Green-veined white

The green-veined white butterfly is often mistaken for the small white. The distinguishing feature is, of course, the green veins. This example was visiting the flowers of a burdock growing by the River Wye in Herefordshire. Helpfully, the sex of the green-veined white can be determined by the spots on the forewing - the female has two and the male only one.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

(Dandelion and) Burdock

When I was a child one of the the most popular carbonated soft drinks was called "dandelion and burdock". It was dark brown and sold in glass bottles (with a small refund for an empty return) by most of the manufacturers of such beverages. Today it is quite difficult to find and its distinctive taste has been all but lost, having been supplanted by ubiquitous global brands. Dandelion and burdock has been drunk in Britain since the Middle Ages and is one of several drinks based on plant roots: in this instance those of the dandelion (Taraxacum officianale) and burdock (Arctium lappa). Today's photograph shows burdock flowers with their charcteristic velcro-like hooked bracts designed to catch on passing animals and thereby spread the plants' seeds. These "sticky" seed heads are much loved by children who throw them at one another aiming to make them stick on their friends' clothing.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2