Brimstone

The weather was so mild and spring-like last week that I half expected to see my first Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni restlessly wandering the hedgerows. I was so excited to see my first butterfly of the year that I found myself almost willing one into existence, but in the end was disappointed and it was Indra, my wife, who spotted one fluttering along a roadside verge on the 24th of February, as she was driving home from Surrey. Meanwhile I spent the day loitering in a street in Chipping Norton trying to get a decent view of the hopelessly lost Oriental Turtle Dove that has settled in the town and caused such a sensation in the national press. Not my idea of a great birding day out but at least I saw the bird! I have been doing a bit of shameless twitching recently, having also spent a rainy day in picturesque Rainham in order to see the Slaty-backed Gull, a new bird for me. Birding really does take you to the most exotic locations!

Brimstones are always a welcome sight in the spring sunshine and seem to herald the start of the Butterfly season. Brimstones are one of the longest lived butterflies, living for up to thirteen months, although much of this time is spent in hibernation. Adults emerge on warm spring days and busily nectar on yellow flowers such as Cowslip, Primrose and Daffodils. Mating takes place in early spring, after which some individuals can live until July when the next generation appears. It is commonly believed that the Brimstone is the origin of the word "butterfly", a corruption of butter-coloured fly. Brimstones can be frustrating butterflies to photograph as they never sit with their wings open and are always on the move, rarely settling to nectar for long.

Sadly a nagging northeasterly wind has brought with it cold and wet weather, so I doubt I'll see a Brimstone for a while, although I won't stop hoping!

Male Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni, (21/09/2008)