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| No Swallowtail but there is another insect! |
One recent afternoon I spent some time happily chasing Swallowtail Butterflies amongst the Lucerne in our garden trying to get some photos.
Wikipedia tells me that those of you that do not live in the UK, Australia, South Africa or New Zealand, will know this plant as Alfalfa a perennial flowering plant in the pea family, cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries.
I did not manage to get any really good close up shots as they did not stay still long enough for the time it takes me to get organised, therefore each photo seems to be missing a piece of butterfly! However I did manage to capture a series of photographs that I felt were worth sharing with you here today.
Do remember that you should be able to enlarge the photos just by clicking on them, or if this does not work you can do so via My Flickr.com album. Swallowtails in the Lucerne which contains the full set of photos.
This post today is instead of my end of the month Our Garden post as due to the drought conditions we have had this summer I have not taken as many photos as normal, certainly nothing showing much produce, a few fruit and nut close ups, plus some colourful flower macros, but no general views. When I looked back at last year's post I was surprised that we thought the garden was not doing well, except for the fruit! This year even the fruit has not been abundant, take a look at this old post if you are curious Our Garden in August 2011.
If you really want to see a few photos from the garden this month please visit the following link on Flickr.com. Our Garden in August 2012
With cracks in the earth like this one, it is no surprise that nothing much is growing!
As I write this post we have just hit the three months without rain mark, then this afternoon the 26th of August we thought we were going to get a storm, but after just ten minutes of heavy rain the skies cleared and the sun is out again. Hardly enough to settle the dust!
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Hello:
ReplyDeleteYou did manage to capture some wonderful images of the Swallowtails. What remarkably beautiful creatures they are. So elegant and such fabulous markings on the wings.
It has been a very hot summer throughout Italy and it is most concerning to see how so much of the countryside seems to be exceedingly dry and brown. We hope that you get much needed rain soon.
Well those photos weren't too bad Linda! Love those zebra stripes!
ReplyDeleteNice set of photos, hope you get some rain soon, you could have some of ours if you like ;) x
ReplyDeleteI have not managed to get any photos of butterflies this year. There have not been as many as usual and the ones I have seen have been constantly on the move! This one that you have captured in these photos is the Scarce Swallowtail - Iphiclides podalirius. I have no idea why they are called scarce as they are fairly common!! have a good day Diane
ReplyDeletethese are amazing, from any angle he is stunning.
ReplyDeleteThat's very nice. I like purple because it's cool.
ReplyDeleteSwallowtails are so large and pretty! The one I shot the other day was attracted to a purple flower also. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, what lovely shots of the butterflies!
ReplyDeleteLove the photos and I am so intrigued that you moved to Italy when you became "empty-nesters"
ReplyDeleteI like your blog---I'll be back
Swallowtails are such beautiful butterflies, and you have captured them wonderfully here, Linda!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful results from your butterfly hunting! Thanks for sharing. I didn't know that lucerne was another name for alfalfa (or vice versa).
ReplyDeleteEven with bits of them missing, these are GORGEOUS photos, Linda. :-) What pretty butterflies. :-) Your descriptions of the drought and heat make me thirsty. We finally, FINALLY got rain last night. :-)
ReplyDeleteWell our June & July were wet but it's been dry all August so we have some lovely cracks in our clay soil as well. No fruit to speak of, even the quince has nothing; just our peche des vignes has some fruit. The poor spring did for the fruit trees.
ReplyDeleteLovely record of your butterfly chasing day! The collage is beautiful, a butterfly kaleidoscope.
ReplyDeleteWonderful purple petals and beautiful butterflies. So lovely !
ReplyDeleteBeautiful butterflies - you did well with your shots. They don't stay still for very long do they :))
ReplyDeleteThree months without rain must be a record. We've had just the opposite here in Alberta - at least twice a week if not every other day it's rained and our trees , flowers and vegetable garden have all flourished. I hope the heavens will open soon and rejuvinate the land, vegetation and people of Italy.
ReplyDeleteOh boy - you got some great close up shots of that butterfly!
