Neil - I've seen wood ant nests in Dorset and they can get to be huge piles. One day this nest here might get so big it could consume the wooden post. Re the old sci-fi film - I can imagine nowadays someone coming along with a big spray-gun of Nippon or Ant-stop. End of movie! :lol: Wurzel - After y...

Janet - Fantastic shots of the QoS Frit and the frayed Copper. Also, I have seen hairstreaks use the "wrong" tree too. For example Purple Hairstreaks congregating on an Ash and Brown Hairstreaks on a Beech.

St Catherine’s Hill - 20th July 2018 I wrenched myself away from Purple Hairstreaks today. It was very cloudy and I guessed I would not see that many anyway so I changed tack and focussed on Chalkhill Blues instead. There are a lot of chalk hills near me and most of them have this species but today ...

Trevor - Yes, now I know how good this location is for them I shall be up near dawn for them next year.
David - Glad you liked the Broad-leaved Helleborine. Its getting quite late in the year now, so hereabouts there are only a couple of more Orchid species to go.

Andrew - Its the Hummingbird Hawkmoth pic for me. Its really difficult to get a shot of these and you have nailed it.

Cheers,

Just catching up with your diary, Neil. I did not realise how many entries I had missed. Highlights for me were the pictures of the four-wing Purple Emperor from underneath, the "mug-shot" of a PE, the pink coloured grasshopper, the Purple Hairstreak pic I have been trying to get but not q...

Wurzel adds the following to the wing-roll hall of fame...

ps - Wing rolling - Long-tailed Blue, Lang's and Geranium Bronze all seen wing rolling in Lisbon and Sooty Copper and Dusky Large Blue in Czech Republic to add to the list.

Wurzel. Re retirement. Don't forget to add on six weeks.

Thanks for the update on the wing rolling. Hope you don't mind if I copy your text onto the wing-rolling thread under "General" so it doesn't get lost.

Cheers,

Goldie - fantastic shot of the upperside of a Clouded Yellow.

Nice to see fresh Large Skips, Wurzel. Being 6 weeks behind will really start to get us confused when someone posts about Silver-spotted Skippers!

Some lovely crisp Chalkhill images Dave.

David - A Wall Brown and a Grayling, can't be bad.

Binswood - 19th July 2018 I am thinking of buying a tent and camping out here, I visit so often at the moment. Today was overcast early but as the sun started to peek through the clouds I immediately descended on my local Purplestreak haven. To my delight a whole bundle of Purplestreaks were willing...

It certainly is a jackpot, Old Wolf. I went again today and got some nearly decent open-wing shots just as you predicted.

Cheers,

I thought I'd like to point out for forum posterity really that its blooming hot in the summer of 2018. North-east Hampshire (where I live) has seen no real rain for over 6 weeks now to my recollection (as of 18th July) and I don't see any forecast for it soon either. Apparently it was the driest Ju...

Binswood - 18th July 2018 Heeding David's advice I visited Binswood again this morning during a two-hour period when the sun came out. More pics of Purplestreaks low down on the oaks and brambles. Yet again, none opened their wings flat but a few set their wings ajar. Many are getting a bit faded an...

I posted these two pics of a Purple Hairstreak doing a wing-roll on my PD but thought I should add them here for completeness.

David - I shall heed your sage advice. I was wondering if I should go somewhere else for my next sojourn but I think I might stay put at Binswood today. My boots are full with them by now - so I shall have to buy another pair.

Binswood (yes again) - 17th July 2018 You just can’t keep me away from this place at the moment. I had finished my Purple Hairstreak count for this location yesterday but thought I would get here early today to see if I could get any more open-wing pics because later in the day the little blighters ...

Thanks, Guys. The Purple Hairstreaks seem to be having a bumper year. Either that or as Wurzel says, the evaporation of honeydew from the canopy leaves is bringing them down more so we get to see them better.

Cheers