Photographing butterflies

Words and images by Angi Nelson.


You may end up chasing around after your chosen subject endlessly, getting stung by nettles and covered in all manner of bugs and ruining your clothes with grass stains in the process. You receive the funniest of looks from passers by walking their dogs when they see your bum sticking in the air whilst you crouch in the grass unawares, thinking “what a geek!” The things we do for a decent photograph eh!


Here we have a few tips to aid you in your pursuit of the perfect butterfly image and hopefully help you make the most of your time doing so.

Check out your local countryside for appropriate locations such as meadows with wild flowers growing in abundance or visit nature reserves and gardens. A useful resource to help you learn more about butterflies before you start out is the Butterfly conservation website. Your local Butterfly conservation branch also holds various events which may help you with photographic opportunities. If you cannot get out and about to photograph butterflies its worth growing plants in your garden or window boxes etc that will attract these fluttering delights, such as Aubrieta, Buddleia, Primrose, Honeysuckle, Lavender, Lilac, Marigold, Phlox, Mint, and Thyme.


Get to know which plants caterpillars feed upon, again you can plant these in your garden or you will know what to look out for on your travels. The following is a list of a few plants and the caterpillars that feed on them (taken from the above website):-

Type	Plant
Red Admiral, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell	Nettle
Painted Lady	Thistle
Large and Small White	Nasturtium, Cabbage
Holly Blue	Holly, Ivy
Brimstone	Alder Buckthorn, Buckthorn
Common Blue	Birdsfoot Trefoil, Black Medick
Orange Tip, Green-veined White	Garlic Mustard, Cuckooflower
Comma	Hop

A Butterfly guide book can also be very useful in identifying the species whilst out in the field, these are available widely and as cheap as £3-5, such as the Collins gem edition, or butterflies of Europe. Occasionally, you may come across a species which is rare or not even native to the UK, it’s handy to know if you have spotted a rare species or even one in decline so you can report your sighting.

The best time of day to maximize your chances of photographing butterflies will be early morning or in the evening as they are moving around a great slower. At these times you may even be lucky enough to see one emerging or covered in dew which can make for that extra special photograph. Wearing clothing that blends in with your surroundings may help you creep up on them unnoticed. Care should be taken not to destroy their habitat as many species are declining in numbers. If you start out early and temperatures are relatively cool then you may get lucky and find a few sleeping. By approaching slowly and quietly you may be able to move distracting stems etc out of the way without disturbing your subject, to help with a more pleasing composition.

Words and images by Angi Nelson.

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