Reports of strong migratory swarms of Painted Ladies in Spain. will the another year like the previous one.

Many of us have seen Butterflies "salting" on mud patches. Last year I saw a group of about 12 Chalkhill blues on a Cow mud patch- all Males !!! It is becoming more apparent that Lepidoptera also require Protein in their food which is why iris have been seen slurping from dead Rabbits eye ...

Placed on sleeved potted Blackthorn in a greenhouse I now have about half (25) larvae from the original 50 eggs. My colleague also has the same 50% from his original 25 eggs. Where the others go I don't know, did not check eggs for hatching. They are reputed to be cannibals so have sleeved mine on e...

When I started doing digital macro I was disappointed as they were not as good as my old slides. I didn't realise then that the sharpest pictures are when you are not using the two extremes of apertures. nowadays for macro I am only going up (or is it down :roll: ) to F16 normally whereas I was prev...

Hi Dave, Might do a butterfly A/V to "In an English Country Garden" or perhaps just the flowers.

Hi Dave, looked at your videos, super what I could see , afraid I couldn't see as much as I would like as they only ran for a few seconds , perhaps 'cus I,m only on Dial Up.Fraid i'm not too good on computer technology, but got the gist. My A/V's are not video but single slides that "dissolve&q...

Using Elements Four I have made several wildlife audio/visuals, the soundtrack often deciding the topic. I have made so far Flamingos to "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," Close ups of eyes of wildlife creatures including pictures taken at Zoos etc., to what else but "Brighteyes",C...

Elements say that it will do most things most photographers want to do. I agree. I use Elements 4 and nobody complains at my slide shows. I was also in a photography club and they all go for the expensive systems, but then my photographs are for a purpose and not as an end in themselves. Bunked off ...

Colour of pupae may depend on the background colour, my Peacocks certainly did. Greenish on plants, Brown on wooden cage sides.

My last lot of Qof S purchased from a dealer would not touch Violets but fed avidly on Pansy from Garden Centre. might depend on what they were last fed on.

Mount Pleasant Tree Farm, Rockhampton nr. Thornbury, Bristol do both Buckthorn species about a £1 each I think, min.10. Strictly collection of orders only. One species leafs a very long time before the other,blessed if I can remember which way round though. Found 4 larvae first year on 3 ft trees., ...

Butterfly Conservation Gloucestershire Branch do an excellent booklet 40 Butterfly Walks in the Cotswolds, think that's the title. Tells you all you need to know including maps and best places on itinerary. Superb. Will probably Google.

Risk to dogs from Adders and deep holes in the ground ?

i had a spring steel net years ago from Worldwide Butterflies. Vicious beast which would uncoil with force. Still have the scars. If you want a small net buy some fence wire and a yard of muslin type material from a Craft Store or John Lewis and make one to your desired size. With flimsy material re...

I bred the Large Tortoisehell two years ago and photographed them in netting cages which I unzipped a few inches to get the lens in. Two escaped completely accidentally and I informed the local butterfly recorders. The following spring, and I cannot remember the date, I saw this huge butterfly and t...

Some years ago the BBC Natural History Unit at Bristol asked me to supply them with some Brimstones which they wanted to film through a quartz lens to see the U/V markings as seen by other Brimstones. They wanted to photograph the uppersides and I stated categorically that they would only pitch with...

Yes, leave it outside for the winter or at least in an unheated greenhouse. I once laboriously dehusked some under a dissecting microscope and it made no difference. Two year old seed will also germinate. Can be purchased very cheaply at Emorsgate Seeds who have a website. Surprisingly it will withs...

One thing you will never heard said by a scientist is " global warming has stopped, We don't need grant money now. I was a Research Scientist and when the research station was faced with closure and having to rely on grants before that happened we all looked for something to scare people with. ...

Looking on the bright side if 4 out of 196 eggs result in a Male and Female we are in business. It's that delicately balanced !!. I have 50 eggs from Brown Hairstreaks bred in captivity. They are sleeved on potted Blackthorn. will keep you posted as to numbers that become butterflies if and when whe...

The Amateur Entomologists Association publish a comprehensive booklet on rearing the British Butterflies. Superb book and quite cheap. They also have a booklet on the foodplants of the British Butterflies. Also another on rearing the British Hawkmoths. To obtain stock of many rare species bred in ca...