Goldie M

[Goldie M]

I hope so David, not today though the rain and wind have taken over, Goldie

[Paul Harfield]

Hi Goldie
Sorry to here the weather has turned It has been pretty miserable here today as well, raining most of the afternoon.
I have been impressed with the amount of butterfly activity in your garden over the last couple of weeks. It has looked like a vision of summer there My garden is a bit Spartan at present, I must take some lessons from you and stock my garden with lots of late flowering plants.

[Goldie M]

Thanks Jack, yes it's the best year yet in my garden for late Butterflies and I don't think it's all down to the flowers though
I think the rubbish weather we had earlier in the year helped to delay them and when they have appeared it was to a lack of flowers around here, most of the gardens here are now made of stone (you know what i mean pebbles every where) so my garden is a kind of oasis for them, it does help me to see them, so I'm not bothered

Saturday was a rubbish day here wind and rain most of the day, so on Sunday when the weather was really nice we decided to have a run to Formby Point to see the Red Squirrel's. It was a typical Autumn day crisp and bright, when we arrived it seemed all of Liverpool had decided on the same Idea luckily, although the road is narrow to the point there's plenty of parking near the point.

We finally (after a short walk ) reached the Squirrel walk and were pleased to see quite a few scampering about, I must say their colour was rich gold to me and matched the Autumn leaves which did make them hard to see at times, plus the fact when they did come down from the trees they raced across the ground I did mange some shots so thought I'd share them even if some seem slightly blurred, I couldn't help that they were so quick Goldie

[Goldie M]

Yesterday morning brought a nice surprise, my Red Admiral was back in the garden I say my, because it was back again today, I think it was the same one, those Wall Flowers certainly keep the Butterflies happy as well has me The weather was so nice I actually sat in the garden watching it for a while .

I know the Admiral isn't a Long Tailed Blue but it's keeping me happy just seeing it in the garden for so long, I hope the LTB comes out in Kent when I'm down there next year.

Yesterday we went to Fleetwood then on to St Anne's we visited Ditchfield Glass, which was fantastic, on the way home I took a shot of the Bay and the Sky I love cloud shots Goldie

[MikeOxon]

Great to see the Red Squirrels are doing well at Formby. Last time I was there, they had been decimated by the pox and I failed to see any. It's always nice to see you photos of places I knew well in childhood.

We went to our local Arboretum at Nuneham Courtenay for the splendid Autumn colours and, as you found at Formby, it seemed that everyone else had the same idea! Fortunately, it was fairly easy to lose everyone else among the trees

I'm still working through photos taken on our recent trip to Borneo and Singapore, but hope to post some 'exotic' butterflies in my diary before too long.

Mike

[David M]

I'm still working through photos taken on our recent trip to Borneo and Singapore, but hope to post some 'exotic' butterflies in my diary before too long.

That's something I shall look forward to seeing, Mike.

I bet you saw thousands in that part of the world?

[Wurzel]

Greta shots Goldie, I especially like the potter butterfly

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Hi! Mike, always good to hear from you, I thought about you when I was at Formby so I'm glad you like the Squirrels, the last time I went there I saw none either so it's great they've survived that pox, their certainly looking well and there's loads of them
I'm looking for ward to seeing your photos Mike I bet there fantastic has usual Goldie

Glad you like my little Butterfly on the pot Wurzel I made the pot into a small water dish from an old water pipe I found tossed a way when I was on holiday a couple of years ago, the Butterflies seem to love it and land on it quite a lot, I keep it near the flowers and have actually seen them in the dish when the water is nearly dried out on hot days

I've posted a shot I took in the Spring of my Woodies just because it's raining outside and I'm getting nostalgic Goldie

[David M]

Doves/pigeons love water, Goldie.

We have a dozen or so relatively domesticated pigeons in our gardens and they spend vast amounts of time on the pond fountains we've built for the fish.

The wild Collared Doves seem to like it too!

