Neil Freeman

[David M]

That's a lot of butterfly traffic for a suburban garden, Neil (not to mention the moths).

Yes, you know it's hot when Specklies close their wings upon settling, but you've captured the underside really well in your image, something that is tricky to achieve.

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks David, I actually found out the other day that my area is classed as urban, not suburban. Not surprising really as although I am just over the border in Solihull I am just under 5 miles from Birmingham city center.

Saturday 20th April.

After a lovely warm day on Friday, Saturday was if anything even hotter and the garden Specklies were already settling with wings tightly closed from around 10.00am onward. By the time I was free to get out in the afternoon the temp was up to 23 degrees and I figured that any butterflies about would be very active in the heat.

I decided to pop around to my local spot at Castle Hills near Solihull and on arrival at about 1.30pm immediately spotted a few Orange-tips patrolling the hedgerows. As I wandered about over the next couple of hours it was obvious that Orange-tips were by far the most numerous species with one or two in sight most of the time and half a dozen or more often visible scattered about around me.
As mentioned previously, they were very active in the warm sun and I figured that my best chance of getting a photo or two was to find some cuckoo flower and wait to see if any stopped for a brief refuel. With this I mind I made my way to a damp meadow that has proved productive in previous years and just stood around various cuckoo flower plants and waited.
My tactics soon paid off as the patrolling male Orange-tips made brief stops to refuel at the various cuckoo flowers that I was staking out, getting photos however was still challenging with their stops being brief with much fidgeting and fluttering around the flower heads. The bright afternoon sun also made things difficult for me as I was using the D3400 and playing about a bit with the settings. Nevertheless I managed to get some half decent shots which I was reasonably happy with given the challenging conditions.

Orange-tip male - Castle Hills 20.04.2019

Orange-tip male - Castle Hills 20.04.2019

Orange-tip male - Castle Hills 20.04.2019

Orange-tip male - Castle Hills 20.04.2019

Orange-tip male - Castle Hills 20.04.2019

Orange-tip male - Castle Hills 20.04.2019

Orange-tip male - Castle Hills 20.04.2019

Orange-tip male - Castle Hills 20.04.2019

Orange-tip male - Castle Hills 20.04.2019

The males were most obvious and by far the most numerous but females were also seen with most flying 'whites' proving to be female Orange-tips when they came close enough.

Orange-tip female - Castle Hills 20.04.2019

Orange-tip female - Castle Hills 20.04.2019

I also witnessed many occasions of males chasing females and being subjected to the rejection pose although in the warm conditions these events happened very quickly and were over before I could get close enough to line up for a photo.

All afternoon, I only saw the Orange-tips stop to refuel on cuckoo flower apart from on one occasion when a male stopped briefly on garlic mustard.

Orange-tip male - Castle Hills 20.04.2019

In previous years I have seen loads of garlic mustard along the hedgerows here but there doesn't seem to be much about this spring. Possibly as a result of the dry summer last year and things are already looking very dry here this year.

As well as all the Orange-tips, I did manage to confirm at least one Green-veined White and a female Brimstone also came past me as I was standing around in the damp meadow.

A few Peacocks, maybe half a dozen or so, plus three or four Small Tortoiseshells and a single Comma were holding territories along the paths but these also were very active and flighty and difficult to approach, as were numerous male Speckled Woods scattered around the site.

Peacock - Castle Hills 20.04.2019

The Peacock below spent some time on a patch of dandelions in the shade cast by the trunk of a large oak tree, seeming to prefer it there to the full sun close by.

