A butterfly and beetle

During a cool cloudy spell the other day I managed to get some nice pictures of insects sitting around waiting for the sun to reappear.

This is a male Brimstone butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni). The females are much paler.

In my experience this butterfly almost never sits with its wings open, so I only ever get closed wing pictures.

The Brimstone is most likely the first butterfly you will see in spring. Those on the wing now will be from the second brood of the year. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of Buckthorn.

This orangey/red beetle is a Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis)

They are carnivorous and feed on other insects. The larvae feed on the larvae of decaying wood feeding insects.