Hi Gruditch.....they are real crackers ,never seen anything like them before.....I would however say they are a Tachinid species....probably Gymnosoma........maybe. Hope that helps anyway Cheers IAC.

Hi Jack .....I can only speak for my area, not very unusual, but apart from the ones you mentioned.I have seen OT eggs on Charlock and Winter Cress...........just how succesfull they are on these lesser plants who knows....good luck with the Hedge Mustard experiment. IAC.

The weather still from the east, breezy cool and very dry, not prime conditions for most butterflys, however the season is progressing.....slowly. Orange Tip numbers peaked about 1 week ago and now, unless there is a temperature change, are beginning to decline. Recorded a good crop of eggs on Garli...

Hi Dave , its gotta be Orange Tip, it should as you know quickly turn orange in colour. You only need one passing female to disperse eggs on suitable plants. I have been tracking down Orange Tip eggs in my area for about 4 weeks now, and they do turn up in areas where no breeding colonies exist........

Thanks Paul,I have looked this up and..........maybe just maybe,I will revisit this site soon to check it out , it did not look to far from flowering, so maybe then all will be revealed. Thanks again.........IAC.

Trev, Pete , M-Galathea....Thankyou so much for your replies...Sawflies !!! I really am beaten all ends up with sawflies.....I would not know where to start, I certainly would never have guessed. Thanks for the link Pete.....did it help?..you ask!..the answer is no !!!.....I had no idea there were s...

Well the weather now is not so good in these parts, low cloud and a keen easterly, fairly typical for May I guess. Butterfly sightings are few and far between again. GVW numbers still increasing ! and the Small Torts are braving the flashes of late sunshine, to make ever so brief ariel sorties. The ...

Hi Pete thanks for the reminder....I just plain forgot to attach em

Can anyone help with these photos....the first is what I think maybe a Peacock..but that is not all of the story...I was out yesterday on a new site for me , namely Gordon Moss SWT reserve.....weather was atrocious....east coast Haar, so I was looking a little more closely at the vegetation, when I ...

Hi Jack, I believe they call it Min Till, some farmers like it done this way, some dont ..google Min Till for a lengthy explanation. They Min Till in my area ,and I found it was great benefit in winter for finches and buntings, partridges and larks. But now they have cut subsidies for grass strip se...

Matsukaze the first Comma 2008 here was 3rd April, then it rained pretty much the rest of the month, at the present moment , I have seen 6-12 Comma, in a 5sq mile radius of the village of Chirnside, Berwickshire. I have no idea why you have seen so few Matsukaze.........all I can say is that maybe t...

Thanks Chris, still no luck in ID though....maybe it is a beetle larvae............maybe,. A better photo might have helped, anyway Thankyou for your help.....IAC.

In a word "Peacock" Canon 450d , Sigma 105mm.

Found this larvae by riverside walk,South East Scotland Today...quite large.I dont have any clues at all....Please help!!

Just a wee update on how things are progressing here in sunny Bewickshire. April got of to a promising start with Comma , Peacock and Small Torts in reasonable numbers, then toward the end of the month....nothing.......disaster, then along came the sunshine at long last, and May has heralded, "...

Scottish Comma , April 02.....about the same time as last year give or take a few days....very chuffed to see them again ....great snaps Eccles....400mm for Butterflies ....radical dude CHEERS IAC

Or a Peacock for that matter Jackharr........times are a changin ....IAC

I saw 6 Small Torts here today in Berwickshire, and seemed to be in very good condition, as I was totally unable to to get a lense anywhere near them. CHEERS IAC.

I have just seen today 6 Peacock, 6 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Comma......South East Scotland Berwickshire..It is a very quiet start to the season , compared to last years explosion....snow forecast for Northern Britain over the weekend...SQUARE AND ONE....Cheers IAC.

Hi Gwenhwyfar, It is Self Heal (prunella vulgaris), should keep flowering all the way through to winter. there is also Prunella Grandiflora a larger version, not to sure on the second pic though. However Self Heal is a definate.I think maybe you need some help with this smiley face business....a lit...