A Year in the Valley

A Year in the Valley

Discovering the flora and fauna in a small square of Portmellon Valley

  • BioBlitz
  • The Rules
  • Tally
  • Map
  • Bird Page
  • Contact Form
  • Orange-tip

    Orange-tip

    Obviously an early garden visitor, I was about to dismiss this butterfly as one of the ‘whites’ I spotted last summer, when I noticed a flash of orange!  It flew into our neighbour’s garden, and I got a blurred and distant snap, but promised myself I’d go back down to the watermeadow later on.  Luckily for me, the sun was still out at 5pm and Orange-tip came back to feast on this herb Robert.

    I love the camouflage effect on the undersides of its wings – a bit like the green-veined white but a much bolder pattern.  This is a male, as the females do not have the orange tip.  However, both have the striking green patterning on their flip-side.  They like cuckoo-flowers, and bittercresses.  I spotted them on herb Robert, red campion, and three-cornered garlic.

    Daisy D

    23 April 2024
    Butterflies, moths, caterpillars
    Green-veined White, Orange-tip

©2023 All rights reserved.

  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • Spotted in September
  • Spotted in August
  • Spotted in July
  • Spotted in June
  • Conclusions