On to Mill Hill, where I met Dave Cook. Here it really was breezy, with not a lot about, exceopt for a real surprise, my first ever November Meadow Brown, and not in bad condition. I have seen a nice fresh one in late October before (23/10/2011) but never as late as November! mb-23-10-2011 - 1.jpg ...

I am hoping to come along too.

Cheers
John W

Butterflysaurus rex wrote:As others enjoyed taking photos of the star attraction my eye was drawn to a couple of very shiny and new Small Coppers.

Hi James, it's always good to see a fresh Small Copper! Were they in a particular part of the field?

Cheers
John

Well I went to Smardale Gill yesterday, it turned into a bit of nightmare, at least at first. I was planning to go to the Smardale Gill car park, but about half way along the narrow road to Smardale, there was a sign saying "Road to Smardale closed, follow diversion". I then spent ages fol...

It's several years since I was last at Smardale but my recollection is that the walk to the viaduct from the Smardale Village car-park is easier - a relatively level path through woodland. The path from Newbiggin is longer and steeper, climbing over a rough hillside before reaching the viaduct. I c...

David M wrote: I put a report on my PD which you can find on this page if you scroll down, including visual details of the hotspot:

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=4876&start=260

Thanks David, very helpful.

Hi folks, I am going to be in Cumbria for the next 5 days and I am thinking of visiting Smardale Gill for the Scotch Argus. It looks like quite a big site - can anyone suggest where to start looking? The Cumbria Wildlife Trust web site ( http://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/smardale-gill-direction...

Female Silver-washed Fritillary f. valezina at Fermyn Woods today. I didn't see anything large and Purple but still went home very happy!

John W

Thanks Bugboy and Jenks for the replies. The Large Blue blog for Collard Hill reported only 4 faded Large Blues today, so I've booked myself in for a couple of nights at a hotel near Daneway Banks. I've not been to Daneway before, so any tips on where to park, how to find the site etc would be very ...

Hi all,

Is it likely that the Large Blue will still be flying at Collard Hill or Daneway Banks early next week (i.e. around July 3rd/4th) ?

Thanks for any replies
John W

Hi, I am on holiday in Switzerland at the moment, and saw these two butterflies (a fritillary and an Erebia?) at Muottas Muragl, 8051 ft, near St Moritz. (A bit of a tourist trap but stunning views none the less). If anyone can ID them I'd be grateful. Cheers John jun-20-butterflies - 1.jpg jun-20-b...

Yes it's also on the BBC news:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-40306311

I can't think of a more deserving recipient! Well done Neil.

Cheers
John W

Hi,

Does anyone know if the Marsh Fritillary is flying now at Cotley Hill, Wiltshire?

Cheers
John W

Yesterday I tried once again to find the, so far, elusive Marsh Fritillary.

Hi Trevor,

Where have you been looking for the Marsh Fritillary? Is it Cotley Hill?

Cheers
John

Collector convicted for illegally catching and killing the UK's rarest butterfly http://butterfly-conservation.org/48-15226/guilty-all-charges-version-collector-convicted-for-illegally-catching-and-killing-the-uks-rarest-butterfly.html The court heard that Cullen was spotted climbing over a locked f...

Saw my first butterflies of 2017 on Saturday at Park Corner Heath / Rowland Wood in East Sussex - 6 Commas and a Peacock.
Cheers
John W

I find that the Wood White is always a very photogenic species. My favourite from last year was this second-brood individual. I like the contrast with the red seeds.
Tugley Wood, 24th July 2016

Cheers
John W

p.s. looks much sharper if you click on the image..

I was pleased with this shot, not only because it's two for the price of one, but also Neil Hulme was only a few yards away and he missed it Always nice to see two different species in close proximity. Even better when each is a species normally intolerant of close company. Well done. Thank you Dav...

I was pleased with this shot, not only because it's two for the price of one, but also Neil Hulme was only a few yards away and he missed it

Kithurst Flower Meadow, 15th May 2016

Cheers
John W

I was pleased with the contrast with the reddish bramble leaf in this photo taken at Malling Down near Lewes on 27th August 2016.

(note the photo is much sharper if you click on it!)
Cheers
John W