Vogelmoos Nature Reserve

Mid July in the Nature Reserve, 20 miles west of Lucerne, Switzerland. It has been a warm summer and on a few days muggy conditions: Ideal for the growth and texture of plants and rich feeding grounds for animals. I spent a few hours in the reserve chasing after butterflies. I spotted a patch of densely overgrowing Creeping Thistles (Cirsium arvense) in a forst clearing, a perennial plant, native to most European coutries, but also present in Asia and North Africa. They are sought by many insects for their nectar which is abundant in July.

Following some pictures of the butterflies I spotted during that three hour excursion.

Below: The Small Tortoiseshell start their life cycle on nettles. The eggs are laid on the Common Nettle and the larvae feed on them. Many people despise the nettles because of the burning stings and red flares they produce when beeing touched. Without the nettles, these beautiful butterflies would not have a feeding ground to start their lives.

I could not identify the yellow butterfly

Other customers than butterflies find nourishment on the thistles, above all wild bees.

Other plants host other butterfly species; I didn’t see the White Butterflies on thistles.

Butterflies are truely more interesting than just being colorful and wiggely insects. Their spread over big regions, tendency to migrate far away and for some, a sense of territory that they defend are just a few additional intriguing aspects of their lives.