Hi - my entry for the June competition is a Large Skipper (unless I change it!)

The mention of weather makes me wonder what effect will continual rain and lack of sun do to our butterfly populations - particularly those which have or are due to emerge around now. I have seen a report on the UK-Leps Group that Dukes have suffered this year in the Chilterns due to adverse weather...

Yes - the female Marsh Fritillary would not keep her wings still!! So this caused me a problem - they were chasing round and round the flower head and I just thought it was an unusual shot. It was a case of take as many photos as you can as quickly as you can and hope one turns out right!! There mus...

Hi, We have just spent two weeks based near Gloucester on a mainly butterfly holiday. Fantastic time - saw a total of 28 species 8 of which were firsts for us. In case anyone is interested the highlights were: Wood Whites at Brierley (Forest of Dean) http://upload8.postimage.org/894494/WoodWhite2.jp...

Recently visited Highnam Woods (7-8 miles from Gloucester) - there were approx 7-800 Peacock larvae on several nettle beds. I have never seen so many before! Is this going to be a good year for Peacocks?

Oops!
Guilty as charged.

George

Hi, Thanks for all your help and advice - here are some shots from a local "hotspot". Saw 30+ Dingy Skippers and 30+ Common Blues and my first Large Skipper. Must have been freshly emerged as it was a gorgeous golden colour. http://upload8.postimage.org/462253/CommonBlue.jpg http://upload8...

Martin - I agree that a tripod is somewhat cumbersome (even a resonably light one) - I am amazed with the sharpness of the shots you post - even more if they are without a tripod!!

Hi guys, We are off to the Forest of Dean for the first two weeks of June and wondered if anyone can help with good sites for specific species. These are: Small Blue, Adonis Blue, Chalkhill Blue, SPB &/or PB Fritillary, Marsh Fritillary and I have heard about a colony of Glanville Fritillary at ...

Thanks for the help guys. I guess it is a combination of practice and a steady hand! Will take all the comments on board and ensure I have the tripod with me always. Strangely enough when I saw the Dukes at Bison Hill recently I hadn't bothered with the tripod thinking we wouldn't see any as it had ...

Thanks for the suggestions - we were able to see Duke of Burgundy (3 of them at Bison Hill) along with a Grizzled Skipper. Then at Totternhoe no Dukes (although we did meet someone who had just seen one) and a single Dingy. Both sites had an abundance of Orange Tips and all the usual species. Had to...

Hi - I have had a new camera (Canon 400D) for a few weeks now but try as I might I cannot get a really sharp picture! It is driving me mad - am I being too critical or do I need to practise or experiment more? Am I right in thinking that with DSLR photography it is harder to get it right than with a...

Hi - my entry for the May competition. Taken at Bison Hill on 5th May.
Changed for this Common Blue on 20th May. And changed it again!!

My entry - was following a Green Veined White and found this Orange Tip



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Thanks to both of you for the info - will let you know what I find!

Hi, I am going to the Aylesbury area in a couple of weeks (first weekend in May) and wondered if anyone has a good recommended site for Duke of Burgundy, Green Hairstreak, Dingy and Grizzled Skippers and Wood White. I have looked at the sites possible which include Salcey Forest, Totternhoe, Twywell...

Thanks for that - have contacted WWB and also given them (the ova!) a spray of water!

High Brown ova are outdoors now on potted violets although during the winter they were in my garage (which gets light and is cool/cold). They arrived from WWB in February. Not in the Shetlands! I am in Derbyshire - this is my first attempt at an overwintering ova so maybe I haven't got it right this...

PS should I be worried that my High Brown ova are still ova?! I was expecting them to have hatched by now.

Well I finally decided on the Canon 100mm macro lens - here are the first results. Thanks for all the help and advice.