a couple of Meadow Browns are at it
two Commas frequent a flowering Valerian plant
a Brimstone sucks nectar from a flowering Water Mint
a Holly Wood tastes the nectar of a Ragwort plant
a couple of Green-veined whites caught in the act
a Brown Argus sucks the nectar for a Watermunt
a male Common Blue tastes from a daisy
you mostly find Small Heath in or near grasses
from the outside, Maps resemble a map
Peacocks are fine examples of Mother Nature's ingenuous artistry
Butterflies of the uiterwaarden (1)

Butterflies are particularly picky about their habitat, they prefer to lay their eggs on the leaves of a specific plant or tree so that they can later be eaten by the caterpillars.
These so-called host plants largely determine where butterflies live.

Peacock, Red Admiral, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell and Map all prefer the stinging nettle as their host plant.

Small Heath, Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown are fond of grasses, but the Common Blue clearly prefers clover.

Common Brimstone are fond of wood spurge and buckthorn shrubs.

Fortunately, all these plants and shrubs grow in Empelse Waard and Hedelse Bovenwaard, so on a warm summer day many species of butterfly can be spotted here, fluttering around, feasting on nectar and looking for a partner.

I use a Canon SX70 HS camera. With its extreme focal length of 1365 mm you can get pretty good close-ups but depth of field can become an issue.

The photos are from 2022 onwards.

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the lifespan of a Large White is less then 3 weeks
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a Cabbage White checks out a Purple Loosestrife
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the Red Admiral is a migratory butterfly. They spend winter in Southern Europe
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Small Tortoiseshells are notorious wanderers
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male Small Coppers are very aggressive towards other males
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male Speckle Woods are fiercely territorial
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