PS why Gatekeeper? I can understand Hedge Brown, they're brown and live by hedges, but Gatekeeper? Isn't that the dog/demon thingy that invaded Sigourney Weaver in Ghostbusters? :? I too prefer to call them Hedge Browns - what do other people think? (Apologies if this topic has been done to death e...

Hi Susie, it was nice to see you yesterday! My guess is that toxicity in the adult derives from the larvae eating toxic food plants - in which case, for a non-toxic species to become toxic, it would have to switch its food plant, which is probably a bigger ecological change than just changing its ap...

This is my best of 2011, the solitary Duke of Kithurst Hill. I only ever saw the one Duke at the site. I hope s/he found a mate as otherwise there won't be any next year Kithurst Hill, 29th April

It amuses me the way that Ray Mears has to show off his firelighting skills in every programme he makes

This was probably my best of the year. Sadly I haven't managed yet to get an underside shot of any kind, let alone one as beautiful as the ones posted above! It was an unexpected bonus on a trip to Meathop Moss (on July 11th) to see the Large Heath.

But would it hurt to try the captive breeding? Evidence please.

I too visited Cissbury Ring this afternoon to look for the Clouded Yellows - which turned out to be wild geese! The photographic highlight of the trip was this remarkably fresh looking female Meadow Brown. I also saw a Speckled Wood and an incredibly battered Painted Lady. Later I bumped into Colin ...

Piers wrote:That one is a beauty, John W.

Thanks Piers! I particularly like the very pale blue or whitish areas near the edge of the lower wings.
I spotted it on Kipper's Brown Hairstreak walk in between admiring the Brown Hairstreaks he was conjuring up!

Cheers
John

Stunning photos Neil! A reward for all the hard work you put in tracking them down...

On the subject of this Country... pleeease can't a budding Prof Thomas bring this species back here I personally can't see what the problem would be. Oh, someone will complain that it would be messing around with nature. As if humans aren't constantly doing that anyway, generally in a destructive m...

There are some lovely images on this thread! I love the blue scaling on this female: common-blue2.jpg Steyning Rifle Range, Aug 21st 2011 This one is perhaps a little macabre: common-blue1.jpg Malling Down, Aug 7th 2011 What exactly is the passenger? Do they kill the butterfly or are they a harmless...

Short-tailed Blue would definitely be my favourite photo if I had taken it here

Seeing those three Chequered Skippers on a single stem illustrates how locally abundant even the rarest species can be. Think of Heath Fritillary at Blean Wood or Large Blue at Collard Hill. I guess it just goes to show that habitat is all...

I wonder what the evolutionary advantage of a small second brood might be? If only a few butterflies emerge, the chance of finding a mate is reduced compared to emerging at the normal time. If mating does occur, the larvae will be smaller when they overwinter - is this a good thing or not? Cheers Jo...

My favourite is this shot of the Brown Hairstreak Whisperer himself in action This one is a bit tatty but I like the classic open wing pose: Steyning Rifle Range, August 21st 2011

I like this one because of the dandelion head it's resting on: Also it's a nice reminder of my first trip to Kithurst Hill, a lovely site, where I also saw my first ever Small Blue and a solitary Duke of Burgundy!

These are my favourites from 2011, I love the feathery flower heads. 23/07/2011, Kithurst Hill

Trev Sawyer wrote:They look like an Amythest Deceiver (Mycena pura) - very pretty, but not a good idea to eat those either

Thanks Trev. If you google "Amethyst Deceiver" it seems that some folk do eat them, but don't worry, I'm not tempted!

Cheers
John

While we're on the subject of mushrooms, can anyone identify this rather spooky looking purple mushroom I found growing on a Beech forest floor? It was about 2 inches high.
Thanks
John

I too have yet to see a Black Hairstreak I drove up from Brighton to a site named Hewins Wood in Bucks on June 11th - it was sunny for about 1/2 an hour after I got there and then it rained all afternoon!

Still it's good to have something to aim for next year...