Sorry, I can't see the photo. Is it just me?

An unprecedentedly cold May has got in the way of butterflies, moths and dragonflies that we would normally have recorded. However firsts for the year : Dingy Skipper (Le point-de-Hongrie) - first week (garden) Sooty Copper (Cuivré fuligineux) - Thursday 13th (garden) Small Heath (Procris) - Thursda...

Hi Paulcrook, In my experience locally, the Large Tortoishell (Grande Tortue) are a species that I see very locally (within walking distance from home and in a small village called Bovenant) mostly at this time of year, although we have recorded them in summer. However, this is probably due to the f...

Saturday 24th - 2 Large Red Damselflies (Corps de feu) laid claim to my first dragonfly/damselfly sighting of the year. I had to get up close and personal to check the colour of the legs - black for the Large, whereas the Small has red legs.

Further south than you, but may help - I had Clouded Yellows (Souci) here in Southern Brittany last Sunday. Definitely not Brimstones (Citron)! So they most likely successfully overwintered here and we had a very cold one!

Not a butterfly, but the proof that I was right about our white tadpoles. The Tree Frogs have been deafening us in the evenings lately and the small clumps of white frogspawn are turning into white tadpoles. Today we found 2 Tree Frogs on the edge of our pond when we moved some stones - Tree-Frog-ou...

They are extremely rewarding, but I have a lot to learn about butterflies from you guys. Which is the beauty of such a forum. I just wish I had had the camera with me to help you help me id those pesky Clouded's! Just today I have been photographing dragonfly larvae casts (exuviae)in my pond, to try...

Blimey! I am just happy to be able to tell a Clouded Yellow from a Sparrow! :lol: I teach English to the French and French to the English - from 4 year olds to retired folk (the day job). I'm also a qualified dog trainer and give lessons at the local dog club and compete (very successfully) in agili...

Hi Guy, I checked with my daughter when she came round today - she says deep yellow too. But, as I said, we are capable of identifying "Clouded Yellow sp" and not of defining which sp. If it helps, they were a lot deeper yellowy-orange than the Brimstone males - which is what first brought...

Great excitement here this morning. A beautiful, sunny day (just put a temp guage out in full sun on my patio table and it hit 37°C and was still climbing!In the shade it is steady at 27). Took the dogs for a walk at La Roche-Bernard on the banks of the river Vilaine this morning, T-shirts and sun-c...

As far as I am aware, Padfield, all the names I give in brackets are the French common names- maybe deriving from the latin in some cases. It is "le vulcain". However, in my experience the "French Latin" is not always the same as the "English Latin" and this completely ...

On "walkies" from home on Wednesday 14th : Large Tortoishell (Grande Tortue) Comma (Robert le diable) Orange tip (Aurore printanière) Green-veined white (Piéride du navet) Small White (Piéride de la rave) Small Copper (Cuivré commun) Red Admiral (Vulcain) Peacock (Paon du jour) Speckled Wo...

A Large Tortoishell (Grande Tortue) today - my second this year.

And my first Hoopoe (Huppe fasciée) this year - I was in the garden this morning and heard it calling nearby. Very late compared to other years.

My first Orange Tip (Aurore Printanière) this afternoon whilst teaching at the dog club near Vannes. Unfortunately, the group remained un-impressed even when I gave the French name - not everyone shares our passion for nature!

Yesterday a Holly Blue (Azuré de nerprun) in the garden. They were extremely scarce here in 2009, so here's wishing them well this year.

Today the temperature topped 17°C in the shade today. We picnicked on the beach at lunch time.

Yesterday whilst walking the dogs in the sunshine : Brimstone (Citron) - Good numbers, including mating couples (my first females this year); Peacock (Paon du jour) - again good numbers (they were the ones settling on the tarmac as per ....); Small White (Piéride de la rave) - one Small Copper (Cuiv...

Hi All, Feeling slightly dispondent regarding butterflies and moths. The weather here in Southern Brittany continues to be too cold, wet and windy to hope for any action. Yesterday, I saw 2 Brimstone (Citron) and one Peacock (Paon du jour) out braving the elements in the rare bouts of sunlight. :rol...

That should read :

Whilst yesterday, in a neighbour's pond, I observed ......

I want to make it clear that I was not actually in the pond myself! Some English Teacher I am

OK - the smaller lizards we saw last week were Common Lizards - Lacerta vivipara. As far as I know I have not seen a Sand Lizard, but now that I am aware it exists I will look more closely and take photos. So thanks Traplican. The Green Lizards are several times larger and quite impressive. It has b...

I took 37 butterfly photos today. Some of them were attempts at great shots, but none succeeded - so all are basically records of my day. In years to come they will give me great joy, and no less than if I spent a lot of time cleaning them up! Hear, hear - or is that Here, here? I never did work th...