I have been thrilled to see just one alexanor.

I'm trying to multiply that by 150.

That's one hell of a goodie bag

Maybe 2021 isn't so bad after all..

Roger

Thanks Mikhail, Guy and Bugboy for your responses. It probably added to the mystique that I might have been in France (as would normally be the case at this time of year) or in the UK. It was, in fact, taken a few days ago in Hatfield. I saw the upperside (and have a photo) so there is no possibilit...

Anyone like to identify this? Roger

These photos were taken a few days ago by my friend Tim Cowles who lives in Lyon. He managed to get photos of the underside from both sides, to further illustrate the differences on both surfaces. I don’t know how rare this phenomenon is, but I have never seen one in many decades of butterfly-watchi...

A trip to Bison Hill, Whipsnade, this morning yielded absolutely no butterflies despite warm sunshine and no chill wind (11C). It is normally good for Dukes this time of year but despite Cowslips abounding in large numbers, the vegetation generally was more reminiscent of March than May. So we moved...

I don't want to make you jealous, Pete, but I have also seen a Small White.

Roger

Not much happening in my neck of the woods, mainly thanks to the weather where we have had to reclassify 12C as “a scorcher”. But it did give an opportunity to focus on a species that doesn’t often create excitement, Green-veined White. Here is a male upperside, a female upper- and underside (the sa...

if you are stumbling along the coastal strip in the Cote d'Azur, you could even reinstate Pygmy Skipper as an extant French species!! Good luck with that! I have spent many hours in rocky littoral areas in Provence without any success. Tim Cowles came down one year and we spent a day in an area he ...

I’m not sure what methodology was used in producing the LepiDiv maps, but it has to be said that if they can get morpheus that wrong (maybe they dreamt it – ha-ha) one wonders how much else is wrong. As David says, the Lafranchis maps give a much more accurate picture of the distributions in France,...

Thanks, Pete. Also, thanks for permission to use a couple of images from the UKB stock library to illustrate British species. The talk was recorded and is now up on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UzGZc9tap0 It is actually viewable at up to 4K resolution. The first couple of minutes are ab...

Herts and Middx BC branch have been giving a series of Zoom presentations on various butterfly and moth topics which have proved remarkably popular and so it has been decided to add another presentation titled “The French Connection” on the evening of Wednesday 31 March (log on from 19.45 for a 20.0...

Herts and Middx have been showing a series of Zoom presentations on various butterfly and moth topics and the next one on Wednesday is on the keys to the identification of similar species. The species will be mostly those that occur in the branch region and adjoining counties (and a few that might a...

First off, Jim, your third photo is the best I have seen of alexanor . Terrific photo of a sublime species. It’s why we do it. Great that our mutual friend was able to tell you where to look, and you found your quarry in a quarry. I sometimes get told about secret locations of rare species in 100% c...

I think as this thread seems to be nearing its natural conclusion, we would all like to say thanks to ZZW for posting it.

It's a very effective antidote to a cold lockdown January.

Roger

This may already be widely known, but I post it here in case it is news for some people. Politicians ask for our trust. We are happy to give that when it is justified. Until then... https://action.wildlifetrusts.org/page/74049/data/1?utm_source=London+Wildlife+Trust+-+protecting+London%27s+wildlife+...

Unfortunately i don,t have this particular book ,but do have quite a few others ,sadly none (bar one) innotated ,the one i do have is a book by "The butterfly farmer " L .Hugh Newman ,i found it at a boot fair a few years back ,for two quid ! I also had this book when I was young, which I...

I also have a copy, but the 1893 version with beautiful plates for the fritillaries where the silver marks on the undersides are actually printed in silver. Not sure if that was the case in earlier versions. There is a clue perhaps as to when the comments were made in that the writer says that the B...

I have always thought of it as the only species designed by Barnes Wallace.

Roger

I agree with Pete.

Roger

Hi Lee, The main service centre for Canon cameras is near Borehamwood, details here: https://www.canon.co.uk/support/rcc/ I have used them a few times in the past, and found them very competent but not cheap. It is actually on the site of what used to be the Aldenham Bus garages where I spent many h...