Tim Melling – Mountain Ringlet

Tim writes: the Mountain Ringlet (Erebia epiphron) is our only truly Alpine butterfly, living high on mountains in Cumbria and Scotland.  It must have been one of the first butterflies to colonise Britain as the ice retreated, but ironically it was one of the last to be discovered (25th June 1809 on hills above Ambleside, where it still flies 200 years later).

I think that the Mountain Ringlet is the most difficult of all British butterflies to photograph for several reasons.  First  it only flies in sunshine, which makes things difficult as both Scotland and Cumbria are famed for their rain.   Second it is highly localised on the few mountains where it occurs, and you are never sure if you are in the right spot when the sun appears. Thirdly, their short flight period can vary by about three weeks, so judging when to go is not easy, although the first two weeks of July is usually a fairly safe bet (This was taken on 11^th July).

I photographed this one on the hills above Ambleside, where it was first discovered in Britain more than 200 years ago.  Isolating Mountain Ringlets isn’t easy as they often drop down into the grass.  I managed to catch this male nectaring on a Tormentil flower with no cluttering grass.

This was taken with a Nikon D7000 and a Nikkor 105mm macro at f4 1/1250 and ISO 800.

 

Mark writes:  I have often used Tim Melling’s images on this blog and now he has agreed to have a regular slot here to share his photographs. I feel lucky to have both Tim and Oscar Dewhurst supplying such wonderful images for us to enjoy.

 

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