For the first time ever I had a second-brood Duke of Burgundy, Sept 14th in south Cumbria.

It was Gait Barrows. There's also another site nearby.

The Brown Hairstreak has arrived mysteriously in north Lancashire with adults seen in 2015 (apparently also in 2013 though not confirmed), eggs found subsequently.

I'll be visiting tomorrow, just for the day. Any ideas for where to visit would be appreciated. I guess too early for Large Blue.......

Jack Harrison wrote:Chrles

grrr this butterfly release at weddings is just WRONG for so many reasons.

As such a large percentage of marriages end in divorce and one partner inevitably gets stung [financially], why not some forward thinking and release wasps at weddings?

Jack

Love it!

I had 4 clouded yellows (3 within sight at one time, another further on) along the Lune estuary near Snatchems last weekend. That was the first time I'd seen the species in Lancashire in about 15 years! There were a lot about in 1992.

There's a proposal that access to NNR's should be fully open, including cycling, horse-riding and dogs. If you, like me, feel these places are special and that the conservation of the wildlife within them is more important than turning nature into another commidity for human use, you can sign this p...

pics from yesterday




and as one took flight

They come like buses! Doing the transect yesterday, I found another one quite a bit higher up on the site, and the original one (I assume) in the same glade as last week. Got some more pics, including upperside, will take them off the camera later.

Pete Eeles wrote:Sounds like ab. pallens. See: http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/aberrati ... hyperantus

And please post in the species-specific album

Cheers,

- Pete

done.....

Prees Heath. Well over 1,000 Silver Studded Blues seen at Prees Heath over the weekend including many copulating pairs and freshly emerged individuals , some with ants still in attendance. Silver Studded Blue copy.jpg Silver Studded Blue3.jpg Silver Studded Blues2 copy.jpg Silver Studded Blue4.jpg ...

Just finished my transect the other day and saw what I took to be an abnormally orange meadow brown across the glade. I went for a closer look and was astonished to find it was a Ringlet! It was tan/orange all over with the normal dots on the underwings. The photos show it partly in shadow, it was b...

I saw one almost exactly the same on Whitbarrow, Cumbria - must be about 5 or 6 years ago. Couldn't get a photo unfortunately.

I had a male orange tip (my first of the year) near Lancaster yesterday (and a female about a week ago at Myers Allotment near Silverdale). Later on, went to Birkbank Bog to see if the green hairstreaks were out, but there was nothing (except a couple of lizards) and the bilberry not in leaf.

Driving up the A6 through Milnethorpe, south Cumbria, yesterday, I saw a white - probably small.

Yesterday 28th November, I was very surprised to find a torpid small tortoiseshell in my kitchen sink under some cartons that were propped up in it to drain before being taken to the recycling centre. One of its wings was a bit wet as it was in the plughole! I took it outside where it woke up a bit ...

I can't comment on numbers in the UK but it is certainly normal for first brood females to be much bluer than second brood females. True brown females, in my experience, are only found in second or later broods. The same is true for several other species of blue, notably Chapman's blue. Guy So, hig...

Whitbarrow, Cumbria 14/8
Brimstone and Peacock in reasonable numbers.
Surprised to see a Large Skipper in fair condition.
One DGF, probably the last of the year.

At my friend's garden near Lancaster, plenty of Small Tortoiseshell larvae, mainly 4th and 5th instar. Saw about 40 - 50.

You should inform your county recorder of anything you release - that saves confusion where something crops up in an unexpected location or in unusual numbers.

They look like galls to me. What's the tree, I remember some balsam poplar there (gorgeous smell in spring from the young foliage), could it be that? It looks too shiny to be hazel though the leaf shape is similar.