ernie f

[millerd]

I agree with your appreciation for the Peacock, Ernie. I was watching them today too, and they are colourful, graceful and have lots of character - great entertainment at this time of year.

Your photos sent me away to look up Ironstone... apparently, despite its appearance, it is a sedimentary rock. I suppose this fits with the sandy heathland nature of the landscape around Frensham ponds which I think is home to Silver-studded Blues and Graylings. I expect you know far better than I!

Cheers,

Dave

[ernie f]

David M

Thanks for correcting me re the White. When I first saw it from a distance, it had its wings firmly closed and I thought it was a Green Veined White! Only as I got closer did I realise the wings were actually folded.

I have seen a female Brimstone warn off an ardent male by opening its wings just twice in my life. Once I even got a pic of it but did not back it up and had a disc crash some time after. Its one of the pics I regret losing but it made me change my lax approach to back-ups!

Dave (Miller)

Yep - I just checked out the Ironstone too. Sedimentary - as you might expect for Surrey. I still wonder how that cylindrical formation came about though.

Also, another folktale regarding the "Jumps" is that the Devil liked to jump from hill to hill and it annoyed Thor who chucked a big rock at him and missed (of course), but it was enough to make him flee, but the rock (I guess the Ironstone) still remains to this day.

I also found that Ironstone, like many other sedimentary rocks can contain fossils. I must go up there again one day and take a look for them.

And yes, you can see Silver-studded Blues and Grayling around here but they are surprisingly not as predominant as elsewhere on the Frensham and Thursley heaths nearby. It is in fact quite damp around the base of the hills, so that probably explains it.

[Wurzel]

Interesting to see the contortions on the Ironstone Ernie - if I remember correctly its a Sedimentary rock but I won't say anymore than this so you've still got plenty to investigate Great set of images - you did really well catching the fresh Large White - particularly as you saw one before a Small White And those are lovely Peacock shots - I reckon the eye is about 80% on that one, it's a Gibbous eye

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

I have seen a female Brimstone warn off an ardent male by opening its wings just twice in my life.

That's the same number as me (at least, in the UK), ernie. I see it more frequently on the continent as Brimstones are much commoner there.

[ernie f]

Kingsley - 12th April 2019, 11.15-12.15, 10 degrees, Mostly Sunny

I continued my experiment to discover at what temperature different butterflies become active. It was 10 degrees during my visit to Kingsley today and all I saw were two Specklies again. I saw Specklies flying at 7 degrees recently. Also, the other day I saw a few active Brimstone and Peacocks flying at 11 degrees plus Holly Blues and Large White at around 13 degrees. Comma, Orange Tip and Red Admiral at 14 degrees. These are of course not definitive but just indicative of my observations over the last couple of weeks. My guess is its not as simple as ambient temperature alone – other factors may be more to do with the directness of the sunshine on the butterfly, local protection from the wind, where a butterfly decides to park itself for the night and whether that position gets morning sunshine or not, etc, etc.

But I still find it interesting that yet again its the Speckled Woods there were up and about in the lower temperatures. Today’s Specklie pics...

More on Ironstone

Ironstone I have now read comes in a number of varieties, the type at The Devil’s Jumps in Surrey is Carstone, dating back to the Cretaceous period (145 to 66 million years ago) – a time when dinosaurs were still roaming around, including T-Rex! It is one of the sandstones which can contain macro-fossils and is red because it has 15% or more iron which of course oxidises into a rust colour.

Here are some more pics of the Ironstone outcrops on the top of the Jumps which I took a few years ago.

I once visited Hunstanton Cliffs on the north Norfolk coast where I have only just realised Carstone outcrops and many years ago took pictures of the fossils embedded in the rock strata there however it was not from the Carstone but from its adjacent rocks in the strata.

Here are some pics of Hunstanton’s cliffs and its fossils.

This makes me want to go up to the top of the Devil’s Jumps again even more now to see if I can find the fossils in the Carstone.

[Wurzel]

Interesting observations about the effects local climate on butterflies Ernie. I've noticed some similar things in that even when below double digits the butterflies will fly so ling as there is very little wind and strong sunshine Interesting that the Specklies are 'up and at em' first or hanging around in the lower temperatures - could this be because they're adapted so living lower in the canopy in woodlands with 'dappling' - so they're used to the temperature differences and so might respond more slowly to the fall in temperature?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

I know it's not about the butterflies, Ernie, but the ironstone shots are fascinating. Some of those outcrops look like chocolate flake!

