That's great. Thanks!

No replies on this? Does anyone here know the site, or have opinions on whether Marsh Fritillaries will still be around next week?

This one's a female:

millerd wrote:I think the second one is male as well.

Yes, I think you're right. I definitely saw some that were more obviously female. I'll have to see if I have a photo. Thanks for the correction.

Tuesday 24th May 2011 Today I went to Hockley Woods in Essex in search of the Heath Fritillary. The Cambs & Essec BC site said that 10 had been seen on Saturday, so I figured I should be able to find them and it would be worth the 60 mile trip. When I arrived, I realised Hockley Woods is huge, ...

I'm going to be in South Wales next week, quite near Rhos Pilbach, which is listed on this site a good place to see Marsh Fritillaries. Does anyone here have any advice for me? Am I likely to see them if I go next week? If the weather's not good and I'm looking for roosting butterflies, is there a p...

Great picture. When I tried to photograph them there on a sunny day a few weeks back, they didn't seem to want to settle for more than a second and I only managed a quick snap.

Butterfly effect: why Britain is suddenly all of a flutter Good to see butterflies being discussed, but with statements like "The wood white is Britain's smallest butterfly", you have to question the authority of the writers. Also "Five species of British butterfly have become extinc...

Thanks Pete However, you'd probably have seen other clues as to the sex while on site. Small Blue females are quite sedentary, while the males are certainly more active. And the upperside is a dead giveaway Neither of these was at all active nor showed any sign of wanting to show me their uppersides.

Sunday 15th May 2011 The weather forecast promised sunnny intervals, so I decided to drive to Totternhoe Knolls near Dunstable to look for Small Blues. I'd seen our largest butterfly (Swallowtail) last weekend, so now it was time for the smallest. When I arrived the weather was grey and windy, some...

Sat 14th May 2011 Decided to look around my local patch of scrub, as I thought there would be common blues there, and hadn't seen many of them so far this year. Saw a female blue almost as soon as I arrived, then lots more that I weren't sure whether they were CBs or Brown Argus. A few posed cooper...

Introducing myself I thought I'd start one of these diary pages. Inspired over the winter by Patrick Barkham's "The Butterfly Isles" and David Newland's "Discover Butterflies in Britain" , I told myself I'd make more of an effort to get to see different butterflies this year. Th...

That's great information. Many thanks to you both. It's good to know I have both on my local patch of scrub.

I'm not very confident distinguishing brown argus from female common blue. When they're like this it's easy! I don't recall seeing them this blue before: http://www.pbase.com/dilettante/image/134692732/original.jpg But what about this (taken at the same site)? There's a blueish sheen visible on the ...

If my Google mojo is working, the blue pin on this Google map is where the swallowtails were at Strumpshaw on Saturday. I didn't see any anywhere else on the reserve, but there were four of five here.

As mentioned in the Swallowtails 2011 topic in the Sightings forum, there were a few swallowtails at Strumpshaw Fen yesterday. These photos were all taken near the end of the Fen trail, but the lady in the reception said they'd been flying around there as well. Photographic comments and advice welco...

Closest focus at 1:1 I do understand what that means if you have a 35 mm size film or sensor and used the term myself in the old days of film. eg, at 1:1 a 1 centimetre object would be exactly 1 centimetre on the film. But what does that term mean with a smaller sensor, for example an APS sensor of...

The ones I saw today were all in one small area, so it's hard to know how many individuals, but I saw 3 together at one point. Was that Dr.George's garden or elsewhere in the fen.? I have never had much success at Strumpshaw except in the garden. I certainly will consider a day trip in the next for...

There were quite a few to be seen at Strumpshaw Fen today, so I'd aim for earlier rather than later. I wish you luck. I'd forgotten quite how magnificent a site these creatures are. Such graceful fliers. The ones I saw today were all in one small area, so it's hard to know how many individuals, but ...

Interesting to see the different perspectives. I like the effect of including more background (as long as the bokeh's good), but I'd hate to be restricted to short macros with reduced working distance. I also like the isolating ('butterfly on a stick') effect of longer lenses. I guess it's good to h...