Took a trip to the North Yorkshire Large Heath colony today, with reasonable results, fresh butterflies, maybe 10 or so in all, on a warm, still, partly cloudy day. I think by it's behaviour, the Small Pearl was emergent. IMG_5307_edited-1.jpg IMG_5500_edited-1.jpg IMG_5429_edited-1.jpg IMG_5437_edi...

Thanks Nikolay, I really appreciate the feedback even if it puts euripylus back in doubt - I'm sure you have better experience. :D ..... and Alistair.... glad I'm not the only one... camera bags are now a menace to me, but really, I should have been less complacent. :roll: Here are the last day's im...

Thanks Guy, I really appreciate the feedback and I think I'm going to name it as eurypilus !... striking thing was it's size... same as pylaon rather than agestis , and seemingly much nearer in relationship, despite the name. There followed a couple of rather fruitless days.. the first transferring ...

Day 3. A ride in the car for a second attempt at the Kekova forest near the Kovada National Park... didn't make it the day before as couldn't find the right road out of a village en route. This time we made it further - up to the point the road became navigable only by 4x4.... found a gully and it b...

Yep, tho' I really wanted it to be cornelia I accept the weak white mark is rather a pointer towards icarus . The ? punica certainly didn't let me near it for an underside, I was going on the convex forewing margin, which is present at different angles on the one or two other rubbish photos I took, ...

Day 2.... Walk up the southern side of the St Paul's Way, from Egirdir. IMG_d2 3933.jpg We walked up-hill to reach uplands, and were later thwarted by a quarry which we couldn't find our way through, and then threatening storm clouds... but in the 2 or 3 hours prior, had a bit of a Blues session.......

Ok then.... Photo "highlights" of day 1.... IMG_3319.jpg agestis IMG_3446.jpg IMG_3329.jpg Icarus..... or could it be cornelia :? 140606 M.jpg jurtina IMG_3342.jpg male telmessia 140606 I.jpg lathonia 140606 aM.jpg punica (?) IMG_3586_edited-1.jpg tessellum ups IMG_3522_edited-1.jpg and uns

OK... back now... and I have learnt a few things! Firstly... I should not have expected wall-to-wall sun... but actually that turned out better for photos! Secondly, one shouldn't expect to see too much!... of a possible 165 species at the two areas visited, at the time visited, I managed a mere 43....

Just back off holiday... things have moved on.....

Thanks .... but do you think the little black spot looks a bit ominous where the silk thread passes over... ? parasitized ???
I suppose I'll find out eventually

Spooky.... but great to see... reminds me I saw my first ever fireflies in Italy last year...... and encouraged by your comment above, I HAVE now found a pupating WLH cat!

Hmmm... all disappeared, including the one about to pupate.... I suspected they had been swept up by birds, but today, on scouring the branches yet again, I found this..... ( Blooming difficult to photograph, so forgive the shortcomings!!! :roll: ) IMG_w3150_edited-1.jpg IMG_w3160_edited-1.jpg So al...

Really enjoying you diary Guy - those trappi shots are brilliant.

My WLH cats have all disappeared, but I think birds will have taken them, not pupation,

Going soon :D for a short break... anyone with any butterfly experience of Antalya to the Turquoise coast and up to Egirdir near Isparta ? Any indications of places to look would be most welcome, otherwise it will be the St Paul's Way and the Lycian Way and see what turns up. Will add photos in due ...

Yay... thank you very much ... lots to come, the scabious, Rockrose and betony are budding up presently, and the rabbits haven't yet destroyed everything, but seem to be keeping the whole thing generally shorter and "tighter" than other years. Butterflies don't figure large tho !

Another 9 days, and more flowers appearing...

fourth WLH catty now visible, I know it is number 4 'cos it's on the other tree! One of the others has positioned itself on the upperside of a small leaf, looking like it has loosely pulled in an overhanging leaf, and is turning colour to pupate. So it's not aimed for the old flowerbud husks I thoug...

Cheers Guy, I will be unable to resist looking!!!..... the remains of many of the flowers, husk like now, are really really WLH pupa like, and it will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.... just reminds you how wonderfully the pupa mimics the host. Oh, and one very lucky WLH larvae to have f...

Small Copper seen on the patch a few days ago....

Ten days since last pics, and patch beginning to blossom, these taken in the evening sun tonight....

Hi Roger I now see three ! I will just let nature take it's course.... I really would love this to become a regular habitat for them, but if it's going to, it needs to be naturally viable.... imagine sitting back with a cold one in the garden, contemplating WLH's going about their life with the thou...