MikeOxon wrote:My favourite this year was this pair of Brimstones

Very unusual photo Mike, I've never seen anything like it!

Cheers
John

It's not an exceptional photo but I like the way the light gleams off this pristine male Silver-Washed Fritillary.
(taken at Botany Bay on July 2nd)

That's a great photo Dave. I got a few pics this year of the Duke of Kithurst Hill but none of the underside.

BTW Did anyone see more than one Duke at Kithurst this tear? I don't think a population of one is viable

Cheers
John

After visiting a client nearby, I popped into Pulborough Brooks RSPB Reserve early this afternoon due to recent reports of a Wryneck and the possibility of a Brown Hairstreak (a fresh female was seen and photographed on the reserve yesterday). The Wryneck didn’t show, at least not for me but I did ...

Just to say there were also several Red Admirals and a Brimstone nectaring on that buddleia (but no Peacocks or Commas).

Hi, thanks for all the replies. I visited Strumpshaw Fen twice this week. The first time, on Wednesday, the weather was fairly cloudy with only a little weak sunshine from time to time, and I hardly saw a single butterfly, let alone any Swallowtails. But on Friday it was a lovely sunny day and I was...

Someone asked me a question about butterflies the other day that I couldn't answer. She loves blues and wondered why some butterflies have stripy antennae - does anyone know? This is a question I was saving for the long winter months. In particular, do the stripes have any functional significance, ...

All the ones I saw were swooping around buddleias along the river - take the path west round the reserve (you'll go past the doctor's garden anyway) & when the river appears on your right keep an eye on any buddleias. They only really appeared after midday and didn't really start landing until ...

daveboyle wrote:I had a great day out at Strumpshaw Fen yesterday & probably saw 6-10 Swallowtails.

That's good to hear as I'm visiting this Wednesday to Friday!

Could anyone tell me exactly where the Doctor's garden is?

Thanks
John

Hi, has anyone seen any 2nd brood Swallowtails in the Broads yet?
I'm thinking of visiting around the 18th / 19th of August - is this likely to be too late?
Thanks for any help,
John

Gruditch wrote:VOTING IS NOW OPEN.

You have on till the 10.59pm on the 20th July to vote.

Presumably you meant 20th August?

This was the programme i saw a breeder releasing his Fritillary http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00cskdd seemed totally freelance kinda thing from what I can gather this kind of thing happens all over the place so what are the legal issues with breeding? There was a Butterfly Conservation person pr...

[ Sandra and I went to Honister pass on the 1st July and they were still out, some fresh but not sure what the weather has been like in the last week up there. Also went to Meathop Moss and there were lots of Large Heath, in great condition. Then went to Arnside found HBF over the hill on the left ...

Hi everyone, I shall be in the Lakes for a week starting tomorrow. I'm hoping to visit Arnside Knott for HBF and Grayling - if anyone has any tips on where to find the HBF they will be greatly appreciated! Also I intend to go to Meathop Moss for the Large Heath - have any been seen there this year? ...

Many many congratulations to you and Hannah! She looks adorable, I wonder who she takes after?!

Not sure if this helps but on my Lumix DMC-FZ45 I have my AF Mode set to 1 Area Focusing (single square). This is where the camera focuses on the subject in the AF area on the screen. I set Focus to AF. I use a close up lens and providing you are working within the range limits of the lens 12-14 in...

That's a lovely photo Pauline! I too have a Lumix FZ38, but a lot of my shots with the close up lens seem slightly out of focus. See attached pic for an example. (If you click on the pic you'll see it's out of focus). I'd be grateful for any tips on camera settings and on what I might be doing wrong...

Thanks to Susie for leading a very rewarding walk around Southwater woods and meadows. The highlight for me was seeing Purple Hairstreak at eye level for the first time. It was also nice to meet fellow enthusiasts including UKB'ers Mark Senior and Millerd.

Spotted this morning in Fermyn woods, by PhilB & myself: A Sussex Kipper, having a very enjoyable time! 8) Will post some more later; just why was Neil looking so happy...? Maybe we should have a special photo competition for portraits of Neil? He seems to be appearing in a lot of pics lately!

There's a great photo on the Sussex Butterfly Conservation Sightings web page of a White Admiral at Botany Bay that "seems to have lost its stripes" (by Maggie and Steve East).

http://www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/sightings.html