Have given a copy to my brother and I am reading mine through.... As regards which instar is which, I just look at the pictures.....which are comprehensive; so it is always a guess based on which one it looks like most :mrgreen: I trust I have given Pete all I owed him....? A tour-de-force with so m...

Having been away for 2 weeks on a family holiday, I was keen to get to Chambers Farm Wood for Brown Hairstreak, thinking I may be too late. Arrived about 10:00am to see 2 almost immediately, albeit one just flying up to rest in the trees and 1 tatty male that rested down in the scrub but gave no opp...

Crickey Guy your last couple of posts read like a "Who's who"of European butterflies :shock: 8) :mrgreen: :mrgreen: A stunning range of species :D Thanks Wurzel. The thing is, I’ve got a week to catch up on a year ... It’s certainly exorcising the demons that have been haunting me these p...

Also spent some time around the Burwell Cutting/Devil's Dyke near Cambridge. Target was Chalk-hill Blue. Perhaps a little early this season; as it turned out I saw five fresh male CHB. The main stars were the large numbers of Marbled White in the cutting, the odd Comma and Small Tort, with good numb...

I recently spent 2 days PE searching in Fermyn Woods. I arrived early on Weds. 3rd, spent 5 hrs seeing none and left having seen 1 picture of a grounded male. I returned with PhilB on Friday morning and by 11am we were loosing hope; Phil was saying he hoped we saw none and then he wouldn't have to c...

Spent an hour or so watching PL's egg-laying on thistles in a local park yesterday. Compared to ST's which lay in large clumps, the PL's were laying single eggs....

I said in another thread that: I can reveal that the [CS introduction] location is within 100 kilometres of Peterborough. This might be helpful Nick; it could save you that 800 mile round trip. circle is 100 kms around Peterborough, distances from Hull. Let us know how you get on :P Jack Thanks, Ja...

Spean Bridge is quite a distance from where you live, isn't it? 90 miles. I stayed overnight. Evening in Fort William where we visited a nice pub with good beer and then migrated to a fish and chips “caff”. Jack Yes - the bar in Spean Bridge had no beer - only gnat's p**s Tennants. Even the beer wa...

Delightful images, Nick. This is one of my favourite butterflies and although it's a long way to go and see it in the UK, the scenery and habitat are wonderful and well worth the trip. Yes, the Nevis range was shrouded in cloud most of the time; certainly verdant - but when you have so much rain......

Good to meet up with Jack up in Spean Bridge (it is 400+ miles from me - 90 miles is a breeze!) Spean_Bridge_3_04_06_2019.jpg As he said, managed a day with no rain (!) and we (Me, PhilB and Rosalyn) had success: CS_2_04_06_2019.jpg CS_5_04_06_2019.jpg CS_3a_04_06_2019.jpg SPBF_2_04_06_2019.jpg SPBF...

Ian: No butterflies in Loire Valley and now "Hardly any butterflies in South London. Where have they all gone to?" As somebody once rudely said to me, maybe a visit to SpecSavers is called for? :evil: Jack I cannot see what is not there!!Loire valley at this time of year should be teeming...

Nice to see some Common Blue
Been busy with building ponds and grandchildren's birthday but did manage a PBF outing with PhilB and Rosalyn to N Yorks...

Good numbers in a very small site..

Out looking for Dukes up in Pickering this last weekend; none yet, but out at Hawnby.
Did manage to find some GH in Broxa Forest, thanks to Allan Rodda.
Cranked-up the ol' 200m macro for them...

And I believe you also have Bernard Watts there in the group, perhaps the most knowledgeable person on European butterflies, and the author of a comprehensive master work on European species, including all subspecies and variants. Roger Yes, Bernard was good value; he wanted some good shots of Euro...

A couple of Brimstone, from this week, in the garden

Here are the guilty....
I'm not really trying to hide.....

I absolutely love that final image of polyxena , Nick. I've never seen an image with the undersides so fully on display before. It is indeed a very beautiful insect. We were lucky(?), that it had been wet and cool and they were out at the first sign of sun. The wild muscari were a favourite nectar ...

Hi, Nick, I didn't see your piece until after I had posted mine. You have probably also read Mel's article for the 'Comma'. Three different takes, but all agreed that the weather was crap :( and the company excellent :D . Tough you missing female apollinus , I didn't manage a male. Another time... ...

You always did enjoy the birds, Jack :wink: judging by having to wait for the butterflies and the pictures of ducks.... Meanwhile back in Hull today, Brimstone, Orange-tip, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Small and GV White, and my first Holly Blue of the year.... Sp_W_2_17_04_2019.jpg HB_2_17_04_2019.jpg B...

We made the most out of what we got; it was helped by good company, good food and wine, beer and water, pictures and talk of butterflies, seen and to be seen, and cursing the poor weather along the way: the guilty 10 (plus me behind the mobile phone) of the 14 that started dinner..... A happy bunch ...