Cheers, Trevor and Wurzel! :) This year's Hairstreaks were particularly easy, and I was not done with the species quite yet as you both no doubt remember... 9th August . The weather forecast didn't disappoint, and it was time for the annual expedition to Shipton Bellinger for another dose of Brown H...

That's an amazing last shot, Katrina. You have definitely frozen the action there, and it appears that the fluid was expelled with some force!

Cheers,

Dave

Another excellent selection of SSB shots, Wurzel. :) That last one has really striking dark borders, and overall there's quite a bit of variation there. Your descriptions of their behaviour is also intriguing - I've never taken the time to watch them for a while going about their lives like that. :m...

Good to hear some sense talked about this summer's weather, Mark! :) It was the hottest June on record in the UK for starters. July was lacking sunshine and was wetter than average, but was only slightly below average temperature-wise. August was better, with average temperatures and less of a sunsh...

Glorious collection of Brown ones there, Dave. Looks like I need to add Bookham to my site list for next year! It's definitely worth a visit, Mark, though 2023 has been exceptional for Brown Hairstreaks here. It's a great site for Purple Hairstreaks as well! :) Brown Hairstreaks really were one of ...

Amazingly with all those Brown Hairstreaks, I found time to glance at a few other species at Bookham on 7th August . SWF2 070823.JPG SpW1 070823.JPG LW1 070823.JPG Comma1 070823.JPG BR1 070823.JPG BA1 070823.JPG In fact, looking back, the first butterfly I saw on the day was this unusual Small Coppe...

Like Goldie, I was taken with the shot of the female on the sloe - considering that's the plant they lay on, you rarely see them on the fruit. :) I reckon the "rules" regarding Brown Hairstreak behaviour need to be treated with a bit more scepticism these days, David. The males are frequen...

For a maintained garden Herstmonceaux seems to do really well for late season butterflies, Trevor. So many artificially created flowery areas are often bereft of insect life whereas this one definitely isn't. Nice to have it on your doorstep too...

Cheers,

Dave

Some great images of the female Silver-studs in particular, Wurzel. :) Like the Large Blues you really don't want lots of blazing sunshine to see this species at its best - bright overcast is far better, as lots of radiation comes through the clouds to make them active, but they still need to rest a...

Cheers, Wurzel - there's a big report coming up now... :) 7th August looked as if it would be warm and sunny, so I decided that the Bookham Brown Hairstreaks would be making the most of it, and after a good showing of males a few days earlier, there would be some females in the mix too. My hopeful a...

6th August - the best of the rest. Though the Hollies dominated, both Commas and Speckled Woods did their best to provide some variety. The Commas flying were quite a mix of new and older hutchinsoni individuals... Comma6 060823.JPG Comma7 060823.JPG Comma10 060823.JPG ...and at least one that was ...

6th August was a much better day - far more sunshine (though only a fraction warmer). Though there was far more to see today, as so often happens here the Holly Blues hijacked proceedings, with it being the turn of the females to hog the limelight. One in particular was laying on the developing ivy...

Fresh Adonis Blues still flying down at Denbies today... AB1 030923.JPG AB2 030923.JPG ...as well as Chalkhills - all looking worn, but with this one exception... ChB1 030923.JPG ...and Silver-spotted Skippers. SSS2 030923.JPG One of the SSS was on the BLEP at the bottom of the hillside (which I was...

I would add that LTBs can be found in Europe, Africa, south and southeast Asia, in Australia, and even in the Hawaiian islands. To reach some of those places, I suspect it crossed more than 22 miles of water...

Cheers,

Dave

A definite or three for the mating pair, Paul. A terrific spot by your colleague too - a second pair of eyes is so useful!

Dave

The next couple of days were cool, cloudy, and on 5th August , stormy. Nevertheless I went out seeking butterflies at some point on both days. On 4th , I just concentrated on one or two Red Admirals. RA4 040823.JPG RA1 040823.JPG I encountered one individual which persisted in apparently challenging...

That really is a Silver-studded Chalkhill Dave it's even got them under the orange lunules :shock: 8) I probably rate this species over the Adonis, much more interesting to look at :D 8) The silver-studded version is not uncommon at Denbies, Wurzel, and I suspect it was given a name by the good old...

Bookham is almost always good for Brown Hairstreak, Trevor, but it is a big area with several hotspots (though they can turn up anywhere as there is a lot of blackthorn). It's not far from the Black Hairstreaks at Epsom, but it appears there may not be enough suitable habitat in between for them to ...

That old adage again, Wurzel - with butterflies, always expect the unexpected... They constantly surprise me, almost every time I go out!

Cheers,

Dave

You did well to get shots of that female, Paul - she was off too quickly for my camera fiddling to achieve anything more than an orange blur. :) Cheers, Wurzel - it was a typical Brown Hairstreak day really! :) 2nd August was a day back at home, one that almost typified the high summer period this y...