Kev Ling

[Pauline]

Hi Kev - 'fraid I missed your post about the Brimstone project so apologies for late comment. Incredibly interesting and worthwhile. This season I have been trying to follow their development in the wild and had some success until it came to looking for the pupa. I know they are very well camouflaged and was prepared for that but couldn't find a single one. I'd love to see one so perhaps I should invest in some Alder.

[kevling]

Thanks for the lovely comments everyone
Pauline: I would certainly invest in some Alder or Common Buckthorn, if my first year results are anything to go by.
Steve: Like you, I love the colours of the Marbled White. I also love the Black Veined White for the same reason.
Andrew: The clifftop Walls were a nice surprise for me.
Bugboy/Wurzel: I tried to get out early morning before the sun got too high and was pleased with the results.

4th July - Bonny Wood, Suffolk

Next on my wish list for the summer was the Silver Washed Fritillary. I love this butterfly and this wood is only a very short drive from home. My highest tally previously here was 15-20. But today I managed 50, which included 12 females and an ab Valezina. Other notable species were Purple Hairstreak and White Admiral, along with the obligatory high numbers of grassland species and large quantities of Whites, some settled in small groups on the duckweed in the pond. The day was capped off with my first ever sighting of a Badger. As I photographed the SWF, I heard a rustle in the grass and a Badger passed by me on it's way home after a night out (Time 09:30!). Here are the best of the SWF.

Kind Regards
Kev

[Wurzel]

Cracking set of SF shots Kev and a great daily tally Could the ot weather have led to things emerging all at once hence the higher numbers?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[kevling]

Thanks Wurzel. I share your logic about the hot weather influencing a mass emergence, as demonstrated by my encounter on Friday night below

6th July - Rushmere Heath Ipswich

I decided to take an evening dog walk on our local heathland last week. It has a large coverage of Oaks and I noticed good numbers of Purple Hairstreak active in the canopies, an hour or two before sunset. I returned on Friday to do a more thorough count and was astounded by what I saw. There was not a single oak that did not have a Hairstreak, with the average per tree being 5. Some supporting up to 15-20. They were very active, but what I did observe was that as soon as they landed, they immediately opened their wings to bask in the evening warmth of the sun. Unfortunately this always seemed to happen 15 feet up in the canopy, out of range for photographs

However our total count of Purple Hairstreaks ended with a staggering 525!. I would estimate that I barely analysed a quarter of the Oaks on site though , so the actual number would have topped 1000 had bad light not stopped play.
This was a special night and one of those Butterfly encounters that I just stumbled across without any prior knowledge. The best I would say.

Kind Regards
Kev

[Wurzel]

Woah that is a fantastic count

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Steve L]

What an amazing number of Purple Hairstreaks

Love the SWF flight shot

Cheers

Steve

[bugboy]

The perspective and angle you got with that first male SWF makes it look gargantuan .

That is indeed a very healthy PH count, I reckon I was seeing similar densities at Bookham last week but I didn't need to look up into the canopy, they were all coming down to my level!!!

[David M]

...However our total count of Purple Hairstreaks ended with a staggering 525!. I would estimate that I barely analysed a quarter of the Oaks on site though , so the actual number would have topped 1000 had bad light not stopped play...

That is one hell of a lot of Hairstreaks, Kev. There are quite a few species about in extraordinary numbers right now. Unless things go pear-shaped soon then this will be the most memorable year for quite some time.

[kevling]

9th September 2018

After a somewhat disappointing summer with butterflies on our buddleia, I enjoyed the visitor I had this afternoon in the form of a Small Copper ab. caeruleopunctata. I really liked the blue dotted markings on the hindwing.

Also today I saw several very fresh Speckled Woods, proving that the Butterfly season is far from over yet. I must say I thought that they were smaller than previous broods I have seen this year, with this one barely larger than a Common Blue.

Kind Regards
Kev

[David M]

Well done, Kev. It's not often you see Small Coppers on buddleia. Nice underside image of the Speckled Wood too. That can be tricky to achieve.

[kevling]

Thanks David, you're not the first to say that about Small Coopers and Buddleia. Although I have to say we are fortunate to get one or two sightings on ours each year. Shame the same can't be said for Small Tortoiseshell and Painted Lady. Not a single example of each this in 2018. The first year ever

Kind Regards
Kev

[essexbuzzard]

Not seen many Nymphalids of any kind, actually...

Excellent garden Small Copper, though.

[Wurzel]

Here's a for the garden Small Copper, something I never got when I had a garden. To make it worse my sister in-law bought the house we were renting and then when I went up one day to help clear out there were three in the garden

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Thanks David, you're not the first to say that about Small Coopers and Buddleia. Although I have to say we are fortunate to get one or two sightings on ours each year. Shame the same can't be said for Small Tortoiseshell and Painted Lady. Not a single example of each this in 2018. The first year ever

That's a very worrying statistic, Kev. Even in my area, Small Tortoiseshells have been scarce this year (they're usually fairly common), although there HAS been a glut of Painted Ladies recently.

[kevling]

20/4/19:

With the amazing Easter temperatures, it was off to my local Nature Reserve to search for Green Hairstreaks in the hope of achieving my earliest recorded sighting of the species. It was not long before two appeared above me, spiralling through the air together. A few minutes patience and they came to rest on the Hawthorn and even a ground shot which is a little more unusual.

Kind Regards
Kev

[Wurzel]

Cracking stuff Kev - Greenstreaks are really a 'value for money' species to me - interesting behaviour, approachable and totally different I've seen a few Greenstreaks down on the ground and I've been led to believe that the grounded ones are generally female? Great way to start your 2019 PD

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Nice work, Kev. Always a delight to catch up with Green Hairstreaks, although as you say not usually by Easter!

[Goldie M]

Lovely Green Hair Streak shots Kev, I've been into Blean Woods but seen nothing special so well done Goldie

[kevling]

Sussex Holiday - 25th May to 1st June (part 1)

A little late posting, but just enjoyed a great week's holiday spent in Sussex from 25th May - 1st June.
We stayed just outside Lewes and there were a number of wonderful sites close by to visit. Unfortunately the weather gods were not always on our side and despite no rain, a number of days were very cloudy with a moderated breeze, keeping the butterflies hankered down. However with much perseverance I did manage to see all that I wanted and made the most of the sunny conditions when they came.

Malling Down - We visited here a couple of times and were treated to Dingy Skipper, Adonis Blue, Common Blue, Brown Argus and a single fleeting appearance of a Grizzled Skipper, along with some other more common spring species.

Brown Argus

Dingy Skipper

Common Blue

I'm not 100% sure if this is common or Adonis. Having rarely seen Adonis I'm still getting my eye in

Speckled Wood

Kingston near Lewes - A short distance from Lewes we looked for Wall Brown and in windy conditions were fortunate to count a total of 12. They were on the upper slopes above Stump Bottom.

More to follow

Kind Regards
Kev

[Wurzel]

Looks like you had a great break Kev I'd go for Common Blue for your unsure Adonis as the chequered don't reach right to the end of the white margins Cracking shots of the Wall - it looks a bit double eyed - a possible aberrant

Have a goodun

Wurzel