Peacock - Castle Hills 20.04.2019

Although I mentioned previously that the flighty butterflies and bright mid afternoon sunlight made taking photos difficult, I was pretty much expecting that, and for me the simple pleasure of just standing in the middle of a meadow and watching half a dozen or more Orange-tips fluttering around me was a most pleasurable way of spending a Saturday afternoon. The fact that I ended up with quite a few half decent shots was the icing on the cake.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Sounds idyllic Neil, it's good sometimes to peel your eyes away from the viewfinder and just watch A lovely collection of shots made even better by the frenetic feeding behaviour that ensues from bright sunshine

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Lovely Orange Tips Neil, I'd love to stand in the middle of a meadow that had Butterflies in it At present we don't seem to have too many here in Kent
We went to the White Cliffs via Lydden yesterday and stopped by the Grass verges of the Nature reserve, not a single flower or Butterfly, that was a disappointment , thank goodness for the Cliffs and the White I saw. Goldie

[David M]

Persistence certainly paid off, Neil. That is a delightful sequence of Orange Tips, made extra special by getting them whilst on their larval host plant.

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel. Yes, sometimes the enjoyment is simply in the watching and experiencing

Hi Goldie, hopefully you will catch up with some nice butterflies down there soon.

Thanks David, one of those times when it is more rewarding to just stand and watch for what comes along.

Monday 22nd April - Easter Bank Holiday Monday

Having spent a lazy day at home on Easter Sunday, I had promised Jane that we could go out somewhere on Monday and so we settled on a run down to Snitterfield Bushes just north of Stratford-upon-Avon. I have mentioned in the past that Jane likes this Warwickshire Wildlife Trust SSSI as it has good level paths, a legacy from it's use as a WWII airfield, that she can manage with her limited mobility.

Snitterfield Bushes - view along one of the paths 22.04.2019

Jane also likes to come here at this time of year to see the primroses that grow alongside the paths and amongst the trees.

Primroses dotted along a path - Snitterfield Bushes 22.04.2019

Primroses - Snitterfield Bushes 22.04.2019

There are also plenty of bluebells to be seen here although the best views are often obscured by intervening trees (Well, it is a wood )

Bluebells - Snitterfield Bushes 22.04.2019

It was another very warm day and although there was some high level thin cloud about this had the effect of making it feel even warmer and quite muggy. This meant that the butterflies were once again very active and seldom settling for long. Orange-tips were again the most numerous species with maybe a dozen seen with Brimstones, Green-veined Whites, Peacocks and Speckled Woods all spotted in smaller numbers, about 4 or 5 of each, and a single Large White was my first definite example of the season.

Orange-tip male - Snitterfield Bushes 22.04.2019

Orange-tip male - Snitterfield Bushes 22.04.2019

Brimstone female on primrose - Snitterfield Bushes 22.04.2019

Peacock - Snitterfield Bushes 22.04.2019

Before we had set off for Snitterfield I had a coffee in the garden and was watching the male Speckled Woods doing their usual squabbling with each other between basking on their favourite perches.

Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 22.04.2019

Whilst the males were busily engaged with scrapping with each other I was amused to see a female flutter in and settle, she then carried on her merry way totally missed by all the males...there has to be some sort of moral there

Speckled Wood female - Coverdale 22.04.2019

Later in the afternoon, after our return from Snitterfield Bushes, I was once again pottering about in the garden and taking the occasional photo of the Specklies.
I rather like the shot below of a male that was in some shade with a bit of backlight,

Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 22.04.2019

Just to show how the lighting conditions can make things look different, the shot below is of the same individual taken a couple of minutes later.

Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 22.04.2019

Well, it looks like the weather is on the change later this week, the only question is when and by how much. With the rest of the week off work I am hoping to get out again, although I do have some other stuff lined up to do as well.

Bye for now.

Neil

[Wurzel]

Hopefully the weather will be not so great when we're trapped in work and conducive to butterflies at the weekend Neil Cracking shots as per usual, the contrast of the black and orange on the first OT shot is brilliant, I don't think I've seen it quite as stark as that before

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Lovely shots Neil, that Orange Tip jumps out at you, it's funny but since I've been here and although I've been in the Woods a couple of times I've yet to see a Speckie and they're the ones you usually see the most of , I did hear a Cuckoo though
Like your Wife, I love the Woods at this time of year with all the early Spring flowers and that Cuckoo put the icing on the cake.Goldie

[trevor]

Some very nice OT. shots in your recent posts, Neil.
Your camera does well to preserve the intense Orange on the male.

