Just back from a holiday on northern Portugal. As usual with family holidays, butterflies weren't the main agenda, but I took my opportunities when I could. Here are some pictures - I would appreciate any correction or confirmation of the IDs. First stop was near Gerês. I think this is an Iberian Ma...

Saturday 29-Jun-2019 With temperatures around 30C, I went to Trumpington Meadows, just south of Cambridge . Not long ago this was arable land but is now an amazing meadow full of knapweed, oxeye daisies, grasses, trefoil etc (and divided down the middle by the M11). And so many butterflies - mostly...

Thanks Wurzel and David.

While I'm writing, I'll note my first Ringlet this morning in Trumpington Meadows, Cambs

Sunday 23-Jun-2019 Living in Cambridgeshire, there are some butterflies that I can't really justify making the trip to see, but I was in Weymouth for the weekend, so coming back via Collard Hill was not much of a detour. I've never seen Large Blues before, so this was an opoortunity not to be misse...

16th June 2019 It was too windy for photographs, but I went down to Therfield Heath, Herts to look for Summer butterflies. Meadow Brown s were out in quite good numbers in the more sheltered spot, five or six Marbled White s, and a single fast-flying Dark Green Fritillary In my garden in Cambs, a P...

Weds 15th May 2019 I was supposed to be working from home but the weather was too good, the dog needed walking, and I'd had a enticing report by email of the butterflies of Totternhoe Knolls, so decided to take the afternoon off and take myself there. I'm very glad I did. The only time I'd been the...

Thanks for the kind comments Wurzel, David and Goldie

Time to start my diary for 2019, a bit late! I forgot to record my first sightings of the year of the hibernators, but last week was the start of the spring butterflies for me. 17th April 2019 A turn around Cherry Hinton pit LNR turned up Holly Blue, Speckled Wood and Orange Tip - all firsts of the ...

Likewise no UK clouded yellows for me, but lots in Northern Spain in July.

Clouded Yellow. Castro Urdiales, Spain, 29-Jul-2018

Those parking apps are very annoying, particularly because there are many different ones and often the one you need is not the one you have already installed and registered with. So you have to download the app there and then and go through the registration process, which may be difficult/expensive/...

This Very Small White was in my kitchen today

28-Jul to 8-Aug-2018 Just back from a family holiday to Northern Spain (Cantabria, Biscay). As usual this was not a primarily butterflying holiday but I always keep my eye out. Clouded Yellows were very common along the coast: http://www.pbase.com/dilettante/image/167941287/original.jpg And Speckle...

Thanks Wurzel. Yes, definitely some snakelike manoeuvres were required to creep up close on my belly

18-Jul-2018 I was in Dorset for a couple of days with family last week. Not primarily a butterflying trip, but it was great to see plenty of Walls on the top of Golden Cap. They were very flighty in the heat and seemed to have good hearing, so getting close enough with my little RX100 and Raynox ad...

John W wrote:
I must have been one of those people clustered round the Emperor as I have the same shot as your first one (though cropped differently).

I guess we were too busy with the Emperors to talk about UKB

I think I prefer your crop.
There should definitely be a ukb hat!

Charles Nicol wrote:have a great trip.... it is going to be scorchio !!!

I did and it was! Report in my personal diary http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=5167&p=133214#p133214

This should be in the July thread when it opens up, but good numbers of Chalk-hill Blues in Therfield Heath, Herts today (1st July). I only saw males. Hoping their numbers will continue to build with this good weather.

Thanks Wurzel and David. Saturday 30-Jun-2018 For the first time in a few years I was able to make a trip to Fermyn Woods in emperor season. I parked at the gliding club entrance (parking very busy even at 9:30), and immediately could see a group of people clustered round a grounded emperor on the t...

I'm heading to Fermyn tomorrow. Expecting some madness with it being Saturday but hopeful of a good day! Neil's report is heartening.

So another thought, based on the observations of wing parting. Could it be to realign scales, like a bird preening its feathers? For blues in particular with any sort of irridescence, I'd imagine having well-aligned scales would be a good thing for maximum effect. I've no idea if scales get misalign...