to shoot about a dozen hasty pictures from my drive before starting my commute. They reminded me of the meteor shower in John Wyndham's 'Day Of The Triffids'... Maybe tomorrow we'll all wake up blind... It's the end of the world!
Sunset, Antisanti in Corsica. This is now on the Cloud Appreciation Society site here
and is to be included in their calendar 2007. (Thanks scuba-getaway.com below)