A bit of detail

The Brimstone butterfly's spot on the upper wing.
OM1 camera 60mm macro lens 26mm extension tubes and shaky hands!
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[Monica]

Wow!

[bkb in the city]

Very nice

[Cherrill]

Amazing!! Look at those scales. Funnily enough I saw a Brimstone in the garden today. I'd always associated them with early spring.

[Jesika]

@monicac @bkbinthecity @stowgarden thank you all. Cherrill, you are right, Brimstones do appear in spring - when they wake up from hibernation. Theoretically they can be seen any time of year if it’s warm enough. They are univoltine which means only one brood a year, the scales you see are of a butterfly “born” in July. At this time they have no interest in breeding, just feeding up so they can get through the winter when they will start looking for mates in April, May or June usually. They are our longest lived butterfly with a potential life of 12 to 13 months. 🦋

[Cherrill]

@jesika2 how interesting! So the one I saw which was feeding will hibernate this winter and reappear next Spring, if it survives. I think I'm learning more from you than my books!! :-)

[Jesika]

@stowgarden that’s right as will Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Red Admiral (assuming they don’t migrate south to Europe as most do) and Comma. Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated.