I have highlighted said spottage...

If the photo had been taken with wings closed, it would reveal iteself to be ab. arcuata. The strong dark stripe above the inner margin on the forewing underside is just visible from above.

In the absence of any one else posting; a couple of red admiral were flying today in what little weak sunshine we had here in south Wiltshire. The snowdrops are emerging through the turf already in the garden, and frog spawn has been reported just over the border in Hampshire..! :shock: Has anyone e...

^^Ditto^^ I spend a lot of time in Cornwall especially during silver studded blue season. It has some of the most interesting populations of this species in the country. Welcome along

Some people – like me – have bad backs. Some can’t spell or are dyslexic. We are stuck with our limitations and there’s not much we can do about them. So attacking someone’s spelling and grammar on internet postings is bad form. I have to disagree. I am dyslexic, but I still attempt to maintain a c...

My avatar? It's just a flock of sheep...

Thanks David. This is very sad news; another colony lost. Although the two or three popular sites at which to see the butterfly seem to have stable populations, nationally this species continues to decline at an alarming rate, with colonies being lost almost annually. There is little reason to suppo...

I may have simply dreamed this up, but I am sure that someone told me earlier this year that the high brown fritillary is now extinct at it's former stronghold in the Malverns, Castlemorton Common.

Can anyone confirm either way?

Thanks in advance...

Piers.

David M wrote:It was, in fact, a Red Admiral and is probably the last time I'll see a butterfly in 2011.

Don't worry David M, there'll be plenty of red admirals around throughout the winter in the south. Grow some Mahonia, they love it as a mid winter nectar source.

Piers.

padfield wrote:a dog should come to you when you call because it wants to, not because it is frightened of the consequences of not coming

Quite right: Reward is used to encourage, chastisement to deter. You can't train a dog to respond to a positive command through chastising it..!

Piers.

Do domestic cats actually kill as a leisure pursuit? or is it instinctive for the animal to attack and kill a young blue tit (for example)? The more practise the predator gets, the more likely it is to succeed when survival depends upon it and food is scarce.

Mimicry occurs across the animal kingdom Sooze, for various ends. Mimicry is of course even used by plants to facilitate reproduction. Mimicry in plants is also used defensively, such as passiflora leaves having structures which mimic the eggs of heliconid butterflies in order to deter the butterfli...

the way those Killer Whales skittled that seal into the water was both cruel and awe-inspiring Interesting. Are the Orca really cruel ; wilfully causing pain or distress for it's own sake? This is interesting because the BBC have long been criticized for showing animals 'behaving cruelly' during wi...

Top notch Guy..!

Chrysalids are often formed upon the stems of garlic mustard (when this is the chosen food plant). They are, however, surprisingly camouflaged. I shall take a photograph of three pupae on an honesty stem growing at the back of the garden; honesty is readily used as a larval food plant in gardens. Ap...

John W saw: remarkably fresh looking female Meadow Brown. The life cycle of the MB could certainly benefit from study. It is not reliably know to be double brooded (Guy: Is it always single in Switzerland or is the situation just as confusing there?) I offer the suggestion that the larvae hibernate...

Hi Lee, Frohawk executed his own illustrations for the work. His work as an illustrator was his stock in trade. 'FWF' (as he became known) was one of the foremost ornithological artists of the early 20th century; and it is for these illustrations (rather than whose of butterflies) that he is best kn...

Now SOLD . To a thoroughly respectable expatriate. For those who have never seen these books, I thought I would post pics of a couple of the plates. Being folio size, these books are quite large (15x10 inches) a size which does full justice to the beautiful plates. Alas, my phone camera does not... ...

John W wrote:There are some lovely images on this thread!

I love the blue scaling on this female:

common-blue2.jpg

Steyning Rifle Range, Aug 21st 2011

That one is a beauty, John W.

Michaeljf wrote:I think you should demand your licence fee back!

What on earth are you talking about.