PotM Calendar
The Photo of the Month (see gallery) is a year-round calendar of wildlife and nature images with story contributions from visitors, friends and fellow photographers.
When it comes to nature photography, it's not only those exciting tales of high adventure that often accompany talent and skill for a fabulous result. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a well-timed shot or well-framed one can say as much about you as a photographer. So, if you'd like to showcase one of your pictures here, free, for one calendar month with a bio or personal account, then this page is for you.
Leckford Estate, Stockbridge, Hampshire
Insects are a staple for many animals, with the largest group of consumers being other insects. So, it’s not surprising they’ve developed some overly complex ways of hiding, evading or defending themselves against predators. In many instances, relying on intricate deceptions, sophisticated camouflage, or mimicry. Three survival techniques – all fashioned and featured in the dual display purposes of a butterfly’s wings.
Next to moths, butterflies possess some of the most varied wing patterns and shapes of any insect species. On the dorsal (upper) side, display colours are used to signal and identify themselves as potential mates. But advertising your availability or whereabouts can also send a message inviting others to dinner, with you at the top of their menu. So, when at rest, a butterfly’s wings are closed, making them less conspicuous/more elusive thanks to a ventral (underside) pattern more in keeping with their surroundings, as seen in this oblique view of a painted lady. Yet its subterfuge for its survival doesn’t end there. In flight, "the vanishing lady" act is switched for a spectacular random ruse; a gathering behaviour partly devised to confuse and overwhelm predators, swarming to full effect during its Autumn mass migrations – a staggering 9,000-mile reproductive journey, spanning two continents and six generations, with a posthumous record credited to the millions that die along the way, for the longest distance travelled in the shortest of lifetimes.
Special announcements or simple hellos. Place your message or link here as part of your PotM agreement. With eleven places left for 2026, the PotM Calendar is closed until January 18th. To learn more about posting news, comments and events under a PotM agreement, please visit our Terms of Use page, where you can submit your photo (along with your story) during the last two weeks of every month.
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