According to the books,NBA always lay their eggs on the upper surface of the caterpillar foodplant,whereas BA lay on the under side. So this could be a way to tell which species is present-if a laying female is seen.
Can anyone confirm if this is true?
Regards, Mark.

Agreed. A spring without Orange Tips would be a sad place indeed. :( You only have to look at Susie's 'which butterflies are you most looking foreward to' page to see how well-loved OT are to people using these forums. However,OT ar a hardy,widespread species using a wide variety of habitats in many...

I wouldn't say 'reliable' but Bishop Middleham Quarry,County Durham,is the furthest south i have seen NBA with white spots. I have been there twice and both times i have seen just one, along with small numbers of plain ones. But the flight times can be variable,and this year i was supprised to see N...

Its Orange Tips and the first Adonis Blues at Mill Hill for me.Then spring has really arrived,and we can think of great days to come. Anyone trying for Mountain Ringlet,i too would recomend Irton Fell. It's fairly easy walking,and i saw them in abundance there this year. But ignore the flight times ...

Yes,a very merry Christmas to one and all!
And a healthy and happy New Year to everyone who uses this excellent site!
Kind regards,Mark

Scarce Swallowtail yes,but Long-tailed Blue? Although this species could arrive with increasing frequency,and occasionally breed, it could surely not survive our long,damp winters in the forseable future. So the shance of it becoming a permanant resident is probably nil. Is the species Andy mentione...

Hi Guy
I almost cannot believe you are still seeing butterflies as late as this, and with temperatures so low as well. Astonishing!
We have had some sunny days,in between the showers,but not a sniff of a butterfly-and i wouldn't expect it.
I,like several others,am VERY jealous!
Kind regards,Mark.

Quite agree with you Nick,the importance of old railways, building sites etc,cannot be over estimated.
Look at how many Grizzled Skipper colonies are restricted to dissused railways-Goss Moor in Cornwall and in East Anglia,for example.
And most of these have very little protection.
Regards, Mark.

Nice one Guy-very diplomatically said!
The DVD is definately on my Christmas wish list!

I had the great pleasure of seeing both Marsh and Heath frits in good numbers in the same week Cornwall this year,4th- 8th June. Can you get there and back in a day from IOW? If not Cerne giant hill,Cerne Abbas, Dorset, we saw Marsh by the hundred there in mid May. Essex near Southend, and Blean woo...

I too have seen the very worrying press release. It makes sad reading indeed! However,is it just possible in some cases that the aparent decline reflects a reduction in recording effort, rather than a real big drop in abundance, at least in the case of the more common species? For example,if we look...

I am trying to see and photograph all the Cornish species,so i will be hoping to fill in a few gaps. A decent photo of Marbled White and Silver-washed Fritillary are a target. A nice shot of Purple Emperor would be nice! Also i am hoping to go to Croatia in June,where i would like to photograph a Cl...

Just read this, very interesting. Thanks Gibster.
P. S. you're too modest!

Yes,i see what you mean. May be they rely on high densities of butterflies,whih could explain their absence from some sites.Thanks Susie

So you think they come through through caterpillar and chrysalis stage? Sounds plausable. Yes,it would be interesting to hear other opinions a well.
Kind regards,Mark.

Does anyone know how these parasites get on the butterfly? Are they picked up from the nectar plants? They seem common on some sites-Aston Rowant for example-but completely absent from many others. Though i have to say,that's the most i've seen, Susie! Surely,all these sucking blood must do some dam...

Yes,welcome from East Anglia! As we come from Cornwall ourselves,may i congatulate you on living in such a great county! Do you live in the west or east? We are from Madron,near Penzance. Will probably bump into you at some stage,as we often out and about in the county
Kind regards,Mark.

I think perhaps Green Hairstreak is possible for the low numbers question-a widespread species it's true,but they are rarely seen in numbers,and none at all at some sites in poor years,at least in East Anglia where i live,and this is my experiance in Cornwall as well. For the other questions,i would...

Hi there, On the face of it there would seem to an abundance of habitat for scotch Argus in south Wales,as well as Cornwall and Devon. But i don't know how common the caterpillar food plant,blue moor grass,is there. There are also question marks over the mild,wet winter conditions here. On the Conti...

I have to go along with that. A few flowers may be borne after 3-4 years,but you are probably looking at 6 years for a good crop. An advantage,however,is that they are self-fertile,which most domestic apples are not. Whatever you do,don't prune them, it sets them back even further! A bucket full of ...