Big Butterfly Count 2014

From the 19th of July to the 10th August is the big butterfly count something i did for the first time last year and have continued this year on my local patch in the meadows. if you'd like to join in here's a link

http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/

Small Skipper

I have to say i was never overly interested in lepidoptera before i saw the springwatch special last year and it really spurred me into taking more images of them.

Cinnabar Moths Mating

These day time moths were mating on a stem as i was walking by, theres allot of skill in wildlife photography but theres always that element of luck you have to take advantage off particularly when you see a behaviour rather then just a moth sitting there on its own.

Speckled Wood

As the day got warmer the butterflies got allot more active and harder to get close to so i would differently recommend going early morning for easier shots of the butterflies. This Speckled Wood was very jumpy but by letting it settle i was able to get a shot i was happy with.

Small Blue

This little fellow was what i really wanted a small blue, such a beautiful little insect and again spending allot of time chasing butterflies around a meadow (see i have a softer side). Its the colours on both sides of the wings i like with these insects.

BBC Wildlife Local Patch Reporter
Jack Perks

@JackPerksPhoto
Facebook: Jack Perks Photography
Website: www.jackperksphotography.com

Dragonflies at Idle Valley Nature Reserve

Having visited idle only a couple of times this year i was looking forward to seeing what the september sun will bring and it didn't disapoint! which was good for me as i was leading a macro photography workshop looking at butterflies and dragonflies mainly. Walking through the woodland area we saw plenty of speckled wood butterflies suning themselves.

The dragonflies really played ball on this day and with a breezy cool start we found a few basking on the bushes like this male migrant hawker.

some were also feeding with one eating a wasp and this female migrant hawker tucking into a fly.

Me being me i had to grab a wide angle of a dragonfly and got this chaser warming up on a post.

I don't normally take shots on my workshops as i like to have full attention on my clients but with all the dragonflies around i had to take a couple of shots and as you can see everybody got some shots of dragonflies!