all May end at Holyrood

 

30th May

A quick round up of the runners and riders at the end of May on a sunny day. Mostly decent small coppers and small heaths. Although this was just before the small heaths really boomed and are so common place you (well I mean me) don't bother to photograph them. And a couple of small torts. And the cinnabars, just before they became too prolific to bother with. An occasional wall but not that much exotic. 

cinnabar moth

archetypal cinnabar behaviour
showing off red underwear while fumbling about in the long grass, out of focus

wall on the move
(near Hutton's Section)

I had a moment of wondering why crane flies don't capture the same attention as butterflies and dragonflies even though they are in the gap between both. I think their drab colour and erratic flight are not very appealing to me although I quite like their gothic dynamism and potential. I am working on it but they are still not top of my hit list.

Look at that Small Heath! If they did a bit more of that posing on flowers business they would defo make it into the top ten. Or higher! I have no idea what persuaded this one to sit on a flower; it may have flipped out when it saw me approaching and panicked. They normally hide in the grass with at least one annoying blade between them and the camera. Maybe this one was an ambassador, a profile raiser, an influencer! The camera loves you baby!

nobody is sad to see the last of these St Mark's Flies

fresh peacock

pellucid fly

still not convinced but having a go

Only when looking through the camera lens did I realise this heath was lying on a spider web. One quick pic and I immediately went to help it out of the deadly trap. Note Mrs. S bottom right, looking out her knife and fork. Only, as I approached, siren blaring, it fluttered up and out and said "I was enjoying that silky hammock you fool", and flew off. 

ne'er cast off a woolly jumper till May is oot