millerd

[Allan.W.]

Excellent flight shots of the Orange -Tips ,Dave. Seen very few myself this year ,and my one really reliable site
with (normally !) a mass of Cuckoo flower ,has been stripped by the sheep ! Oh Well !
Regards Allan.W.

[Wurzel]

Those are brilliant flight shots Dave Great news about the Small Torts and lovely photos of the Green-veined White Going back to the egg laying Small Tort; that's the posture that the ones I've seen egg laying adopted?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

Your sequence of a female Orange Tip rejecting the male's advances is priceless!.
I've seen this behaviour myself, but never captured the action.

Great ' frozen ' shots, Dave.
Trevor.

[Goldie M]

Great shots of every thing Dave but my favourite has got to be the Orange Tip on the seed head of the Dandelion What a shot!!! Goldie

[bugboy]

Your patch definitely knocks spots of mine Dave. Only had one fleeting glimpse of a Holly Blue so far and I don't think I've got close to double figures of any one species yet this year!

[David M]

13 Small Tortoiseshells is more than I've seen all year, Dave, and this in an area of Britain that's supposed to be good for them!

Nice to see you've got to grips with your Holly Blues too; I expect plenty more before their spring flight period is over.

[millerd]

Thank you once again, everyone. The Orange Tips are as ever a delight at the moment, and there are some more bits of behaviour to come...

I was quite surprised to see so many Small Tortoiseshells. Early in the season they seem to appear much nearer home, generally just nectaring on the dandelions ( I have a theory about the first sunny Sunday of spring: this is when a lot of garden sheds get opened for the first time and out come the hibernating Tortoiseshells... ). However, they must then disperse, and a lot seem to have ended up in this wild expanse between the River Colne and the M25.

Overall it's a very fruitful patch, Buggy - nothing too unusual, but generally good numbers of everything there is.

I stayed local for the next three days, as the weather forecast was not too promising. However, the advertised mix of sunshine and showers eventually leant more towards the former, with virtually no rain to speak of. On the morning of 24th April, I saw only Holly Blues (11) and Orange Tips (5), before the hazy sunshine succumbed to cloud.

One Holly Blue had curious marks on one side of its wings.

I also found some Orange Tip eggs on one of the few cuckoo flower plants around here.

Thursday 25th April was a better day, with sunshine and cloud alternating - good in that the butterflies frequently stopped, but not so good in that the light was constantly changing and making photography rather more challenging. The same two species predominated, but there were now more GVW and Small Whites. I also saw three Red Admirals today, all looking new, and none stopping long enough for a photo - immigrants or new hatchlings? Either is possible.
Two male GVW posed together - why they were not squabbling with each other I don't know.

A Holly Blue actually on a holly flower...

... and yesterday's curiously marked individual again.

Female and male Orange Tips.

A Small Tortoiseshell, initially camouflaged on the ground before a burst of sunshine woke it up.

One of three Commas today.

Dave

[millerd]

Friday 26th April demonstrated the versatility of the Holly Blue. It was breezy, it was again alternately sunny and cloudy with a spot or two of rain, but this butterfly was flying continuously through it all, and even greater numbers - I counted over 30 today.

Orange Tips provided most of the rest of the interesting sightings again. First of all I watched the familiar sight of a male discover and accost a female. However, instead of the usual rejection behaviour I so often see, the pair proceeded to couple with no preamble whatever.

There seemed to be more females around today.

I followed one for a while, and she did reject several would-be suitors, but the intermittent sunshine caused interruptions to the customary behaviour. One of the males ended up sitting just in front of the female, and it was only when the sun appeared in earnest did they interact again.

However, a short period of warming up occurred first, providing unusual views of the contrasting colouration of the two sexes.

Amongst other sightings was a female GVW...

...and one of two Speckled Woods seen today

Dave

[Goldie M]

Lovely shots of all the Butterflies Dave, but the Holly Blue ones or exceptional Goldie

[Wurzel]

Fantastic array of shots again Dave I was hoping to find a pair of OTs in cop this year but so far haven't been lucky Love the "sexual dimorphism comparison" shot

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

....I have a theory about the first sunny Sunday of spring: this is when a lot of garden sheds get opened for the first time and out come the hibernating Tortoiseshells...

