Pic 1: Perching with wings held wide open and pressed flat against the top of a leaf, this Speckled Wood is absorbing the warmth from the sun. The males occupy sunlit spots where a gap in the canopy allows the sun to cast a pool of light onto the woodland floor. Small sunspots are inhabited by a single male, who fiercely protects his territory against intruders.

Pic 2: Managed to get real close to this Speckled Wood, almost to within minimum working distance of the 100mm macro.  In order to more carefully compose the shot and also avoid any motion blur (using ambient light as well as flash) I placed the lens hood on the same fallen tree trunk that the butterfly was resting on. Fortunately, I managed to capture the Speckled Wood precisely at the moment she was about to fly off.

Pic 3: While most butterflies have now sadly died there are fortunately still plenty of Speckled Woods about. At this late time of the year they seem to prefer resting at ground level instead of in the canopy of leaves and branches.  Their speckled brown colouring makes them quite well camouflaged against the faded earth browns of soil and autumnal leaves.

Pic 4: On a cold October day this Speckled Wood decided to rest on my window sill. It’s now a new year and amazingly my first sighting for 2015 was of a newly emerged Speckled Wood on 8th January!

Butterfly Conservation – Speckled Wood