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[Wurzel]

Crickey that is tiny - I almost didn't see it! Great Angle Shades as well

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Paul Harfield]

Thanks Wurzel

Sightings from the UAE

My Brother is NOT a butterfly watcher, but maybe some of my interest rubbed off on him when we were younger. He now lives in Dubai and has sent me some pictures of some sightings from this week.

6.3.2016 This Striped Hawkmoth (Hyles livornica) landed on his balcony during dinner!

10.3.2016 We think this is an Oriental Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus)?

White Letter Hairstreak

Meanwhile I have had a second White Letter Hairstreak egg hatch on the 4.3.2016 though to date I have not seen the larva. The larva that hatched on 26.2.2016 is still very small when compared to Paulines largest larva. It is currently living outside totally unprotected.

10.3.2016 13 day old White Letter hairstreak larva

[Pauline]

That's a smashing shot of No 2 Paul, especially given how tiny it is, and trust me, I know just how hard it is to get any sort of shot at that size, but that image shows it off well and puts it in context size-wise

[Paul Harfield]

Thanks Pauline This is actually No.1. No.2 is still unfound.

Sunday 13.3.2016 Knowle Village

My butterfly season started today .
It always feels like such a relief when I see my first butterflies of the year. I went out yesterday and saw nothing although there was a good vibe . I thought I had left things a bit too late today at 1pm, but I need not have worried. An hour at one of my local spots provided 4 Small Tortoiseshells .

Several Small Tortoiseshells were performing in this area today

[trevor]

Congratulations Paul, and well found. It looks like the new season has started.

Keep up the good work,
Trevor.

[Paul Harfield]

Cheers Trevor Lets hope the sunny weather continues.

[Goldie M]

Glad you saw your First Tortoiseshell Paul, isn't it great I've tended to wait until after 1pm because it seemed too cold for them to come out earlier. Cheer's Goldie

[Paul Harfield]

Thanks Goldie you are right about the timing. Those Small Tortoiseshells were seen between 1.45 and 3pm.

19.3.2016 White Letter Hairstreak Larvae

The larvae are proving elusive and very difficult to photograph (I don't know how Pauline does it) They are very small and spend most of the time tucked well away in amongst the flowers head first.

(not a great photo) The largest of my larvae (21 days old) tucked in head first 19.3.2016

5 day old larva well hidden 19.3.2016

[Wurzel]

Great stuff there Paul - plenty of Small Tort and cat action and your brother is a pretty jammy non-butterflier

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pauline]

It's great to see your photos Paul which demonstrate perfectly how illusive these cats are. I am lucky in that I have the flexibility to be around when the sun puts in a brief appearance as it doesn't take long for the cats to then become active and begin to eat. You are clearly doing well with them and they would seem to be far better aligned to those in the wild than my ones - you seem to have the timing spot on . Well done!

[Paul Harfield]

Thanks Wurzel & Pauline

Friday 25.3.2016 Knowle Village

I spent a couple of hours out and about today making the most of the sunshine before the bad weather moves in. Plenty of Commas, Peacock and Brimstone today to add to the Small Tortoiseshells at the same location a few posts ago. I was also pleased to see a couple of Small Whites today, my first non hibernators of the year . First a male flew continuously back and forth along the track eventually settling during a cloudy period. Later I spotted a 'brand new' female on a gorse bush. I am not sure if they were destined to bump into each other, but there was no sign of the male when the female eventually took to the wing. Unusually it was the Small Whites that received most of my attention today

I was lucky today with this Brimstone spending longer than usual on this Gorse bush

This Comma posed nicely

Male Small White resting during a cloudy spell

Female Small White today also enjoying the Gorse

Plenty of Peacock action today

[trevor]

It looks as though you had a brilliant day as well Paul.
Good numbers of Small Tortoiseshells are being reported in these diaries, so hopefully they will be as common
this year as they were when I was a boy. Well done with the Small Whites.

Have a great season,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Congrats on the Small Whites Paul - are those firsts for the year? Good Friday was definitely 'good' compared to the weather today - at one point the rain was horizontal!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Paul Harfield]

Hi Trevor & Wurzel

Thanks for your comments . Definitely a 'good' Friday and yes I was particularly pleased with those Whites. I am hoping for Orange Tips next time

[Paul Harfield]

I have got my laptop back today after being without for almost 2 weeks so just getting up to speed. Not much in the way of butterflies to speak of, but did spot my first Speckled Wood of the year yesterday. Luckily I had my camera with me

First Speckled Wood of the year already showing some damage - Hedge End - 9.4.2016

Spiders seem to be a constant threat to my White Letter Hairstreak larvae! - 25.3.2016

No.2 seems to be my only remaining larva but I have not even seen this one for almost a week. Hopefully it still around somewhere

[Paul Harfield]

Sunday 17.4.2016 Hatch Farm - Looking For Orange Tips

I thought I would check out a couple of local spots in the hope of some Orange Tips this weekend. It would seem, at least around my patch, that it is a bit early for them. I was not disappointed though. Plenty of Peacocks, a Comma, a Small Tortoiseshell looking for somewhere to lay her eggs and a just emerged Speckled Wood.

No Orange Tips and curiously no Brimstones at all, in fact I did not think I would see any whites, but a male Small White appeared briefly as I made my way back to the car.

I think this Speckled Wood had emerged that morning. I have not noticed one so hairy before!

This female Small Tortoiseshell was very thoroughly checking all the new Nettle growth for a suitable egg laying spot. Gently touching the leaves with her antennae.

Just the one Comma today

The M27 motorway runs within a few metres of this site. The visually picturesque image of a woodland carpeted with Bluebells was somewhat ruined by the incongruous loud roar of traffic on the famously noisy concrete motorway surface.

[Paul Harfield]

Sunday 24.4.2016 Stephens Castle Down

Initially the weather did not look very appealing today, but it did brighten up . I thought I would check out my local Duke site. I was not expecting to see any Duke of Burgundy as this is a much later site than some, but I thought there might be a chance of an Orange Tip or Grizzled Skipper. Butterflies were actually very thin on the ground, not even a Brimstone which are normally very numerous here at this time of the year. A single male Small White and a handful of Peacocks was all I saw .

This female was busy laying eggs in almost exactly the same spot as I recorded almost exactly a year ago.

One Peacock busy laying her eggs in almost exactly the same position as I recorded in my diary last year.

The resulting egg mass

I have still only seen 6 species this year, hopefully the season will get moving soon.

Back at home I was suddenly aware of a Small White feebly fluttering in the garden. I did not see this freshly emerged individual arrive so, in my head, I would like to think this was derived from one of the larvae that were living in my garden at the end of last year .

Perhaps this Small White was derived from one of the larvae present in my garden last Autumn.

[Goldie M]

I think they knew this weather was on the way Goldie

[Wurzel]

Great sequence of shots Paul Any chance you can send a few Specklies this way - there have only been ne or two records in the whole of Wiltshire so far this year

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Jamie Burston]

Brilliant sheen on them eggs! Great Speckled Wood underside. I hope your White-letter Hairstreak Larva is ok? All the best,
Jamie