A male Silver-washed Fritillary on Wild Carrot. The black bars of the forewings and deeper orange distinguish the sexes in this species. Females are duller and lack black barring.Green-veined White on vegetation. In warmer countries and probably in warmer summers in Ireland, females will mate more than once.Ringlet on Common Spotted Orchid. The Ringlet and Silver-washed Fritillary feed on this flower. The Ringlet can be very abundant in tall, humid grassland growing near woods, or among scrub.Narrow-bordered Bee Hawkmoth larva on Devil’s-bit Scabious. There were three larvae on a large plant. The adult moth had a good year on the Butterfly Conservation Ireland reserve at Lullybeg, in County Kildare.A male Dark Green Fritillary feeds on Marsh Thistle on Lullybeg Reserve, County Kildare.Purple Hairstreak female on an oak leaf containing its nourishment, an aphid’s secretions. This has a sticky texture and sweet taste. It also provides camouflage to the butterfly which has silvery undersides that blend in with the silvery glare the secretions emit in bright sunshine.The Meadow Brown has a long flight period that peaks during July in parts of the east and midlands and during August, sometimes in mid-August, in parts of the west of Ireland.
All photos J. Harding
Early July and late July are quite different in the butterflies on view. Later in the month, the Brimstone, Wood White, Large White, Small White, Small Copper, Brown Hairstreak, Holly Blue, Peacock and Grayling join the species highlighted here. July has more species on the wing than any other month.
