This female Brimstone butterfly is minding her own business, having a drink, and has no idea she is about to be tackled from behind by two male Brimstones.

After some mid-air tussling, she lands on a leaf and seems receptive to mating but which male will get to do the honours?

The males engage in an aerial battle, while she waits with closed wings.

The dominant male lands next to the female and seems to try to force her wings apart.

She opens her wings and you can almost see the glint in his eye!

But, before he has time to mount the female, the second male returns to try his luck once more. The female closes her wings and the male tries again to force them open.

Now both males are holding her wings down but they continue to battle over who is dominant.

More male tussling follows, at which point the female gets fed up with waiting and flies off, the two males in hot pursuit.