Yes,the cold dull June is likely to be a disaster for the already small Essex population of White Admirals-and many other species!
At least the strong Sussex populations should be in a better position to bounce back when conditions improve,lets be optomistic!

After lunch,onto Hadleigh Castle Country Park. I was pleased to see the first White-letter Hairstreaks have emerged,as have the first Marbled Whites,Small Skippers and two Essex Skippers. Hutchinsii Commas were plentiful and others seen at this splendid site were Large Skipper,Meadow Brown, Ringlet,...

Don't worry Wurzel-there were some quite keen birders on our trip,i don't think much went unnoticed! 28 June. Today,i went to the Roman River Valley,near Colchester. I've never been there before,but the attraction for me was not butterflies,but dragonflies. For this is the only place in Essex where ...

I don't like those pictures-i love them!
Yes,this is an excellent wood for this species,as are several other woods in the area. You have probably caught them at their peak,but emergance dates are variable,last year,they were already on the wane by now.
Great stuff!

Thanks for your help with these,folks-plenty more to come!
Guy, i don't have an underwing shot of this one,unforunately,but Twin-spot is likely,as it is said to be present here.
Cheers!

That's the differance Guy, when it's not been raining it's been cloudy and windy, with a marked shortage of sunshine-even by UK standards!
Great report Guy,keep 'em coming.

Just back from Croatia. Having a few probs with un familiar species!
Does anyone recognise these photo's?
Any help would be gratefully received!

I fear for your butterfly bush i'm afraid. They are found growing wild on railway embankments,old industrial sites,stone walls and even old buildings. One thing that all these places have in common is that they are dry. It's just possible your one,with all the wet weather,has drowned at the roots.

Evening everyone! Just back from Croatia (Hrvatska) with Naturetrek,which was excellent. We saw 95 species of bird and 100 kinds of butterfly! It's worth remembering that untill relatively recently,this was a war torn country,and there is still plenty of evidence of this. Bullet holes can still be s...

A truely stunning find Goldie,the find of the year so far! SPBF are fairly common in Cornwall but i've never seen anything remotely like this!
I've never been to Gait Barrows,i'm jealous and i really must get up there. I still have sooo much to do,so many places to go!

Hi Wurzel,very quick there!
You're right,it seems to be something in the gene pool,which is not present in evey population. I for one am glad it is present in ours,as it makes finding them even more interesting. It also underlines how important it is to save these colonies from dying out. Cheers!

Thanks so much for your comments,folks. It's lovely to hear what other people think,glad you like the pictures! Yes Guy,the Grizzlie is intermedia,and i'm really pleased to find it. A wide range of forms are found at Langdon,from the normal kind right through to ab. tarras.,and everything in between...

Friday 1st June. On Friday,having booked a day of work,we headed south to Surrey. It was a rather dull day,due to a dying cold front nearby,but quite warm as we started to walk accross Denbies Hillside. Soon the first buterflies were seen, including plenty of Small Heath,which seem to be having a go...

Then onto a site in the Chilterns for Millitary Orchids,which were close to their peak. Excellent.Many Fly Orchids,too,plus Common Blue, Dingy and Grizzled Skippers,my first Brown Argus of the year,Orange Tip female,Small Heath,Brimstone female and Speckled wood. Loads of Kites and Buzzards overhead...

Wednesday 30 May. Today,i spent the morning looking for Grizzled Skippers at our last Essex site,and i'm glad to say i was successful. I have seen Grizzlies elsewhere this spring,but to see them in my own county means the world to me. It means this lovely species has survived for another season. We ...

Yes,those scenery shots are cracking,and the Skipper ones aren't bad either! Wish i could have been there.
It is no suprise that the season is more advanced there-the weather has been consistantly sunnier/warmer in north-west of the country than down south this spring.

I can understand your concern,though Susie. Not everyone with a net is up to no good,of course, but the defensive,unfriendly behavior of these two-wonder why this was.

Great stuff Marek-nice to see you are finding your way around your new home and surroundings-keep up the good work!
Look like you have some great species there!

Seconded! We wanted to and see the Chequered Skipper too,but can't justify the cost this year. A hard choice to make-in fact even harder now, seeing those brilliant photo's!

That Adonis does look peculiar though-i've never seen a male as fat as that! I'm glad you thought one of my choices was worthwhile! I would like to go to Denbies,too,and i'm off work on wed or thursday. But i would also like to visit some orchid sites in the Chilterns,as well as look for some of my ...