ReplyDeleteStill better than what we had ! No summer at all, and all plants in the garden didn't bloom well or even died because we had hail just after I planted them. Looks really poor this year except the bushes and the grass which is growing cheerfully and I have to mow it ! phew !
ReplyDeleteWow, these images are amazing. Thanks so much for posting them, Linda! Love that last mosaic. It would make pretty wrapping paper (you could make copies of it).....
ReplyDeletexo,
RJ
Very nice photos of the swallowtails. We don't have them here in Sweden, I am so envious of you.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures! Like your header too!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I love butterflies. Your garden photos are lovely!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful flowers and I love the swallowtails. Gorgeous photos.
ReplyDeleteHappy hunting - I love the swallowtales - I don't recall seeing any in England before, but we had them in the US. Lovely photos
ReplyDeleteSo glad you stopped over to Quirky Vistas for a visit and left me such a nice comment! I'm loving your beautiful shots. That collage of the butterfly photos is lovely. I'm now following. Hope you'll stop back by and follow as well, if you like.
ReplyDeleteLiz
They're lovely butterflies. I saw many which looked very much like this in Florida, but I didn't know there were any in Europe that looked like this. When there are lots of them they are quite dazzling. the countryside here in England is beautifully green, the one advantage to having been so wet. It's still raining as I write :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful butterflies, Lindy! After I chased a butterfly for about 2 hours, I know it's not an easy task to take photos of it. You did well! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, well done for getting these lovely shots.
ReplyDeleteOh, what wonderful pictures..It is so exciting to catch shots of butterflies/dragonflies..They do present a challenge..
ReplyDeleteYou would have enjoyed our Field Day..the girls are fun and you would have enjoyed them. Con, our oldest does this every year..she remembers her fun as a young girl in private school and wanted to pass this on to nieces/nephews..not to mention the older folks..Lord, I have slowed down..haha..
Have a wonderful week..xoxCarolyn/Rosebud
Very pretty shots and flowers and butterflies! Loved these!
ReplyDeleteDelicious photos, beautiful butterflies.
ReplyDeleteSaludos.
Goodness! Those are breathtakingly beautiful. So fun that you got to see them, let alone capturing them in your beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing, Ginger
ReplyDeleteYou should have said that you wanted rain; we had so much in the UK that we could easily have exported an italian summer's worth to you.
ReplyDeleteDriving into Wales this morning I saw that hedgerows, fields and woods were as green as ever, not a dry blade in sight. No buttterflies either, sadly.
Thanks for visiting Friko's (damp) World.
Beautiful photos though as others have said I think the UK got your rain and we'd have been more than happy to pass most of it on to you if we could!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos even if you didn't manage to take the perfect one you wanted. I always have trouble with butterflies - so have pretty much given up!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments on my blog. Popped across to yours and really liked what I saw. Will be a follower for sure. Your 'travel tales is of particular interest as I am visiting Hong Kong in 3 weeks time. I've never managed anything but a blur when I've tried to capture a butterfly.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots of the butterflies Linda; they are so difficult for me to capture due to their super-fast movements! Butterflies always make me smile when I see them in the garden. They tell me that things are going well in the garden!
ReplyDeleteHope your weekend was good and that your butterfly hunt was productive. Also hope you get some rain!
ReplyDeletegorgeous butterfly!
ReplyDeleteraining and raining here in the middle of Pa...
Lindy I think your photos are wonderful. We finally got some wonderful rain. It rained so hard for an entire day. Praying that you will get some soon.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Jann
Lovely shots, Lindy.
ReplyDeleteWonderful shots of the lucerne and butterfly!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your visits and lovely comments;o)
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Hope you are having a fabulous week****
These are lovely, both of the lucerne and the butterflies! I do keep offering to share some of this torrential, neverending Irish rain with you Lindy! I have such happy memories of the time I lived in Puglia, and that long, hot summer of 1984 without a drop of rain to be felt.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I sympathise with how difficult it is to take this type of photo. Taking paparazzi-like shots of two 4-month old kittens is not easy either!!
I love the pictures you took of the butterfly. They are such a beautiful insect.
ReplyDelete-zane