Having failed to find White Admiral , Silver-washed Fritillary or White-letter Hairstreak on transect at High Elms LNR last Monday , I went back today for another try . Once again the first two species let me down and I only had a possible sighting of the third , high up in it's Wych Elm in the bott...

An early visit to Lullingstone CP this morning paid dividends , finding 15/20 Dark Green Fritillary in pristine condition , still breakfasting on their favoured Greater Knapweed . Once breakfast was over and things had warmed up , the males were charging about the slope looking for females . _MG_445...

A visit to Hutchinsons Bank this morning produced my second Large Skipper of the year , this one made it into the viewfinder . _MG_4212.JPG Also found a female Green Hairstreak , ensuring another generation . _MG_4213.JPG Yesterday , with two fellow enthusiasts , we made the long trip to Whixall Mos...

Peter ,
Almost identical to the one I posted last Saturday .
My one spun a silk girdle and settled down in the rolled leaf .
On returning a few days after finding , it had pupated in the rolled leaf .

A few recent photo shots from Hutchinsons Bank and surrounding area . _MG_3488.JPG A White-letter Hairstreak larva , having turned brown in later stage of development , and settled in a rolled Elm leaf , complete with girdle . _MG_3562.JPG Today I returned to find the pupa had formed . _MG_3215.JPG ...

Having failed to find Small Blue at Biggin Hill this morning , I headed for Hutchinsons Bank nr. Croydon for another search for a Grizzled Skipper ab. taras that has been seen recently . After about half an hour , I glimpsed a GS along the nature trail , but it was gone before I got a good view . I ...

A breezy visit to Hutchinsons Bank near Croydon yesterday was very quiet , until I came across a pristine Small Blue , sheltering down in the grass , my first of the year .

A visit yesterday to Hayes Common , found 8/10 Brimstone , including 3 egg laying female , and 2 Peacock . Best of all , a female Holly Blue , egg laying on flower buds on a small Holly in the middle of a thick stand of Gorse , _MG_2668.JPG and then giving a full upper wing photo opportunity . _MG_2...

Just before lunch , had a male Brimstone fly through the garden . After lunch , and with the temperature still rising , I spent an hour walking around Hayes Common , finding another 5 male Brimstone , 5 Comma and 3 Peacock . No chance of a shot of the tostesterone charged Brimstones , but the other ...

On a birding trip to Leybourne Lakes Country Park , New Hythe , Kent , 2 male Brimstone , enjoying the weak sunshine .

My best shot on your fungi would be Lycoperdon perlatum , assuming it was growing on the ground . The very similar L.pyriforme is found growing on rotten logs or stumps , neither having common names to my knowledge . Not related to the Fly Agaric , but to the Giant Puff-ball , L.gigantium , which ca...

Your Ruddy Darter ID is correct . Apart from the tapered abdomen , males like yours have a deeper red abdomen than the Common , and all black legs . The Common Darter having a yellow stripe down their legs . As well as the broad antihumeral stripes mentioned by bugboy , those three blue markings on ...

Your autumnal fungi is Coprinus comatus / Shaggy Ink Cap or Lawyer's Wig .

With the butterfly season all but finished locally , I headed off this morning to Dungoness for a days birding . By the time I left , 12 species of butterfly were in the notebook . Peacock 6 , Painted Lady 3 , Sm. Tortoiseshell 4 , Common Blue 4 , Sm. Heath 4 , Green-veined White 5 , Lg. White 10+ ,...

Away from the excellent butterfly shots , I think your fungi is Coltricia perennis . Even more interesting was your spider , which looks very similar to the Raft Spider / Dolomedes fimbriatus , that I photographed ' walking on water ' in one of the ponds on Ashdown Forest yesterday . Pic attached . ...

While the West was praying for the sun to come out , I took advantage of that sunshine yesterday to get my weekly transect done at High Elms LNR near Bromley , with the following results . 1 Small Skipper 1 Clouded Yellow ( a pleasant surprise ) _MG_6613.JPG 4 Brimstone 1 Large White 1 Green-veined ...

Having found a single pristine , newly emerged male Chalkhill Blue on the slope below Biggin Hill Airport last Tuesday , _MG_5402.JPG I returned today expecting to find a good emergence , given the weather , but only found 3 males , 2 of which were very fresh . _MG_5550.JPG Visiting High Elms LNR la...

A very dull and windy Hutchinsons Bank this afternoon did produce 5+ very freshly emerged Marbled White .

After recording Meadow Brown for the first time on transect this year at High Elms LNR during last week , two more were found yesterday at Biggin Hill , _MG_3888.JPG along with more year firsts in the form of 2 Ringlet and a single Small Skipper . _MG_3898.JPG Added to them a male Large Skipper on S...

Managed to get a few open wings over the last few days : A very ' blue lady ' Common Blue , at High Elms LNR , A ballet dancing pair of courting Brimstone at Hutchinson Bank , and a Small Heath , just having taken off , below Biggin Hill Airport .