Thanks Pete, I've never witnessed this before, Just thought it hilarious how smug she looks at the end.

Actually Guy there are several small wych Elms nearby in the garden and in the neighbouring gardens but she didn't seem to fly near them, but I wasn't watching all the time as I was working in another part of the garden and just kapt an eye now and then to make sure she was still around.

She is a female and I think she was ovipositing on Blackthorn but the bush was on the very edge of a 20ft cliff so I was unable to confirm. She crawled through the bush and I could see her curling her abdomen as if to lay but couldn't see whether she laid or not. It will be interesting to find out i...

https://youtu.be/-XL16TTvX7o
I was very fortunate yesterday to find this Large Tortoiseshell in a garden at Restronguet Point near Truro, Cornwall. It amazingly stayed in the garden all morning. It's the first one I've ever seen in Britain!

Aberrant Heath Fritillary Greenscombe Wood. Luckett. Cornwall. Today

https://youtu.be/yvvGEefdUeU

Nice one Roger. It would be quite a pull for the EIG if he could do a presentation over here. It would probably encourage me to travel from deepest Cornwall. As you say, if he was encouraged enough to produce it on a dvd even if it wasn't translated to English I'm sure it would be popular! something...

With a bigger audience in mind, I asked Thierry if a DVD was available and this is his e-mail to me.... Hi John, Thank you for contacting me about "Papillons de France en liberté". At this time, this documentary is not available on dvd, but only in the form of a screening followed by a dis...

Nice one Pete. Could have done with another week really, a bit rushed in only one week. A great time never the less. We are both still recovering so the trip dvd will have to wait mate!

Hi John, One of the things I look for on bellieri as well as the large white tuft is a fine dark pencil line around the edge of each white and dark panel on the under side hind wing, This feature was pointed out to me a few years ago by Philippe Bricaire and it works for me. Yours has this if you lo...

Saw my First Painted Lady of the year today near Drift in West Cornwall.

Hi Charles, I have heard very similar calls to this in Spain and once in my home county of Cornwall. they turned out to be Nightingales. As you may know they have a massive repertoire of calls including whistles and churrs. They only sing for a month or so, then, once paired up they become much more...

Hi Nigel. Something I was shown by Philippe Bricaire, an excellent lepidopterist from France that helps separate belleri from the main two confusion species alveus and armoricanus is that on the uhw of belleri the white patches have a noticable fine dark border as if outlined with a fine pen. This c...

I agree with you David. I still think they are gorge, the habitat sounds very similar to the area I encountered them near the Col de la Lombardie where pluto also occurres. As you know Pete, I initially thought they were mnestra's due to the shape of the red patches, until I saw the underside which ...

Hi Pete.
It's not easy without seeing the underside, but my money is on gorge (Silky Ringlet). Would be interested to get some more experienced opinions though

A party of four butterfly nuts from Cornwall visited Fermyn/Lady woods on 14th-15th July 2016. Here's a video of some of the butterflies we encountered.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oLU0qwQBvE

Hi Barrie
I went to Collard Hill yesterday and saw at least five Males once the sun came out.
Cheers
John

Meleager's Blues are great, John; shame they're only just on the cusp of emerging when I'm about to head back to Blighty. :( You've 4 species in there I've yet to see, but I'd trade them all for a female Peak White nectaring right in front of me!! As you probaly know David, Peak whites are notoriou...

Lovely video - many thanks. Would someone kindly volunteer a list of the species in order of appearance for dummies like me, who could only I.D. about half of them with any certainty :oops: Tony M. Here's a species list for part 1 for you Tony..........1, Silvery Argus (male) 2,Marbled Ringlet. 3, ...

I would like to spend a month there too, two weeks slide by so fast. Must be honest, I thought we'd missed the boat last year with the season being so early, lucky for us there were a lot of erebias on the wing several new to me. I thought we would need to visit in August to see some Erebias but luc...