Wednesday Walk/Butterfly

This is my entry today for #wednesdaywalk, which was initiated by great photographers @tattoodjay!

Today I want to introduce you to these beautiful butterflies that I discovered in my garden. A magnificent Painted Lady and the yellow-shining Lemon Butterfly 🦋

The painted lady (Vanessa cardui) is a migratory butterfly. These animals can be found in almost all of Europe. In addition, the animals live in Africa and Asia. They also occur in North America and Australia. In many areas the moths fly in only. It can be assumed that the actual breeding area lies mainly in the steppes of the subtropics. This means that Painted Lady in Europe, in particular in the Mediterranean, are actually down to earth (reproducing permanently).

Painted ladies prefer dry habitats. One encounters this butterfly species, inter alia, on dry grass. In addition, they live in areas where there are many thistles, which is reflected in their name. In the settlement area, painted ladies can sometimes be seen in parks and gardens, as long as they find nectar-rich flowers there.

The lemon butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni), Brimstone butterflies are brought back to life by just a few warm sunbeams so that they can theoretically be observed every day of the year when the weather is favorable. By the way: If lemon butterflies sun themselves - and they do so in the spring - do not spread their wings like other butterflies, but fold them together and side out the sunlight.

The Swabian poet Eduard Mörike was not fond of the fact that a butterfly ventured so early in the year. "Brimstone Butterfly in April" he wrote to his Clara: "Cruel spring sun, you wake me up ahead, so May will never see me in my yellow dress." In May, the mating season of the Brimstone is actually over, and the next generation is preparing to slip on. They have become rare in many places in recent times, it says in the cosmos nature guide. This is true for many butterflies and is no reason for the gardener to enjoy.

Please click on the photos to see more details