White Admiral

[Martin]

One of the hardest of all butterflies to get a shot of (IMHO)...

...so just a snatched shot


Martin.

[sahikmet]

Great photo Martin, I did see one fly but no pictures.

Sezar Hikmet

[Martin]

Nice to meet you again today Sezar

[sahikmet]

Nice meeting you as well, did you make it to Chobham?

Sezar

[Martin]

I did, but no Silver-studded Blues or Greylings to be found.

Got this Four-spotted Chaser though...


Martin.

[sahikmet]

Well worth it Martin, lovely picture. I will try and go in a weeks time, if I have any luck will keep all informed.

Sezar

[Neil Hulme]

Hi all,
If there's one thing guaranteed to fill my heart with joy, it's the flight of early season White Admirals! Of course they fade and get torn all too soon for my liking, but their flight must be unmatched in terms of ease and grace. How they manage to make those smooth, tight turns in the middle of a thicket is beyond me. I saw 11 this afternoon in Southwater Woods - all males so far. They occasionally parked on the deck, to take on minerals and water, but spent most of the time searching the rides for a mate. I got lucky with one at rest on bramble.

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Neil

[Annie]

another set of pictures that has fired my enthusiasm! I remember seeing my first one, probably four years ago in woods near Killerton in Devon.

[Denise]

Cracking photo Kipper.

I've yet to see my first White Admiral, it's one of the species on this years wish list!

Denise

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks Denise,
It's my ambition this year to photograph a fully black one (nigrina). I've seen 4 obliterae (almost black but with grey smudges) in my WA hotspot in the last two years, but never the 'Holy Grail'. Mind you, just seeing the normal ones is a treat!
Neil

[Martin]

I had obliterae last year too...

[Polly]

I saw my first ever White Admiral yesterday and was lucky enough to grab just this one shot of it whilst it paused briefly on a silver birch at the BC reserve at Park Corner Heath, East Sussex:

[alex mclennan]

If anyone is going to Fermyn Woods in July for the emperors, keep an eye out for obliterae. They're regularly seen there.
Alex

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Martin,
What a stunning specimen that is! I think that's the Alice Holt butterfly from last summer? In my books that's close enough to call nigrina. Of course there is a 'scale' of extremity in variations such as obliterae and nigrina. If you look at the 'Cockayne Collection' (Natural History Museum), there is little difference between the illustrated examples of these aberrations. The example of obliterae is at the extreme, top end of the scale. The picture below is perhaps more typical. Even in the most extreme nigrina I have ever seen illustrated, you can still 'get away' with slightly paler patches in those positions. I don't think they come much better than that!

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Neil

[Martin]

Hi Martin,
What a stunning specimen that is! I think that's the Alice Holt butterfly from last summer?

It was indeed, Neil.

[Annie]

Cracking photo Kipper.

I've yet to see my first White Admiral, it's one of the species on this years wish list!

Denise

After I saw my first I couldn't stop seeing them! I spent a day in Bentley Woods a few years back and there were so many it was a case of "oh no, not another White Admiral"!

[Denise]

I've got my feelers out for a local hot spot! Might just have found one too. We seem to be about two weeks behind the rest of the country here for some reason I'll keep you posted if I manage to connect.

Cheers
Denise

[Piers]

[quote="Martin"]I had obliterae last year too...



Sorry to disapoint( ) you Martin but that is certainly full nigrina - no doubt! Nigrina always retains two little white smudges on the outer edge of the forewing, which are usually far more pronounced that in obliterae (=semi nigrina).

In captivity both aberrations can be produced by subjecting freshly formed pupae to extreme cold shock. It has been theorised that wild nigrina could be produced by larvae pupating in latent frost pockets.

Felix.

[Piers]

I've got my feelers out for a local hot spot! Might just have found one too.

Hi Denise,

If it helps your nearest colony of any size would be the 'Wetmoor Nature Reserve' in South Glos. A tip would be to visit late afternoon after a warm sunny day. White Admiral activity really gets underway between 4.00pm and 7.00pm when adults can be seen in the best numbers at any colony. They seem to be easier to approach at this time of day too; spending a lot of time basking on lower foliage or feeding lazily from bramble etc...

Good hunting,

Felix.

[Denise]

Thanks Felix,

I will give it a go. This place is less than 10 miles from where I live unbelievable!

Cheers
Denise