Cheers, Allan - I'd be interested to see the carving you mention. I'm in awe of the skill someone has in creating such things, particularly (as Wurzel mentioned) they can do it with something so apparently cumbersome as a chainsaw. :o :) Back to home territory on 28th August . Curiously, the weather...

My local patch proved too tempting this morning, with sunny skies and increasing warmth. 25 Red Admirals appeared today, mostly concentrated on one patch of ivy - but the Painted Lady with them rather stole the show. RA+PL 300923.JPG PL1 300923.JPG One female Red Admiral was so bloated with her load...

That female DGF is a stunner, Wurzel, as is the dusky Small Copper. It's along while since I've visited Martin Down in the middle of the summer - I'd forgotten that it's just as impressive at generating variety and numbers as it is in the spring.

Cheers,

Dave

Cheers, Wurzel - you don't often get the chance to choose between a host of posing pristine Brimstones. In the spring they are relatively battered and chase each other around all the time. :) I'll finish up my Yorkshire trip at the end of August with a few more butterflies from my sister's garden. C...

Having only seen a handful of Red Admirals every day this week on my local patch, I then read about them turning up in numbers along the south coast. I went out today in warm sunshine again, though with the wind now more westerly - and counted 27 of them. One patch of ivy where I had been seeing jus...

That's a great selection from Bookham during the "gap" between Purple Emperors and Brown Hairstreaks, Paul. And not a single Purple Hairstreak shot among them!

Cheers,

Dave

My copy arrived this morning as well, and I can see myself getting thoroughly and lengthily sidetracked away from the things I probably should be doing. A splendid follow-up to "Life Cycles" - a big thank you to Pete for all the effort and the extraordinary amount of research that must hav...

26th August was a bit curious weatherwise. The forecast for East Yorkshire promised thundery downpours with a slow-moving area of slack low pressure close by. In the end, the wide and almost windless centre of this low took most of the day to pass over, and rather like the eye of a hurricane it was...

Another very warm and sunny day in my locality today, and to be honest I see more butterflies here at this time of year than I would if I ventured north or south to the various bits of nearby downland. Small Coppers appeared regularly again, with recognisable males guarding their usual territories.....

My route back to my base in Wilberfoss on 25th August took me past Calley Heath, another spot I like to visit when I'm in this part of the world. It's a piece of never-cultivated sandy heathland with some adjacent oak woodland; some parts are grazed periodically by Hebridean sheep (and all year roun...

...a couple of days back i found two fully grown Peacock larvae ............wandering ....looking for somewhere to pupate... Allan.W. That very much points to a second brood, Allan. Unusual, but not unheard of. Looks like there will be some continuing warm weather to allow them to feed up and succe...

...I've never seen a wasp do so. Interesting that they should leave the larger larvae. I wonder what the reason is for that? They spent some while selecting each larva: ignoring the very small ones entirely, considering the largest ones and then invariably picking the medium-sized individuals. My g...

Plenty of Peacocks... Allan.W. It's entirely possible your local Peacock abundance could be the result of a second brood, Allan. A few years back, I found a nest of fully grown caterpillars in late August which produced a lot of new adults in the second week of September. Just a thought... :) Cheer...

Some great stuff from your Corfiot holiday again, Wurzel. :) Now you know what a Southern Small White looks like in the flesh! :mrgreen: for all the non-UK species, and especially the Nettle-tree butterfly. That male Orange Tip is unusual, almost lacking its forewing spot - or were they all like tha...

On 24th August , I had planned another trip north to my sister near York, and unfortunately the forecast was for less summery conditions up there. However, it was pleasant enough on arrival, and my sisters garden buddleia hosted a few things, including the familiar sight of Red Admirals... RA1 24082...

Calm and sunny mornings over the last two days have meant the butterflies have reappeared on my local patch near Heathrow, notably a selection of Small Coppers spread right across the site. SC1 210923.JPG SC1 220923.JPG SC4 220923.JPG SC3 220923.JPG Also of note has been a steady stream of Red Admir...

Just catching up a wee bit, Wurzel... :) Those female SWF are terrific (as Trevor commented I think, they are much trickier than the males), as are the Graylings and that brightly-studded female SSB. :) However, from all of that my favourite is the jewel wasp - extraordinary colours, like something ...

That Small Copper really stands out on the Michaelmas daisies, Trevor. Dazzling! When I was growing up in North London in the Sixties, Michaelmas daisies at this time of year were always covered in butterflies - not a common sight now, unfortunately.

Cheers,

Dave

Box Hill really comes into its own in July, doesn't it! Some great shots there, Paul, particularly the female DGF and the Small Tortoiseshell.

Cheers,

Dave

Cheers, Wurzel - I doubt I shall see its like again! :) The trouble is that such things are so rare it is impossible to make an in-depth study of their behaviour. I was lucky that my audience with the butterfly lasted about 20 minutes, but you'd need to see one for at least a day to get a real feel ...