That spider is fantastic - does it have a common name? It's abdomen reminds me of those psychiatrist ink blots - I'm sure I saw a face in them, nope looking again it's somone sitting cross legged and meditating :shock: Are there many Lulworth Skippers at Portland? I got my Grayling today and they're...

Thanks Mike - I think I might do a separate post with some of my variants to to see if they can be classed according to the descriptors you gave. :D As to the misunderstanding I'm not sure how that happened - I suppose it's because I've always considered spots to be round, and sex brands appear to b...

That is a wicked photo in both meanings of the word! And a very good/bad joke from Gibster - I told it to my daughter but then had to explain what a Tick was - so it kinda lost the punchline :D I also thought that Ticks sort of hung onto the tops of grasses and waited for warm blooded organisms to d...

Thank you for your comment - I already know that the bottom one is a female - I wasn't refering to the androconical organs (or sex brands) but was referring to " brown spots " that I have recently seen and photographed on a female that had reduced hindwing spots and 2 brown spots marking t...

Back to Five Rivers again today - this time with both girls and without the bribes! :D I was hoping to get to Martin Down for Chalkhill Blues but work didn't finish as early as I thought it would. Still getting out is still getting out! We check out the "purple patch" area again as Kitty w...

Despite the rain showers that had been forecast all day I did manage to take my younger daughter out to Five Rivers for an hour to blow the cobwebs away. I asked if she wanted to come with me and she put her head on one side and questioned "sweets?" :shock: (she's learning fast!). So sweet...

That Northern Brown Argus is cracking - and it's still on my "most wanted" list
Have a goodun
Wurzel

Hi AT, with H Comma they look less dark, less strongly marked on the upperside, with a more ochre, paler underside. It's all about the timing...the Andrew Riley book explains it really nicely. If I can remember properly the first Commas are Commas which mate. Some develop really quickly these are HC...

Cheers Susie! I was thinking that it was an 80's throw back bee with it's lovely leg warmers!:D
Have a goodun

Wurzel

I called in at Woodhenge on the way home from work on Friday - shhhhhhhh don't tell the wife :wink: Still it was literally for 10 minutes and involved a quick stroll round the field near the picnic bench. This time there are far fewer Marbled Whites - they seem to have been replaced by Meadow Brown ...

Late report from Friday (I was on my way home and stopped off for 10 mins at Woodhenge shhhhh! :wink: Smessex skippers, and a definite female Small. More Meadow Brown and fewer Marbled Whites, single comma - more details and photos on Personal Diary to follow. Today Ringlet in my garden - a first Fi...

You are correct Piers - Whilst historically there may have been much more variation I was merely referring to the extant populations now - and even if there is less variation from the norm now than historically it appears that some sites (Denbies for instance)have more than there fair share - hence ...

Aftera bit of a disaster at the weekend I took inspiration from Chris and headed into the garden to sort my camera out. Once I'd noticed that I'd somehow knocked the VR off ( :oops: ) I tried a few shots of Hoverflies to check that it was back on track. 037 - Copy.JPG Then having checked the weather...

Perhaps a way round this would be to rename the Chalkhill Blue as the Variable Blue? :wink: As some areas seem to have unusual forms turning up more frequently could this be caused by a resticted gene pool, a bottle neck in genetic exchange in these populations? This off course is dependant on how s...

Managed to squeeze in an hour at Five Rivers in between dropping off and picking up my older daughter from Rainbows. Great light, lovely and warm. A single Small White, single Speckled Wood, 2 Brown Argus, 2 Gatekeepers (male), 10+ Marbled White, 3 Ringlet, 30+ Meadow Brown and 15+ Smessex Skippers ...

That final, really pale Chalkhill is absolutely cracking!
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Cheers Lee and Gibster - it seemed the best way to describe the little golden blur that you catch out of your eye , and is a bad habit that I picked up from my years as a birder!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Brillient cheers for asking! :D :D There were four in the car park before I'd even got out of the car! Then I went and sat on the edge of Borkerley looking down into the grasses and it was great 8) , I even managed to drag myself away from the spectacle to get a few shots (up on the personal dairy s...

Sunday saw me winding my way back to Bentley - possibly for the last time this year. The underwing shot of White Admiral is eluding me still despite seeing 2 of the beauties yesterday at Garston Wood. As I got there early I set off to the White Letter Hairstreak site. Once there the birds went mad -...

Cheers Dilettante - it's was slightly less fun to have them there on arrival but it certainly made a nice change for me - everything else always seems to turn up either as I've just poured a coffee or I'm abut to leave!

Have a goodun

Wurzel