Scozmo's Photery

Of Dragons and Butter

It’s August 2nd 2025, in my den anyway and only for a few moments 🙂

Why dragons and butter? Well, it’s that time of year, the butterflies, damselflies and dragonflies are out by the score so, I started taking photos of them, especially as a lot of the birds are now busy feeding young mouths or teaching them how to feed themselves and that makes them a little more scarce for a short while.

There’s a wild planted bank as I walk down the hill from the house and on good days, it is awash with butterflies, I’ve also now learnt that those wee see vary with the conditions and time of year as well as location. For example I rarely see Speckled Wood up by the house but, along the lane to the old Oak, loads of them.

The white ones are the most confusing for me, the most common here seem to be the Veined Whites, you can tell them easily when you can see the underwing…… it has dark veins on it 🙂 Those that know their butterflies can see other differences!

I mentioned Speckled Wood?

Oddly enough, I see them most around the woods 🙂 but not exclusively.

Down to the ponds and I started seeing the dragon and damselflies all around.

They seem to get quite busy at times!!!

The Common Darters are everywhere.

Because they fly so erratically, they can seem to disappear if you blink.

I came across a couple of patches of earth where butterflies had gathered, all whites and I could see some of the differences when they were together but, not for long of course.

You can’t see them clearly in that second shot but, the one with the folded wings is a Green-veined White, the others are Small Whites (I think)

I managed to capture a couple of pairs of Common Darters egg laying.

They hook up and fly together the female dipping her ovipositor to dip into the water, onto leaves and lay eggs (also I think)

They also tend to fly a little more sedately and allow for photos if you’re quick enough 🙂

The damselflies were also busy at all three ponds.

All this staring at reed stems and the water also meant I started spotting all sorts of other bugs!

This little beauty is a Common Tigerfly, apparently 🙂

The two fields around the ponds have been planted with wild flowers which look amazing but also attract so many beasties, it’s fabulous to just stand and look.

I was also on the lookout for Black Darters, I hadn’t seen them before, I think, so wanted a few shots.

The stars of the walk today were definitely the Emerald damselflies and the Black Darter dragonflies.

And so, leaving two ponds, I walked the length of the field, past a third, towards the Mill Pond, surrounded by wild flowers.

I’ve seen a few fields sown with Lacy Phacelia and they look amazing in the right light, the flower looks almost prehistoric to me, in the same mix here are Red Clover and a white Daisy.

patch photos august 2025