Well done all and a huge thanks for my votes, even if I was over taken at the last minute! :( Guy, Eris and Marcin got my votes, and I'll mention Eris particualry, because it was just so creative and different. Cheers Chris for my Critique, at least you liked my boring roosting Common Blue!! :) Tha...

I'm of the opinion that the rise in Hornet numbers is having a bad effect on butterfly populations. A few years back we never saw one, now they turn up each year. I keep hearing other people talking about seeing them now as well. And to watch a hornet hunt other insects makes you realise what effici...

I really agree that you have to look at the large picture. Some which look average in thumbnail really stand out when you look at them in full size.

I found this report its dated in April but sounds worrying for the heath areas.

http://www.bspp.org.uk/ndr/july2008/2008-31.asp

Thank you. I saw some a while back but never got a photo, but I went out this morning and spotted these just near our gateway, so went back and got the camera. I'm really pleased today as I spotted a female common blue in the back garden feeding in my wildflower patch. They are usually in the field,...

Can someone just confirm to me that the small ones that look like Meadow browns but about the same size as the common blues are in reality Small Heaths and not just very mini meadow browns? I saw three in my field this morning. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Eris_Chaosdemon/smallheath.jpg Th...

Gruditch wrote:Butterfly friendly farmers, around my way, if they can't shoot it, then they don't even know it exists.

Gruditch

Now that's unfair, our local farmers certainly know the ramblers exist , and they haven't shot one of the b*g*ers yet!

Rogerdodge wrote:You might want to try planting some Ragwort...



(I'm going for the Jack Harrison Mischevious Old B*st*rd Award)

And I think you probably deserve it

I can really recommend common fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica) although it officially likes damp ground it grows happily at the side of my field in a very non-damp bit and the butterflies go crazy over it. It has attracted Meadow Browns Gatekeepers Common Blues, Brown Argus, but they all get chased ...

Unfortunately I can very easily see that if people who want to protect butterflies start trying protect Ragwort they will quickly and severely alienate any farmers or landowners who otherwise might consider being Butterfly friendly. I've known a horse die from ragwort poisoning, and believe me its n...

The problem with Ragwort is that the effects are cumulative. Its not the amount at one sitting, its the effect of small amounts over many months. There are certainly enough recorded cases for it to be taken seriously as a poisonous plant, you only have to browse Pubmed and read veterinary journals t...

Saw my first one last weekend. I've never seen one before. I was at Ranmore common near Dorking, there were about 10 of them and masses of Chalkhill Blues.

My field near Petworth turned up a large number of Meadow Browns (50+) around 20 gatekeepers. I brown Argus, (mayby male as it chased everthing that few by) 3 small coppers, (2 pristine 1 tatty.) 3 common blues, (2 males and a female) a large white, and a skipper of some sort probably small. The gar...

I've changed the ev to 0 and lowered the iso and I've used the monopod, I really have no idea how I coped handheld before, its amazing how many shots that weren't blurred!! I got I just wish I had a faster shutter speed set for this one, but then I wasn't expecting this shot. http://img.photobucket....

I found this site which lists lots of different types.

http://www.thelavenderg.co.uk/buddleja.htm

I have the yellow one ( but not the globosa) it flowers right up until late October and it always attracts lots of painted ladies and Red Admirals

One plant that they love my garden is fleabane

Wow, thanks for all the advice.... Hate to admit it but yes I have a histogram thingy... Nope - not the faintest idea what it really was showing. :lol: And I must have hit the 800 iso by mistake as I usually leave it on 200 or 400 but maybe my OH had been using the camera. I was using his big lens, ...

Quite a nice assortment. I especially like the brown argus underside. But to my eyes they're all overexposed and several of them have burned out highlights. I notice in the exif data you have +1 exp correction applied to them all. Thanks, I'll take a look at the exposure and see about correcting it...

All taken in our field Nr. Petworth West Sussex Using an Olympus 510 handheld, no flash. New to butterfly photography, so comments welcome. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Eris_Chaosdemon/femaleblue.jpg Female common blue http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Eris_Chaosdemon/feblue-underside...

Hi Might be able to offer some advice here, For at least 20 the field opposite us had been grassland used for cattle and sheep grazing. (we too are very near the south downs) but In 1997 The farmer suddenly ploughed it and put it down to sweetcorn. in 1999 we purchased 2 acres of it, our neighbours ...

Thanks for your informative reply, I will try to get closer to them and do a study of the antenna tips and find a male with a sex brand. The grasses are very mixed, cocksfoot fescues, bents etc and although there is some Yorkshire fog around the edge of the field there is not that much of it.