It was recently suggested to me that I present all the Butterfly poems in one blog. I complied of course. Most of the photographs are taken in Chambers Farm wood or Snakeholme Pit the exception being the Silver Y moth at Southrey wood and the Marbled Whites at Red Hill Nature Reserve.

On the return of the Clouded Yellows

That special moment of anticipation

like the surf that breaks across the sand

beauty is flourishing in the woods

Clouded Yellows have made it back to land

beneath a soft spring sun of promise

where newly budded branches wave

leafs tenaciously cling to their stems

for fear that the north wind wont behave

shimmering wings of a passing joy

as the scent of Buckthorn fills the air

vibrant colours bid you to the dance

the cluster landed on a wing and a prayer

birds chirp away in a backdrop of song

enough to brighten up anyones day

the sun serenades in wandering bands

until twilight hastens nature away.

During World War II a yellow haze was observed drifting across the English channel, this was percieved as a poisonous gas attack! On closer inspection it was identified as a migratory cluster of Clouded Yellows.

Ode to Butterflies

Fluttering rose petals high in the sky

self propelled marigolds over the lawn

in some fresh meadows danced a butterfly

freedom, sunshine and nature they adorn

woods or hedgerows, it goes where it pleases

star of summer, it pleases where it goes

down by the river when the west wind eases

orange tips fly by in sweet scented prose

brimstones and ringlets, harbingers of spring

they just could not wait to be beautiful

ballet in the air or a Highland fling

they fly in a natural musical

the caterpillar works hard for so many days

but the butterfly gets all of the praise.

male common blue

Male Orange Tip

female orange tip - her wing tips are not orange!

On spotting the first Brimstone in Spring

A heartbeat flight on fragile wings

like seeing the Northern Lights in daytime

gold streaks the sky as the Brimstone swings

a childhood dream in the sunshine

sipping sugar from luscious flowers

where the lillies and the violets meet

or chasing bees in shady bowers

gracefully poised from my window seat

Brimstone asked Rose if she cared to dance

he fell in love with a flower so sweet

clearly Rose was not in for romance

"you flutter on by just far too fleet

I'll dance on one proviso of mine

being so stately I observe all things

when you learn to fly in a straight line

we'll dance as the nightingale sings"

Brimstone

- - - -/ - - / - - - - -

"You don't eat butter and you're not a fly

please tell me your name don't just flutter by"

"you called me Butterfly, that was so wrong

now you'll never know the words of my song.

People crave to know all things that are hidden

I know of two who sought things forbidden

one plucked some strange fruit and said 'take your fill'

and from there things went slowly down hill

so the summers have come and the summers have gone

you can't know my name, it's a beautiful one

as an angel's wings fly higher and higher

if I told you, you would surely expire

the mystery of my name goes on and on

I can't tell you my name, it's a wonderful one!"

I was just curious about the etymology of  the word  'Butterfly' and got carried away

Small Copper

Marsh Fritillary

His Imperial Majesty's request

"With the summer sun pledging eternity

I was hoping that you might come near to me

your Majesty, what brought you down to the ground

when your home is high up and canopy bound"

"I swooped down to make sure that my wife was okay

and spellbind the innocent with my white coiffè"

"I was stalking your movements for the greatest prize

of Japanese silk under cobalt blue skies

but your Majesty, I have a question if I may

where perchance is your dear wife today?"

"She's laying her eggs down in the goat willow

far away from where any ramblers go...

I too have a request in polite deference

please never reveal my wife's secret presence

if you comply with my humble request

my purple iridescence will be at your behest"

His Imperial Majesty - The Purple Emperor

Natures Gift

There is a whimsical land

          where the sun never sets

                            and there is no night

here lies natures glory

           like childhood dreams

                     on the wings of freedom

dancing on thistles

              for miles of moments

                     through the bracken of summer

just another flower

           of natures blessing

                 in the mural of time

  

as the war rages on

          in this manacled world

                    you're dutifully unfazed

wings painted with sunlight

               coruscating on the wing

                               like moving poetry

your flightpath is all around me

                    an audience with nature

                           in sun strong hills of hope

you can change peoples lives

                   I know this to be true

                          because you changed mine.

Dark Green Fritillary - North West Highlands

Pearl Bordered Fritillary - North West Highlands

      

Broken Wings - For Steve

Never give up

wheelchair bound

confined to the ground

but your spirit can fly

high up in the sky

a Butterfly can fly..

with broken wings

never give up 

let your problem be your flower

you're never crying on your own

you've got the faith you've got the power

so you'll never struggle alone

never give up

let me see the world through your eyes

when we walk that golden mile

see those dreams under paradise skies

when you give me that Butterfly smile

never give up

your heart is kind so you can fly

soar just like a dove

flying high above

then chase the lightning out the sky

and heal those broken wings with love

never give up

you've got the heart you've got the soul

carry on striving to reach your goal

there is one above who knows all things

a Butterfly can fly... with Broken Wings.