You may have something with that theory, Dave. They DO seem to appear in greater concentrations early in the spring. Perhaps the nearest dandelion/celandine patch to an estate full of garden sheds is the reason!

[Wurzel]

I forgot to say that I was looking at your Holly Blue with the funny marks and if the hind and fore wings were orientated slightly differently the marks would form a triangle so are they an unsuccessful bird strike?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Andrew555]

Love the side by side shots of the OT's Dave, and the GVW's.

[millerd]

Cheers, everyone - the Orange Tips have been putting on a particularly good show this year, and the mix of sun and cloud really helps in getting close to them. I was pleased with the side-by-side shots in particular - almost text-book stuff.

Thank you for the support for the "garden shed" theory, David - it would make an interesting study for anyone sufficiently interested. PhD, anyone?

You could be right about that Holly Blue, Wurzel. I did see the other side of the butterfly (it was unmarked) but not the top of the wings. It may have been snapped by a bird on one side only, and not sufficiently hard to pierce the wings - hence the mark, but no actual damage. Tough little things, aren't they?

Saturday was dismal - not even worth going out. Sunday 28th April was better, but not very warm and with very little sun. Nevertheless, a few Orange Tips were around, including this rather dopey female.

I found more Orange Tip eggs on one of the cuckoo flower plants. Defying the literature, there was a brand new (pale) egg next too a more mature (orange) one.

The latter will no doubt hatch first and the caterpillar is likely to set about eating the other one apparently, which is why they are not normally laid close together like this.

One or two GVW appeared as well every time the sun did.

However, it was not really good enough for the Holly Blues, which by and large remained roosting amongst the brambles and ivy, and also in a rather large buddleia bush which catches the morning sunshine. As I've noticed before they like to roost in company, and several were seen together in pairs.

this one had found something to slurp at on the leaf

I was also able to get a shot of a rather spledid queen wasp - normally I see these desparately trying to escape the house, or scratching away at garden fences and furniture making the paper for their nests.

Dave

[Allan.W.]

I think its a Hornet ,Dave . Regards Allan.W.

[trevor]

Good to see your local Patch performing well, Dave, even in adverse weather.
There is certainly a good selection of species there. I doubt you'll find a Small Tortoiseshell around here.

Great images of the Orange Tip pair.

Trevor.

[millerd]

I did wonder about that, Allan - looking online for pictures of wasps and hornets has confused me further as an almost identical beast is identified as a queen wasp, but the hornet pictures are similar too. One rule of thumb quoted was that hornets are yellow and brown rather than yellow and black. My beastie is a bit of both... It was certainly very docile, which is not very waspish behaviour.

Cheers, Trevor - yes, it's a great spot I seem to have, and despite more unpromising weather some late afternoon sun worked wonders again.

Monday 29th April: the sun that appeared briefly first thing this morning then stayed away until after four. Its appearance tempted me out of course, and the timing was perfect - the nearest part of my patch was full of Holly Blues waking up and making the most of the sunshine. There were no brand new ones amongst them, and the females were much less evident (the males could find them far better than I could) but they put on a great display.

There are three in this shot - female to the left and two males on the right

I dragged myself away to wander further afield - there were a few more Hollies about (I counted 16 altogether), as well as Orange Tips, both Small and Green-veined Whites, a Red Admiral, a Comma and a Speckled Wood. However, the highlight of the outing, despite the display of blue splendour, was a newly-emerged Small Copper. I was lucky to spot it sitting on a tangle of dry old stems, but a burst of sun made it open up to reveal its burnished wings - with a hint of blue spots as well. The first one I've seen here this year, and the first one here in April for about ten years.

Still a bit sluggish

Another unexpectedly good day.

Dave

[trevor]

Just what one would expect from ' Mr Holly Blue '. What great shots!.
You should have seen the Holly Blues flying at High and Over this morning,
I would stop just short of calling it a swarm.

Trevor.

[Wurzel]

My Mr Greens runneth over Dave Seriously I reckon you must have gone down to the crossroads at midnight... The Bentley Pearls are out, I saw 5 last night with very little effort just thought you'd like to know

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

...the sun that appeared briefly first thing this morning then stayed away until after four.

Highly irritating when that happens, Dave.

Still, as you've shown, these conditions can allow you to observe butterflies in a more torpid state. Nice to see you getting back to grips with Holly Blues.