courtship/ mating
Females often raise their abdomens during courtship. This can be interpreted by the male as a sign of rejection but
often the female relents after further courtship attempts. It is physically impossible for mating to occur
while the female has a raised abdomen.
Mating can last a long time (even hours) and the pair usually stay 'together' while they fly to another
location if disturbed.
gatherings
It's a wonderful experience to see a big gathering of butterflies. Large numbers sometimes congregate for communal
feeding and butterflies extract nutrients from moist areas, such as mud, rotting plant material,
animal excrement etc. This is often referred to as 'puddling'
and the behaviour is more commonly seen in males. Their uptake of minerals increases the likelihood of
success in reproduction. This phenomenon happens with other animals as well.
in flight
Field guides illustrate upper-sides and under-sides in order to show diagnostic markings etc. that facilitate identification.
Nothing wrong with that. But there is an infinite number of images to be had by photographing a species in flight. This is a challenge.
Butterflies generally fly quite erratically and unpredictably. If they are feeding at a flower it is almost impossible to predict when
they might take off. But occasionally some interesting conformations can be captured.
Some butterfly species are reluctant to open their wings when settled. These include clouded yellow, brimstone, cleopatra and green hairstreak:
there are probably others. Naturally this makes it difficult to photograph the upper-side of the wings. Unless, of course, there are chance findings
of dead specimens or ones entangled in a spider's web. Not the best solution!
clue:
Ram, on the ball flier (9)
Press button to see brief slideshow of some mating butterflies (16 photos; ca 30 sec.)
When finished, optionally swipe left & right to see specific photos.
The tables offer a selection of butterfly species, organised under their family names, with a few liberties taken for convenience.