Is there a finer sight than an Orange Tip on Bluebell at this time of year?!.

Trevor.

[Andrew555]

Gorgeous Orange-tips Neil, and that female is my favourite of your Specklies.
You are doing great work with that new camera.

Cheers

[David M]

That location looks positively idyllic, Neil. Once again you've captured those Orange Tips beautifully, especially the one on the bluebell.

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Wurzel, I think the contrast on that Orange-tip is probably down to being nice and fresh .

Thanks Goldie, I heard my first Cuckoo of the year today ...just before some heavy rain, oh well!

Thanks Trevor, an Orange-tip on a Bluebell just epitomises spring

Thanks Andrew, I always enjoy spotting the female Specklies in my garden

Thanks David, it is indeed a lovely spot, one of Janes favourites

Tuesday 23rd April.

I mentioned previously that although I have got this week off work, I have a few other things lined up to do. One of these was to take our cat Benji to the vets yesterday (Tuesday) to have a couple of teeth taken out. We dropped him off at 09.00am with the vet going to phone us later in the afternoon to be picked up after recovering from his anaesthetic.

After returning home from the vets I checked out the moth trap which I had put out the previous night and covered and brought into the garage earlier in the morning. A cloudy and mild night had produced a good result of 47 moth of 19 species with no less than 10 firsts for the year.

Waved Umber - Coverdale 22.04.2019

Ruby Tiger Moth - Coverdale 22.04.2019

Least Black Arches, a macro that is smaller than many micros - Coverdale 22.04.2019

Oak-tree Pug. One of a number of similar small moths in this group that can be difficult to tell apart - Coverdale 22.04.2019

Shuttle-shaped Dart, female to the left and male on the right - Coverdale 22.04.2019

As it happened Tuesday had turned into a rather cloudy day and although there were some sunny spells in the afternoon it was noticeably cooler than of late. There was less butterfly activity in the garden and apart from the ever reliable Speckled Woods I only saw a couple of Orange-tips passing through.

Speckled Wood - Coverdale 23.04.2019

It isn't often I catch a Speckled Wood on a bluebell (or whitebell in this case) and was pleased with this shot,

Speckled Wood - Coverdale 23.04.2019

After collecting Benji from the vets later in the afternoon I was in the garden again and noticed a female Orange-tip fluttering about around the (Spanish) bluebells where she settled for a while,

Orange-tip female - Coverdale 23.04.2019

Orange-tip female - Coverdale 23.04.2019

Orange-tip female - Coverdale 23.04.2019

After a much cloudier and cooler day it looks like the rest of the week is reverting to more typical spring weather. Oh well!, we could certainly do with some rain around here, I have been noticing how dry everywhere is already.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

More cracking Moffs and those OT shots are absolutely cracking The break in the weather had to happen I just hope that we don;t settle into the annoying pattern of dismal weather only at the weekends I hope Benji is mending well, my cat has had a few teeth out now and after a day or two he was like a totally different animal, much happier

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Hi! Neil, I hope your cat is better, I used to have two cats ( this was years ago before I started having Dogs) they had the same trouble with their teeth, mind you they were getting on a bit
I thought your first shot of a moth was a piece of Bark I've never seen a moth like that before so unusual
Fantastic shots of the OT's on the Blue Bell's Neil, I aways think they're the best shots of all Goldie

[Andrew555]

Nice moths Neil, but your butterflies on Bluebells are fantastic! Well done.

Cheers

[Neil Freeman]

Many thanks for all the comments. Benji was a bit subdued for a couple of days but is now back to his normal self again.

Wednesday 24th April.

It had to happen I suppose, a free day and the weather forecast was for thundery and heavy rain showers spreading in during the day.

I had seen that Green Hairstreaks were being reported from the usual midland hotspots, with particularly good numbers apparently at some sites, so had planned on going to Ryton Wood Meadows for a look. I am aware that Ryton is a comparatively later site for GH but had seen at least one reported there at the start of the week and as it is my closest site for these I figured it might be worth a look.
With the weather in the morning still dry, albeit cloudier and cooler than of late, I decided to go for it and arrived just after 11.00am under cloudy skies with the temperature showing 15c on my car display.

