Common Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia)

This little orange and brownish-greyish butterfly is very common in the meadow near my home. It seems to be in abundance at this time of year; seen more frequently by me than any other species I encounter.

And so I find myself often photographing the Common Ringlet simply because sometimes there are no other photographic choices at the time. Also I do not believe that there is ever the best picture possible taken until you have taken another and then another and another to be able to make comparisions with. So this little butterfly is often the focus of my attention.

And so following my
philosophy that
there can never be
one picture too many, I was delighted yesterday to have been able to
capture a picture showing the frontal or upper side of the Common Ringlet. A small but meaningful success to me.

My butterfly guidebook only shows an illustration of its underside wings but now from my photo I am able to id a small orange butterfly in an old display case of mounted butterflies that I had bought at an auction several years ago.

Usually as soon as this butterfly alights it assumes the closed wings position but on this instance two butterflies were interacting with each other and one did not have its wings closed. To the upper right is my picture showing both the front and underside of the Common Ringlet during the encounter of these two butterflies.