The Photographer's Eye One of my favourite photography books is "The Photographer's Eye" by Michael Freeman. It focuses on composition and discusses not only lines, curves and the like, but also colour (and which colours work well together). A newly-emerged female Duke (the result of an e...

With regard to your earlier post, Lee ... "'Tick & click' refers to those who are NOT hands on entomologists ... the real Lepidopterists/Entomologists" I've no idea what the "hands on" or "real" entomologists are. I wonder if I'm one? :) I believe you reared a Duke...

lee 3764 was : ....approached by a policeman (in uniform!!) ....no problem with that Sir; it's just that there was some deer poaching going on.... I am reminded of an event way back in my youth. I had parked off the road late one evening with my girl friend. I don’t need to go into details, but at ...

I know they're variable but I've never seen one like this before, seen yesterday at Denbies: IMG_5186.jpg IMG_5167.jpg IMG_5173.jpg IMG_5192.jpg Full report and more minor variations to follow in my diary, later today. Cheers Lee Hi Lee, According to my book 'A Monograph of the British Aberrations ...

..... that if they were all followed to the letter there would be no reintroductions at all which I suspect is the real aim of the policy . Hey, a kindred spirit ... .... and it would make the box tickers' lot that much easier ... until it is all too late. . The box ticker's life would be made much...

I suspect that Cornwall BC members would like to know what you did mean, Lee, rather than leaving it to others to interpret :? But I suspect you're making a point regarding what you consider to be acceptable. Which is why phrases such as 'lovers of butterflies' (in quotes) need to be spelled out sin...

When the habitats are mostly gone & no one is allowed to do anything anymore then there will be virtually nothing to photograph either? Maybe then we all might join together? Doubt it though based on some of what I've read recently. :( You maybe don't mind people selling wood whites on e-Bay. A...

I am afraid it will be useless for this purpose. We know from research with fruit flies that genetic changes occur very quickly in captive bred stock. Fruit flies maybe, but captive bred butterfly stock has been used to great effect with reintroductions (some above board (Marsh Frit Cumbria, Heath ...

Blimey Neil, I thought the captive Large Copper stock was pretty strong! The Dutch wild Batavus stock in Holland is pretty rare I heard but the skills for rearing up several 1000's of larvae for a reintroduction project are the same. This should be done with urgency then while there is enough wild s...

This will be the best £22 odd that you ever spend on a book about Butterflies! BUY IT!!!!!!!
Lee (Cornwall).

And when I did a google search I noted that on a web page about collectors it mentioned that someone who was an egg collector had been convicted of selling Large Blue and High brown and was convicted at Salisbury magistrates. I then noticed from the Ebay listings the seller of these current specime...

Great story Felix!!!!!!!
I would love to have just seen the S.W.Frits though!!!
Cheers,
Lee (Cornwall).
P.S. Maybe if you carried a net you could have caught the 'Big Cat'??........Eeerrrrrr.....Maybe not!!

With the greatest of possible respect Guy (which hopefully goes withpout saying) you do position yourself at one extreme of the spectrum and you must know this in your heart. Most people will swat a 'cleg' which is biting the hell out of their arm without thinking; but I know that your philosophy r...

BTW, I find that you have more chance of mistaking a first brood Brown Argus in flight, with a Grizzled Skipper. But only for a second or two. Brown Argus also never fly for that long, so you can usually get that close up view should you need it. Now you're really confusing me. I saw Grizzled Skipp...

That's really interesting Nick, I can never seem to be able to ascertain which sites are natural colonies and which are introductions or reintroductions..! Are you able to give me any pointers...? Cheers Nick. Felix. Felix, The S.S.Blue colonies on the dunes at Perranporth in North Cornwall are nat...

I know a good number of people who are over 55 who gained their interest when they were a child usually from direct contact with the Butterflies and Moths by netting them. That's exactly how I developed an interest for butterflies (and I'm only 42). First with a fishing net with a bamboo-cane handl...

I absolutely agree with Gruditch's points as well, regarding the same fritillary being netted a dozen times a day if everyone used a net. But I don't think that everyone would. Few people would have legitimate reason to; and the only reason that I can think of to net a fritillary in Bentley would b...

Do you own these insects? No I do not own the insects Lee, but they are on a privet nature reserve, and the wishes of the Wardens & Rangers who look after those reserves should be respected. Regards Gruditch Fair enough where the warden of a particular reserve does not allow nets on it. What wi...

Thanks for the thoughts! I don't use a net myself - but my colleagues use them for ID purposes and, without which, our tally would be nothing like the number we eventually reach. More importantly, the information is valuable and is always passed on to the relevant authority once we've sorted the ID...

If its part of an organised scientific study, with the land owners permission, then great, but otherwise there is no need, in this country for using a net for ID purposes, especially if its just to satisfy ones curiosity. I would not advise just going out and using a net, most reserves have a ban o...