3 photographs for the competition 2023 please.. 1) The most iridescent Silver studded blue female I've ever seen, and others agree. A kaleidoscope of colours in June sunshine. Shropshire 2) " I'm batman...." A comical Peacock butterfly with interesting low sunshine and shadows being cast, ...

Hi all, Looking at posts. Realised hardly any reference to HBF's this year!? Was at Arnside knot and Gait barrows last weekend, best trip ever for High Browns, barely any dark green frits by comparison, and the numbers of female HBs at both locations seemed to outstrip the males 2:1, which can only ...

Hi all, Interesting reading other peoples thoughts re the SSBs and their subspecies. Although its' true to say that caernesis is the smallest of the subspecies, I've seen specimens larger than masseyi forms in the past, and also have found very small forms of masseyi... but then as discussions of re...

Hi all, Took brief day tripto Collard hill yesterday in spite of wind and cloud, got brighter in pm and lots of LB's on the wing, a dozen or so, but not the population explosion predicted! Saw a few ovipositing females... Thursday went to Whixhall moss and Prees heath reserves.... davus large heaths...

Hey all, Tok a last look trip to Collard hill expecting to see dribs and drabs left over from the 'population explosion' forcast, based on No's of larvae and eggs recorded last year.....not so! Even now the numbers are not high, 10-12 on the wing, in spite of awful cloudy, windy weather in the morni...

"Just for you Aron. Two different females ovipositing from last year"

-Beautiful pics Denise!, Thanks.

Hey Denise, It was good to meet you. Your friends kept questioning the relevance of the size of the "unusual blues" they'd experienced, I saw their 'unusual blues' and undoubtedly they are Large blues, albeit small forms...the undersides give them away, no demi-lunes of orange/orange-yello...

Hello Matsukaze, I wish I did have a photograph of the small blue! It was a complete surprise to me, as I never saw any food plant on the site either. I saw it at the base of the hill, a real heat trap, - a blurry winged, very small lepidopterid, at first glance I thought a very small and dark brown...

Great news, I was the first to record Large blue(s) at Collard Hill today, first 2-3 specimens of 2009. Was given false information that the LB's were well on the wing, numbers increasing. Got there early am, nothing other than common blues, small heaths and occasional brimstones, speckled woods, et...

Great news, I was the first to record Large blue(s) at Collard Hill today, first 2-3 specimens of 2009. Was given false information that the LB's were well on the wing, numbers increasing. Got there early am, nothing other than common blues, small heaths and occasional brimstones, speckled woods, et...

" 15 were seen at Collard Hill yesterday in the space of 2 hours."

Cheers for that Pete,

Aron

-Long trek to Catfield fen yesterday from home but worth it, male and female seen, but not stopping to feed. Better luck had at How Hill, 3 seen on any one occasion, including a pair on the verge, but not quite achieving, mating - the males' persistence will eventually prove successful, but the fema...

Hello everyone,

Can anyone down Glastonbury way confirm whether any large blues have made an emergence yet at the Collard Hill site?
have a couple of days off just now, thinking about doing the trek down there...

Cheers, Aron

Sorry about that, above pics are of common blues, but s.s. blues are just starting
Aron

Hey Trev, Thanks for that! Actually realised that, after I'd posted the pics! I'd got silver studs on the brain I'm afraid :P Sorry about that, got mixed up with my species for a while there. However I DID see males with mild black borders to forewings ie defiite s.s.blues....It wont be long with th...

Mixed successes on trip to Shropshire yesterday. Wood whites in force at Radnor Wood, very warmed up and difficult to photograph, VERY rarely settled to perch! Never seen so many painted ladies in one place. 40+ in a stretch 200yds long, all busy nectaring on bugle. 1.jpg 4.jpg 9.jpg Meandered back ...

Very surprised to find Silver studded blues ssp.masseyi at Prees Heath, nearly 2 weeks earlier than last year. Walked a 200yard line, saw 8 males and 1 femal, a pair copulating also...Unusual to see the female so early. Occasional common blue and many small heaths also... Are the Silver studded subs...

Hello all, WIE in fine form yesterday, met LCPete whilst there, and chatted about British sites for butterflies, especially in the North and West. The WIE site a lot slower getting going than the Southern sites, but dingies galore yesterday in spite of the wind, and quite a few grizzlies on the go, ...

Hello all, Just back from Totternhoe quarry today. Sorting through some pics, very good I feel. T.quarry took a while to warm up and get going, feared there were no D o B's for a while, but saw at least 8 on the wing at the same time, 6 in one area, and 2 from a smaller population area. With some si...

Always jealous with the early sightings down South. Lot slower to heat up in the North West Midlands. However green hairstreaks now on the go, OT's a plenty, never tire of looking at them, love their mottled patterns. Seen a few Large whites already though, small and g.v.whites also starting. Speckl...