At last! A Small Tortoiseshell, outside Tesco in Cheltenham (glamorous location). Its a nice warm day but its just starting to rain now.

Great pics, thanks for sharing. Its been cloudy every possible evening here.

The Ant programme was excellent, really watchable and informative. I'm really looking forward to the Monarch programme (tonight). I must catch up on Metamorphosis

Jo

Thank you, this is really interesting

Jo

Thanks everyone, this was at Arnside Knott this weekend

Jo

Tired and scruffy, but I'm wondering if the wing edge and sex brands are enough to call this as a High Brown?

Thanks for looking

Jo


IMG_5455 by legless2007, on Flickr

Thanks for the tip!

Can't wait for my copy to arrive.

I went to Collard Hill for the weekend, stubbornly, in spite of the weather forecast. Saturday 16th It was so windy and very few sunny spells, but as you got down the hill it was much warmer and within an hour I was rewarded with my first 2 Large Blues . Even in such horrid conditions (we could bare...

Yashca wrote:The Strumpshaw Fen blog said the first Swallowtail of the year had been seen yesterday, so it certainly looks like you're in with a chance visiting during the last week in May

woo hoo!

Really hoping those forecasts are correct. I have the next two weeks off and have been hoping for good weather. My aim is to see: 1) Green Hairstreak and Wall in the Peak District 2) Chequered Skipper (and assorted birds) in Scotland 3) Small Blue and Duke of Burgundy in Totternhoe 4) Duke of Burgu...

Dashed up Prestbury Hill when I finished work at lunchtime yesterday, saw Orange Tips, Brimstones, Peacocks, Speckled Wood, Green Veined White and just one Duke of Burgundy. There was also a Common Heath moth, my first ever Common Lizard and a Cuckoo calling. In the morning there were Holly Blues ma...

You both look wonderful, thanks for sharing the photos. Hope you're on the move soon x

This is a great site for Norfolk. I don't know if it helps at all. http://www.norfolkbutterflies.co.uk/species.shtml

MInsmere RSPB reserve might be worth a look.

I might bump into you, I'm on The Broads the last week in May with friends, hoping for an early Swallowtail.

Jo

Never have I been as excited to see a Small White as I was yesterday, I chased it around the local park much to the amusement of passers by, it was after all just a white butterfly, but after 3 'dry' weeks he was the most beautiful butterfly in the world to me! http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5462/700...

Being a bit of a geek I've taken some time to look into hearing in moths (One of the joys of being an Open University student is full access to its outstanding online library). Lots of work has been done on hearing in day flying moths (where predation from bats isn't a problem) and it seems that som...

I thought it was going to be a butterfly free week with the weather, but I nipped to the park in between showers and spent 1/2 hour watching a beautiful male Orange Tip.

Jo

what I find interesting, and will have to find out more about, is that the moths seem to take off when they hear the noise. The usual response of a moth to ultrasonic noise in flight is to drop suddenly to evade the predator (you can try this by rattling a bunch of keys when moths are flying). So ta...

possibly not the most exciting sighting but my Dad saw a Scarce Swallowtail this week in Turkey. He saw it and actually went to my Turkish butterfly books and ID'd it.

I'm so proud, I mean you try and encourage them, without pushing them, let them find their own way....

Finally! some butterflies! I walked up from Cheltenham to the Butterfly Conservation reserves (The Masts and Bill Smyllies) and then back down by another route. Brimstone 1x male and 1x female Peacocks - some on a tree and a group of 4 spiralling skywards Red Admirals, some in better condition than ...