...A useful hint for any future Frejya's frit (a butterfly I only know from the books) you find stuck in the mud: the iPhone light is perfect illumination for cameras to focus on. I use it a lot in pitch darkness for caterpillars and also in dim light for moths, coupled with flash for the actual pi...

Nice selection there, Steve. I must get out and find a few Adonis Blues next week (if the weather improves, as is forecast).

Arctic Circle, 3rd to 10th July cont… The price to be paid for connecting with Dusky Winged Fritillary is that we completely forgot that the cable car shut at 1600h. This meant we had no option but to walk the 2 miles down the mountainside which was tough going in places. Sadly, it remained cloudy ...

peterc wrote: ↑Thu Aug 22, 2024 8:35 amYesterday (21 Aug), a Long-tailed Blue was spotted in Minet Country Park, Hayes

Interesting. Next week, we have several days of southerly winds forecast. This could provide just the right impetus.

...The hotel owner, Franco, told us that evening that he’d never known a worse Spring for weather in his life. No wonder butterfly numbers were low, and we were seeing such late emergences! Given Franco looks to be in his mid-sixties, that tells you all you need to know. I'm sorry it was such a tou...

Goldie M wrote: ↑Tue Aug 20, 2024 12:18 pm...when this Holly Blue arrived it looked so cute I just had to take a few shots although...

They really do look cute, Goldie.

One of my favourite butterflies (especially the females).

Another (3rd) APL seen this morning 4-5 miles away at Marloes Mere. Certainly seems to have been a local hatching but perhaps progeny of a genuine vagrant (even ship-assisted perhaps due to the proximity of Nolton Haven that brought in a grackle from Texas last year)... That's interesting, JA, part...

...I can see how it came by the name improba - it is completely improbable that any butterfly could survive living 1300m up an Arctic mountain. Imagine what the winter conditions are like - how do the caterpillars survive (I assume that like other fritillaries they overwinter as larvae)? Indeed, Da...

Arctic Circle, 3rd to 10th July cont… The second day was cooler and much more overcast than the previous one. There were five of us so one (Jon) volunteered to go back up the cable car in the morning, which was en route to a site where the rest of us wanted to go to look for Lapland Fritillary. The...

...okay - not fresh :lol: but considering it is late season, even a late flight period, she is not bad and I am happy with her as she walked around the blackberry fruit entertaining me for 15 minutes of pure joy this afternoon... David, that's some precious find at this stage of the year. :mrgreen:

Thanks, Neil/Allan.

Was a special one for sure.

Having moved back in France ( as you know) and now living in the Rhone valley, I can only agree with you. Although the diversity of species is there, the numbers are not impressive like it used to be a few years ago. I am involved in a butterfly transect with the Ligue pour la protection des oiseau...

Thanks, all. It was something of a unique experience to get a lifer in my own country. This is probably the only species that I would 'twitch', although given I was the only person there yesterday I don't think that particular term can truly apply. It even trumps Monarch in terms of its rarity, and ...

Given I was there myself a month earlier, I have particularly enjoyed your report, Pete. So pleased you picked up large numbers of pronoe . In actual fact, that road leading towards the site I gave you is passable. You simply lift the wooden barrier and drive under it. I think they have put it there...

Not sure your opinion regarding 'not doing justice' is appropriate, Guy.

Those are excellent images of the night sky, clearly showing the celestial bodies you were looking for.

Sunday 18th, Pembroke Coastal Path, nr. Little Haven: Speckled Wood 23 Wall Brown 5 Small White 3 Meadow Brown 2 American Painted Lady 1 Hedge Brown 1 Red Admiral 1 Holly Blue 1 18S.APLups1(1).JPG 18S.APLuns(1).JPG Many thanks to Paul (Bugboy) for being the first to flag this up yesterday, after whi...

Friday 16th, West Williamston, Pembrokeshire: Hedge Brown 23 Small White 10-15 Large White 7 Speckled Wood 6 Brown Hairstreak 5 Common Blue 3 Red Admiral 3 Comma 1 Peacock 1 Silver Washed Fritillary 1 Small Copper 1 16S.BHups(1).JPG 16S.BHuns(1).JPG 16S.BHova(1).JPG 16S.BHmale(1).JPG 16S.Pck(1).JPG

Arctic Circle, 3rd to 10th July cont… A short distance from the cable car station is a river, beyond which there were some damp woodland clearings. These areas had plenty of butterflies flying around the sunlit areas, including Cranberry Fritillary and many Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries: Arc.SP...

Today, my first Clouded Yellow of the year on a patch of Verbena in my seaside garden in Lancing... Things may improve for migrants right now. It was this time last year that a run of south easterlies began to assist them in flying over the water. I'll be interested to see how Long Tailed Blues get...

Love that image of the plane flying above the mating Blues, Dave.

No matter how familiar one is with a particular environment, there's always something that can make it feel unique.