Have just been catching up with your diary after a recent abstention from UKB to sort out my holiday photos from France. A great and accurate report from Durlston and as you know I did get to go there myself and may get around to doing a post for the winter months. As in your report the butterflies ...

Have just been catching up on your epic diary Wurzel. So many good things to comment on I don't know where to start. The first picture of mating pair of Small Skippers is a beautiful capture :D :mrgreen: . Also liked the female Dark green fritillaries and the near mirror image Marbled White :) . The...

With the school summer holidays underway it was time to use up some of my leave and hopefully get in some field trips in with the kids. Of course kids of 11 and 14 have their own plans on what they want to do, so circumstances dictated I was only able to get Izzy my youngest for Friday, one day out ...

Followed Dave's tip-off and managed to fit in 90 minutes of butterflying at Dawney's on Sunday. Soon found my target species, Grayling. Getting a decent picture was harder. Dave said keep still and the Graylings will come to you. That was true but they always landed on the back of my trousers where ...

A lovely sunny day and a chance to get some butterflying in. Earlier I'd seen a female Sparrowhawk sat on my house roof, some Large Whites; Peacocks and a Comma all visiting the garden (the Comma appears to have taken up residence) and all this served to whet my appetite for what lay ahead on a visi...

Unlike Trevor I have seen Large Blue at Collard. Nevertheless:-

Love your other insect shots Wurzel . The fly is a beaut but also a biter ...Tabanus bromius, Band-eyed Brown Horsefly I think.

Phil

10/07/15 part(l)y delayed Purple Emperor season is upon us, the time of the year where all other things for me at least, have to revolve around a quest to see and photograph a grounded male open-winged butterfly in all his purple splendour. Last Sunday's iffy weather made me give it a miss so it was...

It would be interesting to know the time of day, so that one could maximise the chances of seeing a similar spectacle The one I got wasn't found by me and it caused quite a stir among the butterfliers who'd turned up for Emperors. I think it was discovered around 10:00 in the morning but may have b...

I agree it is rarer than a purple emperor on the ground ..... four years on since i got mine. remarkably similar dont you think

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=5439

Phil

Brooklands nr. weybridge surrey late afternoon Sunday 5th:-

Meadow Brown; Ringlet; Gatekeeper and small Skipper . No Surrey five-spot Burnets .

In my Garden; gatekeeper; Large White; Meadow brown and Comma, 4 in one day , none seen the whole of June

Susie wrote:Wow, Mark!

Yeah Wow mark
Didn't go to Straits on Sunday as the morning weather didn't look conducive to grounded emeprors. Wished I'd given it a go now

Phil

Living for the weekend is a very apt description for my butterflying aspirations. This weekend was no exception. Perhaps I was spurred on by knowing that Wurzel was steadily notching up his species count :wink: (my foray plans had been derailled due to the holiday and illness on return), that I deci...

I've been busy replanting with insect-friendly plants recently, including quite a few buddlejas. I was rather surprised this evening to find this striking larva on one of the latter: mullein.jpg A little research online reveals it's the larva of the mullein moth. The information I found online says...

Hi Bugboy

bugboy wrote:Whilst prowling I found the same little Micro Moth Kevling saw, I wonder if it was the same individual?

Hi Bugboy. Did "Kevling" see the same moth as the one I reported on the June sightings page two days earlier

I was moth trapping last night Jack and observed a moth quite high up spiralling in the tractor beam of the trap light. Suddenly a bat appeared but the moth evaded capture by dropping like a stone.

Great stuff Phil, I'm not ashamed to admit that I got a bit lost in that coppiced area! Hall of mirrors is an apt description. I became totally disoriented if it wasn't for a kind and helpful local butterfly enthusiast I would probably still be wondering around in there. Great photos btw. Thanks Ja...

two weeks I reckon ... pressure on

14/06/15 It was 5 years ago when I saw my first and only Heath Fritillaries at East Blean woods in Kent. For Wurzel this was to be a first-time trip and a chance to go for a lifer. This meet up and trip had been planned for months, dare I say it years :shock: . The weather in the morning looked iffy...

Looks like you had a cracking day - I'm glad you got the Walls and Marshies - sorry about having to let you down :( . Still we should be good for Heaths as I have earnt a ton of Brownie points so far this year! :wink: Have a goodun Wurzel Thanks Wurzel I reckon we could fit in another trip to Cotle...

Another weekend and another chance to catch up on my butterfly sightings. Having the following weekend away on holiday meant I was banking for a very early Small Pearl showing at Bentley. Afterwards I'd be taking in Marsh Fritillary at Cotley with a view to hopefully picking up any of the Blue speci...