First Orange-tip of the year here this afternoon, a male. It was settled on an Honesty flower and I went to get my wife so that she could see it too, which she did, but then it never settled again so no shots. Also a Holly Blue late on which didn't settle. Fantastic weather here today and it looks s...

Plus loads of male Brimstones

A good Large Tortoiseshell day today with at least four seen in our garden. Weather was a warm eighteen degrees. I managed to get shots of two I watched in aerial combat once they had landed. P1430505Resize.JPG P1430509Resize.JPG Also seen was this Comma and a very unexpected Speckled Wood, pretendi...

That's some haul, David, especially the 44 Brimstone :) Today here was a good day weatherwise too, a single Brimstone and two Large Tortoiseshells in the garden. I could only get a record shot of one of the LT and the other played hard to get :roll: Green-veined White seen a couple of days ago, v fr...

Our first non-hibernator of the year today, in this very fresh looking Green-veined White

Another Large Tortoiseshell today, clearly a different individual from the one seen yesterday. Only a quick record shot before it was away into the distance, I think that the wind was unsettling it.

Another sunny but breezy morning brought out these two hibernators in our garden today. P1430345Resize.JPG P1430362Resize.JPG First Comma of the year and the Large Tortoiseshell were a welcome sight. I was able to fetch Cathy so that she could enjoy the LT too :D I know what you mean about the weath...

First Brimstone of the year for us today. Nice warm sunny morning (for a change :roll: ) although it was very windy. The butterfly flew a couple of circuits around the field before diving into the grass to get out of the wind. It's now torrential rain again so hope he found somewhere to hide. P14303...

Another Red Admiral today, a different individual from yesterday and in very good condition too.

Plenty of Small Coppers among the Sooty Coppers in our garden in 2022. The pick of the bunch were these two blue badgers.

First Butterfly of the year here, a Red Admiral seen today. A lovely sunny day and 12 degrees after a very frosty start brought out this first one nectaring on heather along with half a dozen Buff-tailed bumble bees

Thanks, bugboy, that female was a stunner. I also remember Walls being very common when I was a lad. There were always loads along the Staines bypass when we cycled along the cycle track! Fortunately they seem to be fairly common here :) (Have a great Christmas and New Year). Thanks, Wurzel, She was...

It’s been a while since my last diary entry due to circumstances beyond my control. Hopefully things are now ‘on the up’, so, roll on Spring 2023. Thanks, Wurzel, I was very pleased to get the backlit Cloudie shot :) Also having Swallowtails and their early stages in our garden has been simply amazi...

My favourites are this Male Large Skipper seen in our garden meadow area on 1st June 2022.


and this amazingly late male seen nectaring on Phlox flowers outside our front door on 17th September 2022?

Large Tortoiseshell, seen in our garden in Normandy France, 19th March 2022. This butterfly was very obliging allowing me time to go indoors and get another camera to take some more shots.

29th November.

Two Red Admirals enjoying the sunshine here today, nectaring on the 'still' flowering Choisya.

Saturday 12th. 2 x Comma P1430066.jpgAResize.JPG 3 x Red Admiral P1430077Resize.JPG 2 x Small Copper P1430101Resize.JPG 1 Peacock P1430071Resize.JPG 1 Large White P1430085Resize.JPG 2 x Silver Y P1430102Resize.JPG The late flowering Choisya and Cosmos proving their worth. A Speckled Wood and Clouded...

Thanks, Pauline, glad you liked the Cloudie and the Swallowtail, I see that you’ve been to your Cloudie heaven in the meantime :D I have only ever seen one Helice before, Wurzel, some years ago at Ballard Down. Glad to see you finally found one. The Swallowtail was sitting on Verbena just outside ou...

Brilliant montages, Pauline, what a finish for the valesina, one I've yet to see. I see that you've had a bit of a Clouded Yellow fest too, fantastic, what a way to end your season apart from a south coast trip I would imagine Hope all goes well for you this winter.

Hi, Dave, glad to see that you're back and on the mend :) you were conspicuous by your absence. Nice selection of of Small and Essex Skippers, which I tend to find a challenge to photograph as they're.. well, small, and usually perched low down somewhere, involving a certain amount of crawling aroun...