Wednesday 1 May 2013

My Garden and a White Butterfly

This is a small corner of my woodland garden, and I thought it would be nice to show you because the azalias are in bloom now, and it's looking quite colourful at the moment. The azalias attract any number of insects and butterflies.The butterfly in the next image is a Green.veined White. It measures 25mm, and can be found in flowery meadows, gardens and hedgerows and is common in all of Europe.



The Green-veined White. ( Pieris napi )
Many thanks to Nick and Jan for helping me identify this butterfly correctly as A Green-veined-White. Originally I had posted it as being a Small White, but on closer inspection, and after looking at many pictures I do believe they are right.

49 comments:

Giga said...

Cudownie masz w tym zakątku swojego ogrodu. Motyle są wszystkie sliczne, nawet te mniej kolorowe. Pozdrawiam.
Wonderfully you in this corner of your garden. Butterflies are all very pretty, even the less colorful. Yours.

TexWisGirl said...

oh my word! your garden is 'BREATHTAKING!' honestly, so gorgeous!

Stuart Price said...

You have a great looking garden..........I have a balcony full of junk.

Maria said...

You've got the image of the Small White perfectly in focus. And your garden is how your name is: Breathtaking! Very colourful. I just bought a guide for Butterflies, since I've been in Florida; I also saw a Small White I will post one day. They are not easy to shoot well because of their size; great shot!

Maria said...

I meant to ask you, what is the name of the flower the Small White is on?

susan said...

the garden looks lovely, love the woodland area

Linda said...

Oh, what a beautiful garden!

Breathtaking said...

Giga
Good morning Giga:)
I love sitting and working in my garden where I can watch nature at work also. I don't think there is an ugly butterfly Giga, they are all so beautiful.

Breathtaking said...

TexWisGirl
Thank you Theresa:)My garden has been a labour of love ever since we came to live here,but mostly my shrubs and plants take care of themselves. I like the natural look.

Breathtaking said...

Stuart Price
Thanks Stuart:)It's a quiet place to watch wildlife, and my haven.

Breathtaking said...

Maria
Thank you Maria:) To be honest I have great difficulty identifying the white and the blue butterflies.
The one in my photo looked smaller than the Large White, and the tips of the wings were also not as black as the Large White, so I hope it has been correctly identified. I will be over to see your shot very soon.


Breathtaking said...

Maria
The Verena canadensis is the flower
in the photo. It's a hardy shrub, and it's fragrant flowers attract the white butterflies, other too, but the white butterflies are especially attracted to it.

Breathtaking said...

Susan
Thank you Sue,It does look pretty at this time of the year because there are many mature azalias that tower over me in hight, and the garden is surrounded by them in various colours.

Breathtaking said...

Linda
Thank you Linda:) it's my little bit of paradise.

Rita Vaselli said...

Dear Sonija, your garden is wonderful. I understand why so many animals will meet you there!
Then you kindly leave their water and food for the birds ... it's like a five-star SPA and they let themselves be photographed like top models!
It 'nice to now see and imagine yourself in your magical garden!
Warm hugs, Rita.

Carol said...

Beautiful textures and colors in your garden Breathtaking and a gorgeous photograph of the Cabbage White!

Unknown said...

You have a lovely garden that is postcard-perfect. Your shot of the small white butterfly has great clarity. Is it perched on the lantana?

Nancy said...

Oh my your garden is just so beautiful. I would want to sit among the gorgeous plants and never leave.....The white butterfly is very different in his awesome white coat....

Sonia Aguiar said...

Hola Sonjia, tu tienes un jardín hermoso y lleno de vida y color. La foto de la mariposa está muy bien lograda, me gusta mucho.
Un cariñoso abrazo. Sonia.

Nick Morgan said...

What a gorgeous garden you have. It is just the sort of garden I would love, but we don't quite have the climate here! The buds on our azalea are just starting to swell. The butterfly looks a little like a Green-veined White, Pieris napi. I am not sure if they occur in Portugal, but I would expect the Small White to have "cleaner" wings. However, the Green-veined White here is a lot more heavily marked, so I am not entirely sure!

Bob Bushell said...

Beautiful butterfly.

Rohrerbot said...

You have one gorgeous place! That ¿White Checkered? is out of this world!

ioan moldovan said...

Wonderful picture, yes The Spring has come!
Many greetings!

Breathtaking said...

Rita Vaselli
Thank you Rita:)The creatures who come every day feel safe in our garden.Only yesterday a juvanile Coal-tit ate from my hand for the very first time. It was entirely fearless and a magical moment for me.
Warm Hugs.

Joke (Joke's Camera) said...

You have a stunning and amazing garden, Sonjia. I love this kind of gardens. It must be a lot of work, but it is absolute gorgeous. Before the accident with my back I had a cottage garden and I know how much work it was. Great pictures too. Greetings, Joke

Lasse said...

Ooh you have a nice and blooming garden, much more than ours at the time. Still cold here during nights even if the sun is warming up during daytime.
Have a nice weekend !

Breathtaking said...

