Stunning set of shots there Wurzel, great stuff. Particularly liked the green hairstreak on the gorse.

Some nice shots of the SSB here, Katrina! I’ve not actually been up to Iping common before, but I’m keen to make the visit at some stage soon if possible..

Thanks both, Guys images are a great source of inspiration for me and many others. I think there’s a lot of skill involved in not only capturing an image that includes both the species but also its habitat and occasionally some added context or behaviour, whilst minimising any disturbance or damage ...

Portugal In late April, I was fortunate enough to be able to teach on a Mediterranean field course for some Masters and Undergraduate students. We spent 6 days in Arrifana, a well reputed surfing hotspot on the west coast of southern Portugal. While I spent most of the week teaching sampling method...

Outstanding stuff - White admiral pupae are absolutely stunning, and it's interesting to know that the iris pre-pupae flouresce..

Images are excellent, as usual. I very much appreciate the wide angle shots, showing the habitat and putting the subjects into context.

Thanks Both, I've become more fond of Devil's dyke, particularly given how local it is. I've been trying to become more familiar with my local sites, reducing mileage where possible and avoiding driving altogether when I can, so it's also handy to have such a reliable site that is easily accessible ...

Congratulations on the retirement - Very much looking forward to your upcoming book and excited to see what else you get up to!

Fantastic ovipositing shots, I know how challenging it can be to get a clear shot, but you've really nailed these.

Great to read through the last few pages of posts, giving me a nice view of a spring that I've not been able to get out and see very much of this year. Some stunning photos in there too. Particularly liked some of the pearls, the ovipositing duchess and of course, the 'Padfield' dukes shot. Wasn't a...

Thanks Trevor. Not something I had managed to see for myself either until then.

Yes, I expect we will.

Over the last few months, I’ve spent the vast majority of my time behind a desk writing my PhD, but I’ve finally submitted and have now got some time to add some entries to the blog from the trips I've managed to squeeze in this year... Holly blues, Orange-tips and Green hairstreaks Seeing the first...

White-letter hairstreaks Caterpillars are now out feeding on the young elm leaves here in Sussex. Thanks again to Guy Padfield for his recommendation on using a UV torch to spot them at night. I managed a total of 16 cats in around 30-45 mins a few nights ago - all on a single elm tree. While the m...

Mar 10th
Malpost, near Southwater, E.Sussex
Source: Butterflies of the Biosphere Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/3937403 ... 531869741/

Thanks Pete!

Thanks Wurzel and David! The reach of the telescopic pole is limited, and while it does give me a better chance of finding more eggs, I'm still only accessing fewer than 1% of all branches on any elm. I think coming up with an estimate of egg density per tree would go a long way in improving the acc...

White-letter hairstreaks After some success in following larval developments of white-letter hairstreaks last year, I wanted to improve my ability to find the eggs of this species and keep track of a greater number of individuals through their development. Last winter I managed to find less than 10...

Thanks Wurzel, yes, some of the South Devon records will certainly be on a lower latitude than any in Sussex. Not sure about closest proximity to the coast though.. Thanks Katrina - I managed to find them at 5 or 6 different locations across the entire park, as there are a number of small, isolated ...

Brown hairstreak I recently ran some timed brown hairstreak egg counts to see how the two sites I have compared with the counts undertaken last year. Many people saw last year as a good one for brown hairstreaks, and there was the expectation that egg laying rates would be higher. That certainly se...

Thank you both for your comments - I didn't anticipate many responses on this, as I think it's pretty well accepted that they only use common sorrel, sheep's sorrel and broad leaved dock. I ask because I've recently observed them using curled dock , Rumex crispus , which I hadn't seen referenced in ...

Just wanted to gather thoughts/experiences from others on this subject.

I'm specifically interested in whether anyone has observed phlaeas using anything other than sheep's sorrel, common sorrel or broad leaved dock as a larval host plant in the UK.

Thanks!

Many thanks for the comments. White-letter hairstreaks have served as a significant bonus for me this year. I didn't anticipate having any time to catch up with adults, but I've been taking walking breaks in the late afternoons at work and have discovered a number of locations where adults were cons...