Walking through the wood to the meadows I saw a few Speckled Woods and a couple of Orange-tips but things seemed to be fairly quiet on the whole, no doubt due to the much cooler conditions compared to the beginning of the week. Arriving at the usual hotspot for Green Hairstreaks I wandered along the hedgerow, some of which has been cut back as part of the site management here, but without any success in spotting my quarry. Over the next couple of hours I did a general circuit of the meadows during which a few spells of sunshine made it feel pleasant and almost warm, and during which I saw a number of butterflies, mostly Orange-tips but with a few Brimstones, Peacocks, and Speckled Wood scattered about.

Orange-tip - Ryton Wood Meadows 24.04.2019

Speckled Wood female - Ryton Wood Meadows 24.04.2019

At one point I watched a female Brimstone fluttering between a number of small newly planted buckthorn and managed to get a few shots of her laying.

Brimstone female - Ryton Wood Meadows 24.04.2019

Green-veined Whites have been a bit thin on the ground around my patch so far this year with just a handful seen and most 'whites' turning out to be female Orange-tips. I did manage to confirm a couple of GVWs here however and managed my first photo of one this year.

Green-veined White - Ryton Wood Meadows 24.04.2019

I eventually saw a single Green Hairstreak that stubbornly remained out of reach for a photo although I had a bit better luck with my first Small Copper this year which stayed still just long enough for a record shot before it disappeared out of sight.

Small Copper - Ryton Wood Meadows 24.04.2019

Whenever I visit here around this time of year there are always numerous swarms of Longhorn Moths (adela reaumurella) to be seen along some of the hedgerows. I have often tried to photograph some of these with very limited success but whether it was because of the cooler weather making them less active I was much happier with the results that I managed this time.

Adela reaumurella - Ryton Wood Meadows 24.04.2019

Adela reaumurella - Ryton Wood Meadows 24.04.2019

Adela reaumurella - Ryton Wood Meadows 24.04.2019

I didn't notice the small caterpillars on the second and third photo above until I looked at them later at home. They look like some type of geometer, possibly Mottled Umber but I am open to other suggestions.

Most of my time here today was also spent accompanied by the sound of a Cuckoo from somewhere deeper in the woods, the first I have heard this year.

I had been keeping my eye on some thick black cloud that was approaching and shortly before 1.00pm I felt the first drops of rain and with no further breaks in the cloud in sight I decided to head back to the car. No sooner had I left and was driving back towards the A45 to head home than the heavens opened and down it came.

With just the one Green Hairstreak seen it was obviously still a bit early for them at Ryton. Hopefully this unsettled and rather cool weather that has moved in won't last too long and another week or so sees them emerge there in numbers.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Pauline]

I always enjoy reading your diary Neil - the content is interesting and the photos excellent - and I can only apologise that I don't comment as often as I should. However, that Brimstone egg-laying is outstanding. I know just how difficult it is and how quick you have to be to get a shot like that especially one so sharp and well composed. Excellent.

[Wurzel]

Sometimes the cloudier weather is better Neil - it definitely helped with getting such a lush image of the Green-veined White It's difficult to judge when things have emerged as over the last couple of years things have been really early, there's been slow holding everything up or the season has been start-stop; I can't recall having a typical or field guide correct season for several years now Love theAdela reaumurella shots I find them really tricky as I can get bits of the antennae and not the body or the body and not the antennae in focus Fingers crossed this is just a short blip in the weather...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Lovely, clear images again, Neil. That's a fantastic shot of the ovipositing Brimstone. I've still yet to see this happening.

Those longhorn moths always turn up when I'm looking for Green Hairstreaks so I daresay I'll see some very soon!

[millerd]

Good to read the report from Ryton, Neil - my visits there are likely to be few and far between now my boys have moved on. It was always a favourite spring site. There were two Hairstreak spots that I remember: one along the border between wood and meadow and the other within the wood where they perch on bluebells.

Cheers,

Dave