Lepidoptering

The sun adds luster to a butterfly's wings

verdant pasture with an unexpected glory

they hide in petals as Ambrosia sings

the tapestry of a colourful story

dancing duple time in a fluttering boureè

a sweet fragrance in the florescence of time

emerging on a shimmering hot summer's day

straight on through the barriers of spring they climb

see butterflies dancing in life's pantomime

though you can't touch them with your fingers

there beneath the shelter of fresh wild thyme

the golden resonance of summer lingers.

Sliver Washed Fritillary on Meadowsweet

Small Argus and friend

Double act - Silver Washed Fritillary and Peacock

Joy

Stood in awe of a Marbled White

smoothly it contours highs and lows

poetry in motion just like waves

she's spreading glitter as she goes

far beyond our latticed world

Small Blues skip in the timeless corn

like angels flying hand in hand

emerging in a golden dawn

under nature's timeless sun

curlews cry and a peewit sings

birch trees are rustling in the breeze

they know the joy of simple things.

Marbled White at Red Hill nature reserve, Lincs.

The mystery of the Painted Lady

Tell me please, how did you know where to fly

when you've never ever been here before

orange music drizzled down from high in the sky

via the desert fringes of an African shore

tell me, why didn't anybody see you leave

they could see nothing with the naked eye

the roses calling perhaps wasn't so naive

a yellow brick road that you could not deny

tell me please, who paints the patterns on your wings

I know the Artist  can't be of flesh and blood

as no man can paint such tremulous things

nor hear the calling from inside the roses bud

each day is a special gift that helps us to cope

the answer lies firmly in nature's right hand

to linger in happiness and radiate hope

then one day, this mystery we'll be able to understand.

Purple Arrows

Looking up at the towering oaks

at leafy lanes unseen to our eyes

purple arrows dart across the branches

from emerald canopies in a secret world

green leaves edged with the light of spring

a metropolis of foliage self contained

purple arrows dart across the tree tops 

they have no need to go to ground

but just before sunshine leaves the day

and evening drops it's silent cloak

purple arrows settle in for the night

as a Blackbird sings a lullaby from below

Purple Hairstreaks shot at 40x zoom!

The Butterflies secret

After the celebrated transformation

a question fired my imagination

I thought about it all day and all night

where do Butterflies sleep at night?

when the gate of sunshine finally closes

do they curl up within the petals of roses?

Or maybe on the back of an evening breeze

do they head for the heights and hide in the trees

untethered flowers you've got no need to hide

let your patterns and polka dots be your pride

you skip around the meadows in perfect aplomb

so what is it that you're really hiding from?

I asked Wisdom if he had any idea

but he advised me just to stay clear

"they don't have that long to be wild and free

so don't disturb the Butterflies, just leave them be"

Red Admiral

Small Tortoiseshell

A Comma ,

Unseen

A hidden meaning on crumpled paper

buried in the depths of God's green acre

a perfect poem that refused to rhyme

banished forever in the mists of time

that photograph that never came to fruition

as to access the land you didn't get permission

a forgotten dream with a flawless script

the one with the treasure map remains tight lipped

give the artist a brush and the writer a pen

for their take on the sight of an elusive wren

yet the Hairstreak's wings seem to be forever hidden

too beautiful to see, eternally forbidden.

Brown Hairstreak

Metamorphosis

He acknowledged that he'd had his day in the sun

decimating cabbages was so much fun

but the caterpillar just couldn't see it coming

that he would spend the rest of his life humming

he had worked so hard for many a day

but nature would have the final say

into a cosy curled up leaf he did creep

eat his last meal and drifted off to sleep

what happened next was largely a mystery

one of the greatest acts of nature's history

then as flakes of chrysalis slowly unfurled

a Butterfly emerged into a beautiful new world.

His Emminence - Duke of Burgundy Fritillary, photograph courtesy of Marty Walters.

Small Skippers

White Admiral

Reflections on a Silver Y moth

Fluttering partakers of a lesser praise

in the sweeping silence of yesterdays wood

harvesting highlights from some beautiful days

communion with nature is always good

a gasp of colour breathtakingly designed

with delicate wings in the long dewy grass

sun beaming through trees is etched on my mind

the Silver Y moth is in a different class

intricate and beautiful though clumsy and weak

see the tears of lavender rustle and sway

drunken merriment in the nectar they seek

echoing quietly thoughts of yesterday.

  Swallowtail

A visit to Snakeholme meadows

The meadows that rebelled against the spirit of the world

bring us such joy as each page of summer is unfurled

butterflies in gold dust as they chance upon some flowers

and a helicopter display in between the showers

a streak of regal turquoise darts across the water

this corridor of green is Mother Nature's daughter

hear the notes of different birds from high in the trees

peeping under branches as they sway in the breeze

now the sun, moon and stars have their own understanding

like the tireless fliers that aren't in it for landing

the paradise we long for that at one time was lost

is thriving at Snakeholme meadows and yet there's no cost.

Dedicated to Peter Cawdell whom without, there wouldn't be a Snakeholme meadows!

Silver Washed Fritillary Abberation, Snakeholme.

Snakeholme Pit, I thought 'meadows' sounded more poetic

See you later - maybe at Chambers!