Great June day down in Devon today, at last it felt like a normal sunny Summer Day. I was rewarded with a sighting of a pair of White-letter Hairstreaks mating, and then a GateKeeper landed very close to me, just settling long enough for a quick shot.All photos not to my normal standard as was tryin...

BLUES ARE OUT IN DEVON.
A rather late start this year ,but at last I saw my first Common Blue of 2024 at a local site in Devon yesterday.
Dingies on site were early and out for a few days now, its a spot where I got a Long Tailed Blue last Summer, so fingers crossed for another this year !

I am currently selling off the contents of my Parents home, as my mother has had to go into care at Christmas and my Father died several years ago. I had a customer arrive today to collect some garage items and we got talking Butterflies as he was a Beekeeper, but not a Butterfly man. He mentioned t...

Without a doubt my Favourite photo, and indeed butterflies of 2023 were the White Letter Hairstreaks at my regular site where I observe them each year near my home in Plymouth. There a two reasons they were outstanding for me last year. In the first instance they gave me a "National first"...

Hi Allan, and thank you for that most interesting reply, it could be the simple answer, but the only thing is I have lived in the area for about 50 years and have never seen a Starling around here ever. But it must be the answer as I cant see anyway that a Cuckoo would migrate to the UK in the last ...

No Butterflies seen in my part of Devon yet, but believe it or not I had a mega surprise yesterday afternoon whilst visiting my mother on the outskirts of Plymouth. Just as I returned to my car to go home I heard the distintive call of a Cuckoo !!! It called "Cuckoo" twicE with about a 20 ...

Many thanks indeed for that confirmation Guy, new one for me
Dave.

Superb warm sunny day down in Devon today, and some nice butterflies about still.Several fresh looking Clouded Yellows on my walk in local meadows but also noticed what at first I thought to be a Small white. But each time it landed it had wings closed and its flight very laboured compared with a sm...

Had to submit this one, a rare sight I managed to capture unexpectedly.
Pair of White Letter Hairstreaks mating.
Devon Dave.

Thanks David, yes Mega surprise, a few were seen in Seaton Devon ( about 40 miles away) a few years ago now but they were quite tatty and weathered.But this was was so fresh and without damage.I have gone back to the site twice today between showers but no sign of it. I will keep checking over the n...

My best ever August day today, whilst out searching for Clouded Yellows, had an amazing experience when I came across a pristine Long Taled Blue just sitting on a Buddleia bush leaf in the open countryside, talk about "Out of the Blue ". See LTB Alert thread.

I am excited to report I spotted a Long Tailed blue in the outskirts of Plymouth today, definately not a Release as it was in open countryside and not anywhere one would expect one, no Everlasting Sweet Pea or any other similar plant anywhere near as it was on a Buddleia bush leaf edging woodland. I...

Many thanks Guy, thought it might be, but see them on the coast normaly ,never in semi woodland inland on Dartmoor before and with such vivid colour markings. Mstery solved for me, cheers.

Looking for Purple Hairstreak nectaring on Bramble and in between rain showers my eye was drawn to this specimen near me on Bramble Blossom which I assumed to be a Meadow Brown but somewhat resembled a Grayling in some respects. Unfortunately it only flitted on various blossom heads for about 30 sec...

Thats brilliant thank you Bugboy, on the link you gave me Stockbridge Down looks perfect, a great tool I did not know existed,very helpful indeed, thank you.

Hi, Preston Down is in my opinion the best site by far in the Torquay area and is very well known for its Brown Hairstreaks with females coming to egg lay in the Blackthorn hedges that form the boundaries of the grass down site.Nearest postcode I know is the Post office just up the road from the sit...

i will be staying in a small village of Sutton Scotney near Andover toward the end of next week for a couple of days and will have 2 free days of butterflying whilst my wife visits relatives. I would like to see and photograph the Chalkhill Blue if possible to cross it off my not yet seen tick list,...

Today , I had the pleasure of meeting Kelly Uren on a Cornwall BC butterfly walk event in Cornwall. Kelly happened to mention that she had a chance of a lifetime sighting last Sunday 9th July in her sisters garden near Cambourne. There were both a Small and Large Tortoiseshell together on on White B...

Sorry folks typo, meant Devon not Deon in above report.

Noticed a reported sighting of a Large Tortoiseshell at Croyde North Devon on the Sightings page of the Deon Butterfly Conservation page today. Rather interesting for the records, have no idea of its verification status, but still worth noting on this thread.