It certainly was cold enough to make a butterfly shiver! Doesn't say much for the beginning of May!
Thanks for the replies,

Hoggers

Yesterday a Peacock was fluttering around in my garden shed. I caught it in my hands and took it outside. When I opened my hands rather than immediately flying off it crawled onto my finger and I felt it shivering. I couldn't see any movement of its wings but nonetheless could feel it trembling. It ...

Hi Buggy, I live in hope! The radiata variety is quite rare at Dungeness. We see Coppers with reduced orange bands on the hind-wing but the full radiata is a lucky find. That said, last August there was a spate of them! Something to do with the weather last Summer, perhaps? The one I found on Saturd...

What a relief! The beastly cold wind that has plagued us for the last week has gone! I could actually feel warmth in the sunshine and it was pleasant to be outside in the open air in sunhat and shirtsleeves rather than beanie,scarf and jacket. The Dungeness Coppers seemed to appreciate this improvem...

Hello again Maximus, you picked the perfect day to visit as the Coppers were all fresh and in good numbers. Yes, that's the Small Tortoiseshell that eluded me! At least you managed to get some decent photos! And I admire that pale Copper too! I'll keep my eye open for it. Interesting that we both fo...

Happy to oblige, David! Good luck with seeing them in your neck of the woods. When I got up at 630 this morning my car was frosted over, the air was very cold but the sky was clear and there was no wind. By the time I got to Dungeness it was still cold and there was a steady icy breeze but the sun w...

Cheers David, I think Dungeness Nature Reserve is the Piccadilly Circus of the Small Copper World! A cold and dismal Saturday and and equally unpromising Sunday morning threatened to ruin any chance I might have of getting some prime Copper Time in this weekend. Late morning I thought I saw a slight...

Thanks for your comments Wurzel and David: it was certainly a very good total for the time of year. It was very sunny when I arrived at Dungeness this morning but a cold wind was blowing. My car dashboard indicated 10C outside but it felt significantly colder in the wind. Nonetheless I began finding...

Despite a very chilly breeze the Coppers of Dungeness were up and at it this morning IMG_4008.JPG IMG_3962.JPG I watched several sparring contests amongst the males IMG_3916.JPG IMG_3920.JPG IMG_3994.JPG IMG_3995.JPG IMG_3996.JPG After several bouts these two landed for a rest IMG_3981.JPG The paler...

On 14th April 2016 I went to Dungeness and came across my first Small Copper of the year (on earlier visits I failed to find any at all). This year I made my first visit to Dungeness on 6th April and found one Small Copper. Today I visited Dungeness with my brother and we counted 19 Small Coppers. I...

I hope the weather turns better for you Goldie. Down here today it was sunny but with a sharp breeze. I had the chance to spend an hour at Dungeness and although my car dashboard said 15C it felt a lot cooler in the wind. But despite that and my being pressed for time I quickly came across 8 fresh S...

When I arrived at Dungeness this morning my car dashboard said it was 15C outside. Certainly it was very sunny with hardly a puff of wind. I checked to see if the male Copper I've been keeping my eye on this week was still holding his territory: he was IMG_3718.JPG Conditions were perfect for a spel...

When I visited Dungeness this morning it was calm, sunny and warm (13C according to my car dashboard). After having come across two female Small Coppers during the week, today I hoped for a male. It is still very quiet there of course (early days yet) so I was over the moon to find not one but two m...

Many thanks for all the messages - I've emerged at the same time as the Coppers. Warm and sunny again at Dungeness and I found another Copper IMG_3583.JPG Plenty of flowers for her to nectar on IMG_3585.JPG I also saw that the orchids are beginning to open IMG_3594.JPG I saw some Peacocks and Tortoi...

I made the first of my 2017 Small Copper Hunts today at Dungeness and found this beauty Just the one But if the weather forecast for the coming weekend holds true many more will join her

Also two Holly Blues, a Brimstone and a Speckled Wood in my garden.

Hi : October 10th, BBC 4 at 9pm : the Great Butterfly Adventure "Charting the migration of the Painted Lady from North Africa to Britain".
Sounds interesting!

Hoggers.

My car dashboard indicated a temperature of 13.5C when I arrived at Dungeness this morning and a lively breeze made it feel that much chillier. But I've been a'Coppering in far less promising conditions and as the morning went on we enjoyed some prolonged sunny spells (it was 19.5C when I left for h...

Hi guys, thanks for your generous comments, much appreciated. Looking at this website and all of the diaries it seems that there's been a sudden surge in Coppers - I'ts good to hear that so many are now being seen. Alas, James, I've never had the pleasure of seeing a schmidtii, The Holy Grail of the...

Great Coppers, Buggy! I especially like the one perched on a blade of grass- lovely photo.

It's interesting how after a very quiet ( or non-existent ) start to the Copper season for many, the Coppers have surged forward!

Best wishes

Hoggers

Cheers David : both "coppers" were perfectly amiable, so I've no complaints, but I do hope they're presence at Dungeness does not become intrusive ( and I just cannot adjust to seeing live firearms - I find the sight repugnant ) Anyway, on a much lighter note, I returned to Dungeness today...