Some great shots and posts in your diary since my last reply Particularly like the lovely female Large Blue at Rodborough

Nice one Deborah We had an Empress on our house wall this morning when we were having breakfast outside. I only had my FZ38 with close up lens, and was unable to get a record shot. She went into our outside sink seeking moisture but flew fairly quickly. Great to see her nevertheless

Thanks for the Mr greens, Katrina, I hope that you get to see some of these species in the future :D Cheers, Wurzel, Pearly Heaths are a delight, we first saw them in 2018 in the French Pyrenees :) A couple of extra shots following my last posting. Lizard Orchid, that's a first for us :) most were a...

Thanks, Trevor, yes it has become much more productive :) They are on their way, Pauline :) Not sure what the customs duty will be :shock: Cheers, Wurzel :) Thanks, Katrina, much appreciated :) Thanks, essex, yes we are lucky to have the Maps breeding here :D It's very satisfying, David, to have Swa...

Taking another look at the photos, Wurzel, it looks like the larva do actually hatch from the bottom of the egg. Looks like they chew around the bottom edge but not quite all the way around. They appear to leave a ‘flap’ of eggshell to keep the eggs below attached and have just enough space to crawl...

Lovely shots of the stunning Black Hairstreaks, Pauline Wish we were there to pay a visit or to bump into you at one of the Hampshire sites

What a lovely Silver Washed Fritillary, Trevor Shots one and three in particular are stunning

I believe the side door it is, Wurzel

Thanks, Trevor, yes, they will become (hopefully) White Admiral lookalikes later :) I understand what you are saying, Katrina, the latest shots should clarify that :) Yes, Bugboy, they look vaguely like nettle flowers, but I agree that they are not in the right place :?: Perhaps the position they ar...

That's a long old drive, David but well worth it given the Mountain Ringlets that you found and photographed I would have been overjoyed to see those. This is a species that we missed out on, for various reasons, when we were in the uk Great stuff

Thanks, Katrina, very fluffy :) Thanks, 'Nefreem' :lol: , appreciate your comments :) Thanks, Wurzel, they are soooo good looking :) Thank you, David, yes it's only the English channel which stops them being residents :roll: The other morning we watched a Map Butterfly hanging around some stinging n...

Incredible image, Katrina, that's what it's all about

I agree with Katrina, that first shot is a beauty

Thanks, Trevor :) Over the last couple of days it's been nice to see both Broad-bordered bee hawk moths and Hummingbird hawk-moths visiting our flowers in bloom. I have really struggled to get any decent shots of them as the weather has been dull and windy. Therefore I substitute some photos that I ...

Thanks, Wurzel, I know just what you mean about about Sooty Coppers, loads of time looking :lol: La Manche is too great an obstacle for them David, sadly :( A recent visitor to our Choisya hedge was this lovely Map spring brood, (f. levana) butterfly, the first we have ever seen. Simply stunning is ...

Thanks, Dave, it is really rewarding to rear Swallowtails here, we are lucky to have them in our garden :) We've all piled cats in a box with a bunch of nettles, that's how it all started for me too :) Thank you, David, glad you liked that image :) The Orange-tip cats are doing alright on Honesty, I...

Thanks, Trevor, I will certainly will try to add some French specialities, if the weather ever lets me :roll: :lol: Thanks, Wurzel, it's certainly autumn like here at the moment :roll: We have seen Orange-tip females egg laying on some Honesty plants growing in our garden. When I recently checked th...

Nice Dukes, Trevor, it was worth the detour, good luck with the rest of your trip

Hi Pauline, I hope that you are well? I know what you mean about Noar Hill, it could get really busy at this time of year, and there was always a chance of bumping into that robot :roll: :x :lol: Cheers, Wurzel, Orange-tips and Green-veined Whites are normally (for me) associated with lovely spring ...

You're certainly filling your boots with Small Tortoiseshells, Wurzel we've not seen many in our neck of the woods so far, but there's plenty of time yet