Back to the WLH and things are rattling along nicely. The elm samarae are developing quickly now, but many will be missing the key area, as our little parasitic friend has been busy methodically working his way around and homing in on the nutritious seeds. He looks nicely swollen and must be due for...

Excellent - thanks Guy. Although the current lack of sun in this part of the world appears to be holding back the butterfly season, the otherwise excellent spring weather (warm and wet) has ensured that things are now starting to move along nicely - albeit largely hidden from view.

I checked in on the WLH eggs on the 17th and was pleased to find that they’d finally hatched (at least a couple of weeks later than last year). I check regularly so knew this must have happened at most a day or two previously. With the flowers nicely open I could spend a few minutes scanning for mov...

This is just superb stuff Scott - a wonderful read. The idea of multiple Charaxes species on leopard scat blows my mind. Have you ever tried to track down the immature stages and observe their lifecycle or rear them in captivity?

jonhd wrote: ↑Sun Mar 12, 2023 2:29 pm a few days of [somewhat lonely!] freedom.

otherwise known as blissful peace and quiet

Good for you David! If you're in a position to be so spontaneous then why waste it! Really enjoying your blow by blow accounts......

This has been a fun thread to work through. I must admit my initial thought was not for carthami as I’m so used to identifying that species by relying on the obvious hindwing markings alone. I was perfectly happy with the expert reasoning that pointed strongly towards carthami despite the unusual hi...

Thanks both. Overall the situation remains positive but February did indeed deliver the blow I feared. Jacob’s twig has rebounded. CD10ED8A-A3D8-4C99-9646-A9181085506F.jpeg My depressing run of losing my favourite and the most impressive individual in the stable continues. Becoming attached is a dan...

A truly fascinating story Scott, and a diary that many UKBers will follow with great interest I’m sure.

Good luck with the continued recovery of course - looking forward to plenty more when you get a chance to post.

And best wishes from me too, and I must add that the butterflying you describe between 11 & 2 sounds heavenly! A few hours like that towards the end of winter would be, for me, as good as anything the rest of the year could offer.

Some super shots so far of this strikingly variable butterfly! Hard to pick a favourite but I think I most wish I’d seen that Bertl blue - wow!

That’s a brilliant resource that I knew nothing about - many thanks Jason.

With January finally behind us it was time for a full check to see how the 18 that survived December had fared in January. 4 losses were recorded. Thomas and Isabella were just 30cms apart and were always likely to either both make it, or be forever united by the digestive system of a jackpot hittin...

Yes - it’s definitely a good question. Unsurprisingly they seem to be able to cope well with the usual shades of twig and the full range of buds, so greys through browns and greens through oranges/reds seem well covered. In terms of really dark individuals I’ve seen enough to think that this wouldn’...

Thanks for the input Paul - seems to fit in well with what I think I see in the woods… Hi David. The striking variety of colours we see in the overwintering larvae is certainly one of the most appealing aspects of the winter search - you never know how the next one will look. The possibilities are e...

Although to be honest, and now that I look closer, that bottom left one is causing me some problems. It looks like a mix between idas and zephyr. One where you really need to wait to see the upperside. I think in the field I had it down as a zephyr that broke the shiny scale rule (and I liked that) ...

I must admit I don’t really follow the science very closely when it comes to this species/species complex but despite the subtle differences they all still look like zephyrs to me. David’s original photo is very zephyr (I guess female) - and if from Romania then I suppose it must be as you say. In t...

Hi Chris - You’re right and thanks for asking - I always really welcome thoughts/comments. The population here is certainly too low for any birds to specialise in seeking them out. I think birds will sweep through the trees checking all likely areas for anything that looks like a meal. When searchin...

Thanks David. PE is certainly a fascinating species to study, but then if you dig deep enough I suspect they all are. Predation in hibernation over December won’t mean too much as, due to late leaf fall/dangle leaf, most of the stable were only added at some point during that month. 372A49D2-697F-42...

Enjoyable read as always Paul, but the caterpillar hunting trips to Norfolk stand out for me. I’ve only found the mature cats in the wild abroad and actually they were a little too common to get the full pay off that a long search on home soil would deliver! So glad you hit the jackpot before giving...