Goldie M

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, Yes the Large Whites were every where, so many I couldn't count them, strange though, we used to get a lot in the garden and you'd see the odd ones at the sea side now the opposite is happening, like you say though at least they've made a recovery.
Hi! David, yes it's the power station, we always call it the Morecambe Bay PS so I'd to ask my Husband to make sure

Yesterday Saturday we had a ride to Southport, in the Dunes the Small Heath were every where how ever there wasn't has many Common Blues and we saw no Large Whites like we'd seen at Fleetwood. Small day flying Moths were plentiful but hard to get photo's of, I did manage a shot of a Silver Y and a quick shot of a Cinnabar ( I think) which wouldn't pose for the camera It was a nice day out, the weather was good with not too much breeze.Goldie

[Goldie M]

Very wet and windy here over the last six days with the exception of yesterday when it was Sunny but quite windy, we decided to have a look at Hall-Lee-Brook to see if any Large Skipper's were about, just lately I've been a bit under the weather still from it seems early May, if I do go out I'm feeling shattered when I get back A bit more Sun would help I'm sure!

We didn't see any LS but we did see a Painted Lady, it's the first I've ever seen at HLB ,also just caught a Large White has it was taking off, quite a nice one in good condition.

When I got back home a Large White was in the back garden on a Fox Glove and fluttering round my Boules Mauve, for the first time it felt like Summer had arrived today we're back in the wind and rain UGH! Goldie

[Pauline]

Nice shots of the Painted Lady Goldie and that Silver-y moth is not bad either - a difficult moth to photograph for sure. Hope you're feeling a bit fitter now.

[trevor]

A very fine Large White, Goldie, and Painted Ladies up your way already.

Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Spot on with the Cinnabar ID Goldie Great Painted Lady but the star of the show this time has to be the female Large White, lush

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Well done with the Painted Lady, Goldie. I've yet to see one of those in the UK so far this year.

[millerd]

That's a great Large White shot, Goldie - it's almost impossible to see one so fully open as that. I like the one where it has its nose up inside the foxglove too.

Dave

[Goldie M]

Thank you Pauline, I keep getting these tired spells, I go out full of beans then I I take two days to get over it, hope fully when we get more Sun this will pass. ( or I'll get worse for trying )

Glad you liked the Large White Trevor, thank you, I was amazed to see the Painted Lady at Hall-Lee-Brook, I'd even seen it at Southport Dunes a couple of weeks earlier so there must be quite a number of them arriving .

Thanks Wurzel, I was amazed when I saw the shot of the Large White myself only because I was stood in a field full of Buttercups and I'd followed the Butterfly but every time I tried a shot it flew off I gave up in the end so when I got home and saw I'd caught it on take off I was chuffed

Hi! David, I'm sure you'll see a Painted Lady before very long it seems to be a good year for them, that's if they don't get washed a way with all the rain we're having

Thank's Dave, I'm pleased you liked the Fox Glove shot it was my favourite shot, although you can't see the LW fully I liked the shot because there's also a bee in there and it seemed to typify Summer to me.

Thanks again everybody lets hope we get more Sun Goldie

[Neil Freeman]

... I'd even seen it at Southport Dunes a couple of weeks earlier so there must be quite a number of them arriving .

Hi Goldie,

They were arriving in off the sea in good numbers in Cornwall when I was down there recently so I am not surprised they have found there way up to you.

The weather has been quite rough here recently as well, not just dull and wet but blustery winds a lot of the time. Lets hope it picks up soon.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Neil, the weather here has also been awful, it's been March and April with wind and rain in June, I see the forecast for the South in the next few days is much better but I can't see a lot of change for us yet, the only bit of good news comes from Gait Barrow where BHS larva has been found Goldie

[Goldie M]

Today was hot but very little Sun appeared we'd more cloud which was high in the sky so much better for walking about. We considered going to Gait Barrow but the forecast there was for a rain shower so once again we put off that journey, has LS and MB had been seen at Brockholes we decided to go there instead.

it was very dull when we arrived but the fields around were full of flowers and lightened our mood, at first nothing appeared and then I saw a flash of Orange which landed just in front of me, my first large Skipper for this year because the weather was dull he wasn't flitting from flower to flower but stayed on a leaf for quite a while.

After this I saw Common Blue and one strange looking Fly or moth, I'm not sure what ?
Six Spotted Burnetts were every where I've never seen so many at one time, that goes for the Damsel Fly's as well, I just had to take a few shots of both.

A Bus had brought quite a lot of Children and they had net's so I supposed they were doing a nature exercise, they were very active in the large field so I hoped they'd send a few Butterflies my way, which they did A Meadow brown which like the the LS's
just settled on a leaf and more Blue's.

Has we returned to the car I saw this Wag Tail which was very friendly and posed for a photo. Goldie

[David M]

You live in a part of the UK that is beautiful, but very unpredictable weatherwise, Goldie.

From what I've seen of the forecast, you should get good opportunities to get out this weekend! Make the most of it - Mountain Ringlets at Irton Fell perhaps?

[Goldie M]

Hi! David, Your right about the beauty of where I live Like you say though weather wise it's wet, wet, wet,, an awful lot more than other parts of the country, We do try to go when the the weather is predicted to be good, trouble is the Butterflies have become few and far between up here, I check Lancashire BFC and Cumbria to see what's been seen locally and we've traveled to the Lakes as soon as we could but some times like this year for instance we've not been lucky enough to see any Fritillaries .

It's very disappointing when you go up three or four times and don't see these lovely Butterflies, we're going up again this weekend
ten to one it'll be too hot for Butterflies Oh! the joys of Butterflying Goldie

[Wurzel]

Is your unamed a Scorpion Fly from underneath Goldie? Good luck with your foray this weekend

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

I don't know Wurzel, I'm not too well up on Fly's or Moths come to that but if I see one I'm not sure of I take a shot of it.

Yesterday was a great day, with the weather being so nice we set off early for the Lakes and decided to try Foulshaw Marsh, which is on the A590 to Barrow, it's site is near Meathop Marsh, my mind was set on seeing the Large Heath which i thought might be there with the weather being so good, last year had been awful with the LH's diving for cover and the year before I'd caught them in flight and not really got a good shot of any of them.
We met the Ranger and he said a LH had been seen which got me really excited First though we took a look at the nesting Osprey through a telescope, we saw them but it was like looking through a mist with the heat being so intense only their out line was seen, we hope to go back and see them in a couple of weeks when their young will be bigger.
We set off along the board walk and it wasn't very long before we spotted them, just like before though they did short flights and disappeared later as the morning got nearer to lunch time more came out and I managed to get some shots, it was my first clear view of them and I was grateful for the longer lens that brought them nearer for me
The Ranger had a picture of a moth and was asking if any one had seen it, I'd taken a shot of a Moth (not very good because of the grass etc) but I wondered if it was the same one?
We went to GB next but we saw very little, a couple of CB's and a Brimstone,
I thought the Female was a Northern Brown at first
Finally we called at Warton and I got my first Ringlet of this year. Goldie

[trevor]

A few mrgreens for those Large Heaths, Goldie,
Not a species I will get to see easily.

Trevor.

[Maximus]

Lovely shots of the Large Heaths, Goldie a species that I'd love to see
Mike

[Wurzel]

Great stuff with the Large Heath Goldie A species I've still to see...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Nice to see those Large Heaths, Goldie - like the others have said, not one I've seen yet.

Dave

[Goldie M]

Thanks everyone, it was a fantastic day, I'd tried for ages to get some shots of the Large Heath and finally did it Goldie