caught red handed

 

24th June

Fun in Warriston! I'm not sure when this game started but it's one we've known of for a few years. And uses the fact that butterflies, like anyone else, like a good view over their territories. To keep an eye on things. See off intruders etc. They will sit happily on an available perch that gives them a better point of view. Even if that perch is a hand. Speckleds, commas and red admirals will play this game although I suspect Painted Ladies would also fall into this category - I often see them at the tops of hills or on a high spot on a wall. There seemed to be a large amount of red admirals suddenly appear in June so we went along to Warriston, admiral-fishing. 

no, but look closer

Firstly just to get the ball rolling a speckled wood came and landed on Mary's leg. I asked was she using magic potions or what and she said it might be the shower gel she used but more likely the warm weather and walk along the road had made her perspire lightly and there was possibly a light sheen of sweat glow on her legs. 

intruder alert!

licky lick!

There were red admirals all around the cemetery. We knew this from the visit here on the 12th. It was warm weather, humid, but also partly overcast and cloudy, so they would be sitting about and waiting for the sun to appear rather than flying. If you took the time to search you could see individuals sitting on gravestones. It was like a hunt the thimble game, with the thimble being an orange and dark brown butterfly.

the peanut king

As usual a few crows, our familiars, would follow us around the place. I put some peanuts and seeds out on a stone and this one filled its crop and beak with about a dozen.

after darkness we hope for light 

not the light I was hoping for

I saw a light coloured butterfly and made chase - on the off chance it was one of the several brimstone butterflies that have been reported in Scotland lately. They are large yellow migrants possibly from England or the continent. They are strong fliers and not known for landing for a photo! And having seen them in Spain and failed to get decent pics on all occasions they are not high on my to-do list. Also I don't find their yellow colour as attractive as orange butterflies, or blue, or pretty much any other colour. I mostly avoid yellows in paintings. (Except maybe naples yellow, or orange yellows.) Anyway brimstones are occasional visitors so I would not let one get away without a chase but I am not greatly drawn to them either. Most of England see them a lot and they are found anywhere in France and Spain. And the large light coloured thing that flew across Warriston was only a large white. It didn't stop for a photo either. It has been a poor year for large whites so far.

2 reds having a joust

Deep in nettle territory we came across ideal conditions for admiral tennis. I still haven't come up with a good name for this game - caught red handmiral was another possibility. Anyway we stood with arms out till they ached. A good idea is to have your hand in sunlight. They love a sunny perch. There were 2 admirals flying around the area and landing on the nettles. One was landing nearer and nearer to us every time (which allowed for lovely close-ups) but did not take the final step and land on a hand. The other kept its distance but would noise up the first; and the 2 of them would go off spiralling upwards into the sky before returning to their nettles. We were there for about 20mins and I was sure there would be a h-landing any moment. But no, they don't always behave as you hope. 

no takers

We moved on till we came across another specimen. This one looked less fresh, like it might have flown quite some distance to arrive here. (The other 2 had looked in perfect condition, more like they had emerged from the chrysalis locally.)(But I have no real idea or proof about it either way.) It also checked us out. By this time I think I was just taking photos and not holding out my perch. It flew round us a couple of times and went very near to Mary's hand (first photo.) After only a couple of minutes, on the second approach it landed. I think it took off and landed a few more times staying longer and with more confidence each time.

I was moving quietly about trying to get photos without disturbing it. No matter how many times this happens it's always something of a little miracle and gives you a thrill of interacting with nature. Butterflies rarely give you the feedback that, for instance, hungry birds in Winter do. They can seem a little stand-offish by comparison. In fact they rarely do anything other than fly away from humans at every opportunity. And so this behaviour is something of a welcome change, even though they'd as happily land on a warm stick that had a slightly greater viewpoint. Mary and I both felt there was a scoping out, a direct meeting of eyes and an assessment being made. Even if you couldn't readily prove or measure that. I'd put it down as a maybe-probably-definitely spiritual experience. Or because it doesn't happen often, you might want to file it under happy accident.

Then the same one flitted from Mary's hand to her camera. Maybe it could sense the warm black material was a better camouflage colour. Many insects seem to prefer resting places that match their own colour. Is this an amount of self awareness or just a behaviour pattern that has emerged through thousands of years trial and error that we call evolution. The silvery moth that chooses silver birch trunks on which to perch outlives and outbreeds the ones that prefer dark brown boughs? Or did it just sense the salt layer that Mary's glowing fingers deposited there?

is that camera good for butterflies?

Eventually it flew off and so did we. The cemetery was looking very different from Winter with a massive increase in lush green leaves which blocked out lots of sunlight and made the place darker but more verdant. We went home via Tescos. On the cyclepath there were another couple of red admirals. They were seeing off anyone and everyone who had the cheek to walk along their path. They would fly towards you and only turn away at the last moment. Some people noticed, many were oblivious. We stopped for a while but weren't super-keen to hold out our perches like we expected the birds to hop out the trees (in front of a busy audience.)

guarding the cyclepath

how they didn't get wiped out by passing cycles?

We didn't get either landing on hands but I scored a quick circle and bump on my hand and also one landed on the back of my shoulder or head but took off again before Mary got a photo.

The game ended as the heatwave ended. A shame really as I was loving going out the door without thinking about jackets or rain gear but instead sunscreen. It was almost like being back in a European city.