[Goldie M]

Hi! David, I think we've definitely got domesticated Wood Pigeons they're here every day and like you say they love the water, I've got a small fountain that's run by the Sun and their for ever landing on top of it stoping it from working, what with them and a Grey Squirrel trying to dig my bulbs up they keep me busy Goldie

[Goldie M]

Well! all the Butterflies seem to have gone now and since November came in the weather although mild has been wet, so I decided to look back on some photos I took of Moths this year for a change.

It's been a disappointing year for me in some things, for instance the weather up here in May and June was awful only picking up at the end of June, it meant that instead of the usual Fritillaries I usually see in those months I saw none, no , PB, are PBF , the PBF usually come out when the Dukes are about, this year nothing at Gaits Barrow to photograph the exception being the Dukes who took the glory this year with the photographers, however in July I did manage to get shots of the High Brown Fritillary which was a Bonus but it turned out to be the only fritillary shot I got this year

On the up side I got three lifers , Purple Empress, Purple Hair Streak and the Large Heath, But! Was disappointed with my photos, for instance with the PE, I was so excited at seeing her just sitting there not moving I got the wrong settings I forgot to change the settings on the camera to allow for the shade, I thought the Butterfly would fly off With the PH, I nearly trod on it only getting two quick shots before it flew off Onto the LH which was not co-operating at all by landing too far a way from me , even with a good len's for far a way shots, it just never stopped long enough so all my shots were mostly arial still at least I got some thing

Other than that I enjoyed seeing the Swallow Tails again in early June and the White Admiral I'd not seen for a couple of years in Blean Woods in July also my one and only shot of a Clouded Yellow

To sum up the year all the other Butterflies seemed quite plentiful, the Painted lady for instance was in my garden for the first time for years and the Red Admirals and Tortoiseshells also , my aim next year is to get better shots of the three lifers and see if I can add some Hair Streaks I've not yet got. Goldie

[MikeOxon]

Lovely moths photos , especially the last two micro-moths, which are Pyrausta purpuralis and Anania funebris respectively. The micros often cause confusion, since they are not included in many identification guides, but there are some beautiful day-flying species amongst them.

Mike

[Goldie M]

Thanks Mike, I took quite a few shots of moths this year, I like their bright colours and their variations Goldie

[David M]

Where did you see funebris, Goldie? This moth is not at all common.

[Wurzel]

Some great Moths Goldie especially the last one, that is quite an unusual species,not common at all if I remember correctly I'd look at the 'Waves' for the second moth

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Hi! David and Wurzel glad you like the Moths, I usually only put the names in I'm familiar with for moths, at the time I posted the Moths I got side tracked and when I got back to posting I forgot and submitted them without enough information

I saw the White Spotted Sable, Mint Moth, Cream Wave on the 30th May at Gait Barrow
On the 16th of June I saw the Cream Wave also at Gait Barrow, I also saw a Cinnabar, and Speckled Yellow same day I thought I'd post them has well in this post together with a Silver Y I took a shot of whilst taking photos of the Swallow Tail in Norfolk on the 10th June Goldie

[MikeOxon]

I'd guessed that your Sable (funebris) moth was probably at Gait Barrows. That limestone belt at the Southern edge of the Lake District seems to be their stronghold. Certainly not easy to find 'down South'

[Goldie M]

Hi! Mike, yes I've seen it quite a few times at Gait Barrow mostly just past the monument, but it fly's usually straight to the underside of leaves, this time I was lucky and caught it before it disappeared. Goldie

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Goldie, nice moth shots

I have seen funebris myself at Gait Barrow a couple of times but never managed a decent photo...like you say, they have that annoying habit of settling upside down on the underside of leaves, as do a number of moths.

Cheers,

Neil

[Goldie M]

Hi! Neil, that's one thing about Gait Barrow you can rely on, If you can't find the Butterflies you want there's always an abundance of Moth's to photograph, which makes it very worth while visiting there, also the Slipper Orchid can be found there in late Spring . Goldie