Carol
Thank you Carol:)My aim was to create a garden that was both beautiful and insect friendly. If at any time you see a butterfly I have wrongly identified I would love for you to tell me, as Your knowledge of butterflies is far greater than mine:)

Breathtaking said...

Stiletto ElsieXie

Thank you Stiletto, or Elsie!:))
The flower you inquired about is not a Lantana, but a Verana. It's a Verana canadensis.

Breathtaking said...

Nancy
Thank you Nancy:) I do spend most of my time outside, either working or just enjoying the colourful and peaceful envirament.

Breathtaking said...

Sonia Aguiar
Thank you Sonia:) Most artists are drawn to colour, and I am no exception. Colour makes me feel good, and it's a pleasure to share my colouful garden with you:)
Have a wonderful day
Kisses.

Breathtaking said...

Nick Morgan
Thank you so much Nick:)Our soil is acid, so it's particularly suited to Rhododendros Azalias, and Camelias,which make a good show of colour at this time of year.

Your reference to the Green-veined White has made me think! I need to look at more photos to estabish if I have been too hasty in identifying this one as a Small White. I love that nature lovers can exchange info in this way, so many thanks for your suggestion:))

Breathtaking said...

Bob Bushell
Hi Bob:) Although it's probably the most common butterfly around, it is still a beautiful sight to see fliting from flower to flower.

ShySongbird said...

Hi Sonjia :-) Your garden is really beautiful! I can see it must be an absolute haven for wildlife too.

I was going to say exactly the same thing as Nick Morgan. When I first saw the photo my immediate thought was a Green-veined White but checking photos side by side I'm still not completely sure. Whichever it is though it's a lovely photo :-)

I just noticed your reply to Sonia. I adore colour, it excites and exhilarates me but when I have ever mentioned that to friends or family they don't seem to have any understanding of what I mean. I have always longed to be able to draw but am no good whatsoever :-( I remember though that I had a school report where my art teacher said I had a very good sense of colour but to be honest I often wondered if she had me mixed up with someone else ;-) Sorry to go off subject! Sending warm hugs :-)

Breathtaking said...

Chris Rohrer
Thank you Chris:)This white butterfly knows who he is, but to be honest I'm not too sure if I know!! I thought it was a Small White, but have had a few other suggestions from fellow bloggers.
It's not a White Chequered however as he only has two spots, with no other markings except for the dark wing tips.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

This is breathtaking beyond words my friend...

Breathtaking said...

ioan moldavan
Spring is a lovely time of the year, a little late this year, but all the more appreciated.
Have a nice weekend:)

Breathtaking said...

Joke (Jokes Camera)
Thank you so much Joke:) I used to do more in the garden than I do now, for the same reason you mentioned. My garden for the most part takes care of itself, I just let it grow any way it wants to, and Ice Plants smother the weeds.
Dead heading, and pruning old or dead wood is done once a year, but watering the garden several times a week during the summer months is essential. I don't mind doing this at all, it's a good way to cool down on a hot summers day.

Breathtaking said...

Lasse
Thank you Lasse:) Spring was late in arriving all over Europe. It was late here too but within a week of sunny weather everything came into bloom.It was just amazing!! Beautiful things are so worth waiting for!

Breathtaking said...

ShySongbird
Hi Jan:)
Thank you:) Our garden is a source of real pleasure for us, and our three dogs who like me, are always outside.
If I finally conclude that the butterfly is a Green-Veined White, I will change my post. At the moment I'm still looking and checking, but thank you SO much for your suggestion.I'm such a novice, but willing to learn with a little bit of help from my friends:=)
I understand perfectly how and why you are excited by colour.Your modesty is charming, but ofcourse your teacher didn't make a mistake.
Not everyone can put colours together, and you obviously can!
Take care Jan, Hugs:=)



Breathtaking said...

Optimistic Existentialist
Thank you for your lovely comment Keith:=) Will visit you soon.
Have a nice weekend!

S. Etole said...

Such a beautiful garden and butterfly.

Breathtaking said...

S. Etole
Thank you Susan:)So glad you think so.Have a nice Sunday!

salma said...

the beauty of your spring garden, beautiful colors, great frame with butterfly, good day!

Marijke said...

What a wonderful garden you have. And your photo of the butterfly is a great one.
Have a wonderful evening Sonija

Breathtaking said...

Salma
Thank you Salma:)I have 5 favourite colours in my garden. Pink and white, red, and blue and yellow. Thank you for your visit, it is so nice to see you here:)

Breathtaking said...

Marijke
Thank you Marijke:) My garden is where I spend most of my time when I'm at home, and it's where most of my photos have been taken.
Take care, have a good week:)

Ela said...

Your garden is sp perfect :)

Breathtaking said...

Ela

Thank you for such a nice comment Ela. It is not so colourful at this time of year, but the camélias add a small touch of colour.

psychelyn said...

Hi, it's been a long time since I last visited blogger. I see that I missed a lot of your pictures.

Your garden is sooooo beautiful. How I wish I could come close and sniff those flowers. Sit there early in the morning as the sun rises :)

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