I’m sure everyone will agree it was another thoroughly enjoyable afternoon at the Winter Social at the Old Forge :D . It’s a great venue, good beer; good food and great company although with the seating we do tend to get a bit spread-out and as such I didn’t get around to having a chat with everyone...

Hi Wurzel. I have to agree that it would’ve been a better day had we seen more of our Target Brostreaks, but the mating Holly Blues did make up for that to a large degree :D . Also, your cracking picture of the barely recognisable male Brostreak reminds me you might have another similar picture lurk...

Nice to see you got yourself a Purple hairstreak James and well worth shouting about 8) . Although a common butterfly it is as you say, very elusive when it comes to getting a decent photograph. Most of my own (few) pics are from distance, record shots that have to rely on the viewer’s taking my wor...

Great report Wurzel and a perfect summing up of a Cloudies flight behaviour: - fast movers but they do need to refuel ..thankfully :D . Martin Down had done well for me in the past but Sheepleas Nr. Guildford is turning into my reliable local hotspot :) . Great season’ total too 8) . I managed 47 bu...

Goldie M wrote:Nice shots of the Small Copper Wurzel, it's always great to see them

totally agree on that The stained glass Peacock is a beaut too
Phil

Hi Chris. as you say the size of the pic doesn't help. Possibles are: - Borkhausenia minutella (Oecophoridae); Syncopacma sp. (Gelchiidae) or a very outside bet of Elegia similella (Pyralidae). Can you know big it was? (length in mm).

Phil

Superb pictures of the silver-spots Wurzel . Love the shot of the one on the Self heal (and the mating pair !)

Phil

Took advantage of the good weather to go to Sheepleas today. Saw six Red Admiral; one Speckled Wood; around twenty Meadow Brown (all females); one Small copper and one wing-damaged Clouded Yellow :D :- IMG_2799 Red Admiral, Sheepleas.jpg IMG_2842 Small Copper, Sheepleas t.jpg IMG_2856 Clouded Yellow...

One of the few species that lets you get right “in its grill” … when you’ve found it . Very nice Grayling shots Wurzel . Its camouflage works well on the dried cop-pat .. not so good in the grass (or on Shingle like the ones I saw in Dunwich)

Phil

Clouded yellow seen at work today (ref. TQ048625). Photo taken on my mate's mobile. First of the year, more to come I hope

I'm back on the first year of my three year cycle so I've seen but not photographed PEs this year So things should be getting better next year :) If that cycle model is applied to me then it's only going to be a sighting for me to look forward to next year :shock: :wink: BTW you're in no danger of ...

Dawneys Heathland nr. Brookwood Cemetery, Woking:- 2 Grayling; 12+ Silver-studded Blue (majority female); 4 Large White; 6 + Gatekeeper; 12+ Meadow Brown; 1 Holly Blue; 1 Red admiral taking salts and 1 Purple Hairstreak (my fffs :D ) in oak tree at edge of site. IMG_6466 Grayling, Dawneys.jpg IMG_64...

Thanks for the confirmation Pete :) . I was about 90% certain after seeing the picture but didn’t realise at the time when taking the photo. Most of my previous Essex shots have been face on with the ‘ink dipped’ antennae tips being the giveaway. Phil NB. Actually I should’ve said Purple Hairstreak ...

17/07/16 Last Saturday (9th) a trip to Abbotts wood, [part of the Alice Holt forest) drew a blank for my target species, the Purple Emperor. The sun struggled to put in an appearance of sufficient sustenance in the morning and by the afternoon it had well and truly clouded over. The journey wasn’t a...

Amongst the Heath Fritillaries seen during the week at East Blean Wood in Kent , were these two individuals .Wondering if they would be classed as abs. ? I would have thought these are in the range of 'normal variation' for this species but it might be worth chacking the abs page http://www.ukbutte...

Susie wrote:Excellent report. Do you think large blues will still be on the wing?

I don't know too much about this species but I think you'd be very unlucky not to see one if you went now or a week later. Most of the ones we saw on the 26th were fresh examples and mostly males.

Amazing numbers, Phil - not everything is having a bad year. It looks as if the work they did at this site two years ago to clear some of the gorse has done the trick. Thanks Dave. I can't recall seeing that many Silver-studs there before :) Mind you, the entrance area, perhaps half of that end of ...

A 40 minute session at Dawney's before rain sent me on my way. Loads of Silver-studded blue :D I estimated a colony size of at least 1000 with 90% of them males:- IMG_8189 Silver-studded Blue (female), Dawneys.jpg IMG_8183 Silver-studded Blue (female), Dawneys.jpg IMG_8194 Silver-studded Blue (male)...

Thanks Wurzel :) . It was a brill day ....have never seen Large Blue so fresh and so up-close and the underside Dark Green Fritillary was the icing on the cake :D One of the perks of butterflying are some real characters you meet out in the field :wink: Would love to go to Durlston(!) as I said but ...

A planned meet up with Wurzel on the Sunday 19th (Father’s Day) for Collard Hill Large Blues was put on the back-burner thanks to the recent atrocious weather and gloomy forecasts. Though there was very little sun on the horizon out west, the forecast offered a glimmer of hope before noon further ea...