i came across this google digitized book whilst trying to find the answer to a quiz question:

http://books.google.ca/books?id=LTsDAAAAQAAJ

it is Westwood's Butterflies of Great Britain from the 1850s

charles

Could it be the gatekeeper which was at one time known as the large heath ?

charles


ps i have to go out... so if you need a question how about "Which John Fowles novel featured a keen lepidopterist ?"

padfield wrote:
but I wonder if 'tabac' in this context means 'sensation', as in 'faire un tabac', rather than tobacco.


Guy

"tabac d'espagne" was the name of a light russet colour ...doubtless the shade of spanish tobacco, which matched the colouring of the fritillary

charles

i would say that the fastest butterfly i have come across is the Clouded Yellow

Commas have a fair turn of speed too.

Small Tortoiseshells fly quickly but they have a trick with their wings which makes them suddenly disappear when you are following them !!

charles

just thought i would remind you that the Camberwell Beauty is also known as the Mourning Cloak

charles

is it the dingy skipper ( Toxidia peron ) ?

charles

ps there is a splendid ( erm,.. bonzer ) web-site for Australian butterflies... http://www.purvision.com/butterflies/

thanks to Guy for helping

charles

i also find it difficult to tell from the upper view if it is an argus or a blue... here is one i saw yesterday... its furry bits have a blue tint



Pete's hint about the extra spot certainly helps when the wings are closed

Charles

Well done to the medallists !!
I was thrilled to get 3 votes... my best ever performance

perhaps we could each be given 3 points to allocate as we wished... eg 2 points to one pic & 1 to another or 1 point to 3 separate pics

charles

Welcome Mandy... they are very gentle with beginners here !!

charles

Trev Sawyer wrote:I did manage to find a couple of Grizzled Skippers near Monks Wood (Huntingdon)

Trev

Well done Trev !! were they actually within the wood or in one of the fields adjoining ? i am hoping to get to MW in the next few days

Charles

a Duke doing the hokey-cokey

Totternhoe



charles

hey FISHiEE that is a lovely green hairstreak pic !!

charles

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z160/captaincatkin/Grizzled_Skipper2_19May07cn.jpg http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z160/captaincatkin/Grizzled_Skipper1_19May07cn.jpg i too am devasted by the loss of the Over cutting. i went on a BC trip about a year ago before the misguided bus work started. ...

Is it a Small White? I have this quite often with both Green-veined Whites and Small Whites landing on Garlic Mustard. I'm pretty sure it's a Green-veined White. One of the clues is that the black border is running vertically down the forewing, whereas it's more horizontal in the Small White. I hav...

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z160/captaincatkin/P1010072.jpg http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z160/captaincatkin/P1010068.jpg http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z160/captaincatkin/P1010084.jpg les tips sont arrivés also the white which at first i thought was a female orange tip charles

well done to everyone who took part !! thanks for my vote

charles

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z160/captaincatkin/P1010048-1.jpg http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z160/captaincatkin/P1010043-2-1.jpg i took these a few days ago... i had never come across these insects before !! charles ps here is one i took yesterday in Brampton Wood http://i190.photobucket...

Les speckleds sont arrivés !!



in exactly the same spot as last year

charles

there is an entertaining discussion on slugs here: http://forum.rivercottage.net/viewtopic ... 8af0839eb9

i like the sound of the Newcastle Brown method

charles