Just back from a week's holiday staying near Dolgellau. We didn't go anywhere specifically looking for butterflies, but we walked through plenty of likely terrain in much sunnier weather than forecast, but saw very few. Something like 3 Small White, 2 Meadow Brown and a Speckled Wood and that's the ...

Took a very local wander today. Saw my first Large Skipper of the year and c. 15 Meadow Brown. Very few other species, maybe 6 Speckled Wood, 3 Small Heath and a Small White. Plus Peacock in larval form. Lots of vetch about though.

Saw my first Painted Lady of the year on Wednesday, just outside our digging area for archaeology. At work today, a Speckled Wood was taking a leaf out of other insects' books and resting on the fine-gauge green mesh side of House #4, with its wings firmly closed. It's very unusual for me to see a b...

Took a wander down to Wolstonbury again yesterday. No Adonis yet, but at least I got off the mark with Common Blue. Small Heath predominate, followed by Small Blue, but then it was down to small numbers for the other species seen (6-7 Brimstone and Common Blue, 5 Speckled Wood and Dingy Skipper, , 2...

Was another soft day here yesterday (31st May). No butterflies, but I did see another Yellow-barred Long-Horn moth in the garden. A female this time, with much shorter antennea. Like Silver-Y it seems a good year for these little beauties. It may just be that I'm now looking for them. At work last w...

On Friday I stuck to the local Weald rather than venturing up the Downs. No rain but sunshine was at a premium until later in the afternoon. Not many butterflies about: 7-8 each of Speckled Wood, Small White/GVW and Small Heath, circa 5 for Red Admiral and Brimstone, 3 Large White, 2 Holly Blue. No ...

Bertl: You've certainly got some lovely butterflies up there. David: Well done on tracking down your Essex grizzlie ! Also top stuff with your earlier collection of day-flying May moths. I took another wander down to Wolstonbury yesterday. Common Carpet and Brimstone numbers slightly down on the pre...

Few snaps from this week. The Speckled Wood was braving an overcast lunchtime at work, the rest were taken in our garden. The Psyche casta (Common Bagworm) larva was crawling up an old metal fencepost at quite a respectable speed, encased in its house of straw.

Thanks a lot for that suggestion, Bugboy. I make that a great call and agree it seems to have the best overall match for both shape and markings, particularly the oppositely pointed chevrons when viewed from above. Mine seems to have a slightly lighter background colour than most examples online, bu...

Took these snaps at work on May 7th around 1:30 pm. I accidently disturbed this micro from some low foliage around the base of pussy willow shrub, it flew down into the grass, where it seemed perfectly happy. Purely based on shape it looks very similar to Ypsolopha sequella , with a tapered torpedo ...

Katrina wrote: ↑Sun May 12, 2024 10:01 pm Superb GH shots Zigzag!

Thanks very much Katrina, the late afternoon light definitely helped ! Just to have Wolstonbury pretty much to myself was treat enough, but the GH made it a very special afternoon.

Was due to meet a pal for a spot of lunch at Shoreham Airport's Hummingbird Restaurant on Friday, but unfortunately that got canned at the last minute, so I decided to take a stroll down to Wolstonbury Hill instead. That place is a magnet for me on a fine day. Loads of Brimstones, almost rivalling t...

I saw a few more butterflies during lunchtimes at work this week. No Brimstone or Orange Tip, though I'm sure they were around at times, but Holly Blue and GVW were definitely more to the fore. The eyebrows of this Peacock's owl face look a little browner than usual, maybe just more worn/faded. Also...

Chris L wrote: ↑Sun Apr 21, 2024 8:09 am ....the Meadow Brown having the scent of an old cigar box....

Sounds a lyric from Syd era Pink Floyd, Chris.

I'm not sure I'd be very popular on the 270 bus with a heavy splash of Purple Emperor attracting after-shave on

Went to Old Lodge in the Ashdown Forest last weekend, one of my favorite places for a Sunday stroll. It has a special feel to it and you're pretty much guaranteed to see or hear something interesting as you go round. Good for chestnuts and boletes in autumn, too. It's right next to full-on MOD army ...

I certainly couldn't tell if it was a mummy or a Giza though Charles.

Saw what I assume is a Brindled Pug on the shadiest side of House #4 on Thursday lunchtime and what I take to be one of the Phyllonorycter sp. outdoor miners on the sunny side. Lots of Brimstones in the garden yesterday, probably tempted by all the Lion's Tooth in the lawn and borders (both those te...

Definitely a Shoulder Stripe-lovely moth. Thanks for confirming that, aeshna. Its choice of resting place struck me as rather odd considering the heavy shower and mini hooley we were experiencing. A lot of moths take cover within the stacks of pallets and crates we have dotted around the nursery or...

Very few butterflies at work this week, but I did spot what I think must be a Shoulder Stripe moth braving the elements on a stack of pot trays, also wood ants seem as successful as the jumping spiders in hunting on the green mesh sides of the greenhouses.

In the sunny periods we had singles of Brimstone, what looked like a Large White, Comma and Red Admiral in the garden today (the latter two duking it out on the perennial geraniums). Also my first Holly Blue of the year, a very obliging male.