Yellow !

I have been feeling a little peeved with the yellow admiral butterflies. I’ve provided the best ever crop of nettles for them to feed on. The plants have been well and truly munched. I have even moved caterpillars from over-eaten plants to fresh ones. The butterflies are now emerging, but the ungrateful wretches just turn up their noses at me when I go out with my camera. They flutter back and forth at speed, teasing me by swooping close and soaring away. If they stop it’s only for a moment. A quick sip of nectar and a batting of wings and they are gone.

Today I stalked this one for about 15 minutes, taking more than 40 shots. Most of them are blurred, or the butterfly turned away, or snapped its wings shut, or was gone in the interval between my pressing the shutter button and the camera reacting. At last it paused, wings folded, long enough to get this shot. The leek nectar must be extra good. It was not interested in the fennel flowers in the background.