Nice Specklie shots too. They do seem to stay up late when the sun is still shining, and I often see them towards the end of the day tangling with that other afternoon flyer - the Red Admiral.

Cheers,

Dave

[ernie f]

Dave, Wurzel - Those Specklies are hardy little fellows. I don't get out much in the early evenings so its nice to know they are still flying around. It seems they burn the candle at both ends. Wurzel - I think you may have hit the nail on the head with why they can be like this. They are used to being in cooler temperatures in woodlands, indeed its what they do best.

[ernie f]

13th April 2019, 11.15 to 12.15 8-9 degrees: Hartley Maudit

The Specklies were still flying about at 8 degrees but three Orange Tips were also out and about at 9 degrees!

Regarding the OTips - I think I may have discovered the pivotal temperature for them to become active. I followed one of the three as it zoomed back and forth in search of females. It was 9 degrees in the sun. As soon as a cloud came over it perched, put its wings firmly up and went into a mini-roost. The shade had caused a one-degree drop down to 8 degrees. As the sun came out again it opened its wings, first ajar and then full and after about a minute was flying again.

Because it perched still I was able to get in close and it did not budge while I took a few pics.

Compare the underside of the wing when the sun was not shining so bright with the same wing as the sun came out full and the butterfly held its wings ajar to capture its energy.

And to round of a pretty good hour - a fledgeling blackbird stood its ground while I took its pic.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Ernie, it's great when a hunch makes sense I too observed the same thing as you with an OT today although I didn't get any of those lovely stained glass shots

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

The recent cool weather has made many an Orange Tip 'sit still', ernie. Clearly, 8c is not optimal temperature for them to fly, although Speckled Woods don't seem to mind.

[ernie f]

Wurzel, David - Its a great time of year when its cool in the morning but warms up in the afternoon (well a bit anyway). Plenty of opportunities to get close to sitting butterflies without them spooking too quickly.

Although it was 12 degrees at 11 am at Kingsley today - the breeze saw to it that only the Specklies were flying. I guess the wind-chill can affect butterflies in the same way as it affects humans.

Incidentally, today marks my first full year posting on UK Butterflies.

Tempus certainly fugitted these last 12 months!

[ernie f]

This nice female O Tip dropped into my back garden this afternoon.

I looked a bit closer and saw something I had not noticed before. Is it me or is there a yellow chevron on the head and a red chevron on the thorax?

[Wurzel]

Happy UK B'day for yesterday Ernie Cracking shots of the Specklie and OT You're right about the cool mornings, the only problem is having to wander around for a bit before finding any butterflies I too have noticed the yellow mark at the top of thorax and I've not worked out if it's pollen or actual markings I think the red chevron could be where the hairs have parted or worn away revealing the ground colour of the carapace? It's great isn't it the more questions you try and answer the more questions there are to answer

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

One other thing that your image shows is the waxy, translucent look to the hindwings. I'm sure this is as a result of the yellow/black mottling on the underside showing through the upperside in certain kinds of light conditions.

[Andrew555]

That Ironstone looks amazing Ernie. Very nice Orange-tip shots as well.

Cheers

[Goldie M]

Great shots of the Orange Tips ernie , they really show the lovely patterned undersides of the wings Goldie

[ernie f]

Wurzel, David, Andrew, Goldie - Glad you like my OTips. As someone on this website said last year. You can never have too many pics of them.

So - more to come!

[ernie f]

17th April 2019 - Selborne Church Meadow 10.30-11.30 am, 13 degrees

5 OTip (4m, 1f), 4 Brim (3m, 1f), 1 Peacock, 1 H Blue (m), 1 Small White (m)

Another thing I have only just noticed about Peacocks is how their hindwings curve around their rear eyes.

17th April 2019 - Folly Hill 3-4 pm, 17 degrees

1 OTip (m), 1 Brim (m), 1 Sp Wood, 1 Sm Copper

[ernie f]

18th April 2019 - Noar Hill, 10.30-11.30 am, Hazy Sun, 14-15 degrees

5 OT (4m, 1f), 5 Brim (4m, 1f), 1 Peacock, 1 Sp Wd, 1 Duke

Selborne Church Meadow (again), 11.30-12.30, Full Sun, 16-18 degrees

Butterflies as of yesterday with additional H Blue and Small Tort on path leading to the meadow.