A couple of nice visits to Bentley Wood with excellent company (Gary, Lisa & Peter Eeles) saw some very faded old PBFs, loads of SPBFs and a solitary, sleepy, MF. Also (elsewhere) found Burnt Orchid and Gary kindly put me onto White Hellaborine. Also, managed to collect 7 (yes SEVEN) tics - all...

Seen this afternoon at Afton Down Freshwater IOW:
small blue 30+
Glanville fritillary 4
large white 3
painted lady 20+
small heath 8
adonis blue 2
common blue 2
brown argus 2
green hairstreak 5
dingy skipper 2
Not bad in a half mile walk in an hour or so!

Any ideas what this is?

Sorry forgot to say what they are:
Pearl bordered fritillary, painted lady and 3 Glanvilles.

Seen today on the Isle of Wight.

Great news- 5 pearl-bordered fritillaries seen in Parkhurst Forest this afternoon. It is the only place where they are seen on the Isle of Wight.
Photos to follow.

Two different Glanville fritillaries seen today at Ventnor IOW. Any comments? By the way both were taken on a Canon EOS10D handheld on a monopod with a Sigma 150mm F2.8 lens, aperture priority no flash 1/200 F16 for the darker one and 1/200 F11 for the other. (Brownie points please, Peter.) Possibl...

Hi Mark, You may want to try a monopod with the sigma 150. I shoot almost exclusively with that lens on a monopod. Far more stable than handhels and far more flexible than a tripod. I always carry a tripod with me but rarely use it except in the case of exceptionally inactive butterflies. I agree e...

Any other marsh fritillary sightings in Dorset or Hampshire yet?

padfield wrote:

Ian Pratt wrote:Two different Glanville fritillaries seen today at Ventnor IOW. Any comments?

That first one is quite a striking variation, Ian! I've never seen anything like it (in that species). Is that a form you have seen before?

Guy

I have never seen this variation at all. Ian

Finally, I thought folks might like to see three mating shots which I was fortuante enought to be around for at the "decisive moment." Hope you enjoy them.

My first adonis blue of the season today at Ventnor.

Two different Glanville fritillaries seen today at Ventnor IOW. Any comments?
By the way both were taken on a Canon EOS10D handheld on a monopod with a Sigma 150mm F2.8 lens, aperture priority no flash 1/200 F16 for the darker one and 1/200 F11 for the other. (Brownie points please, Peter.)

I agree. There are some stunning shots and I had a short list of about 10. Well done all who entered!

Very dull and cloudy day but stil saw 8 Glanvilles roosting at Bonchurch plus 3 roosting common blues- the first of the year.

Good number of Glanville Fritillaries around in the Bonchurch Isle of Wight area yesterday. They have apparently been around since 24 April 2009. See photo in May 2009 gallery, and on Hants and IOW BC website.

I saw no painted lady last year on the Isle of Wight or in southern France but this year I saw the first one in North Pembrokeshire on 26 April. After that they were regularly seen despite some cool weather and wind.

Any ideas where to see birds,butterflies, mammals etc near Newport, Pembrokeshire?

Took the bus over to Ballard Down, Swanage, today. New species for me this year were: Dingy Skipper (many), Wall (ten or so including an ovipositing female), Brown Argus (a baker's dozen) and Common Blue (one). Also seen were: Large, Small and Green Veined White, Orange Tip, Holly Blue, Small Coppe...

First small tortoiseshell seen this morning whilst walking the dog in Branstone Sandown Isle of Wight.