millerd

[Neil Freeman]

Great selection of Glanville photos Dave, another species I must catch up with sometime.

...They were a great set of butterflies, even though with the fencing and the notices, and the fact that technically they are an introduction here, it did feel a bit like being in a zoo... Dave

Must admit that for me the right and proper place to see them is on the IOW...although I can appreciate that is not always possible and the introduced colonies mean that people can see them that would otherwise not be able to do so.

Lovely set of Swallowtails too It is beginning to look like UKB on tour at Strumpshaw this year, shame I went elsewhere this year, would have loved to have met up with various characters from on here.

Cheers,

Neil

[Wurzel]

Fantastic shots from Wrecclesham Dave - you did really well with the stained glass views (I need to get mine off the camera )Those Swallowtails are something else Rain might stop play this weekend for me unfortunately

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Yes, Trevor, that was a very amenable butterfly. None of the others I saw were half as cooperative, but I did get quite a few shots, nevertheless. There was also this action photo I forgot to include earlier, of you with your chum Nicky...

Cheers, Kev - I had no idea you were up at Strumpshaw on the Monday as well! A shame not to have met you.

Thank you, Goldie - more posts shortly, with more Swallowtails and then another favourite of yours to follow.

I have seen Glanvilles on the Island, Neil, but it is a bit of a trek and Wrecclesham is only half an hour away. It does seem a bit artificial though, but less so as they have been there quite a while now. Strumpshaw was terrific, and I regret not going to the Broads more often. Well worth the trip.

Looking forward to seeing your Wrecclesham shots, Wurzel - I had to prune down a vast number of photos so I know what you will be going through... Fingers crossed there will be a bit of sun in the coming days.

Back to Strumpshaw. Over the course of the day, I think I probably saw around a dozen Swallowtails. However, the most frequently encountered butterfly turned out to be the Red Admiral, with at least 15 counted around the reserve. Also seen: Painted Ladies, Small Tortoiseshells, Common Blues, Brown Argus, Small Heaths, Large Whites, Brimstones, Peacocks, Holly Blues, Green-veined Whites and a single Comma.

A selection of the other Swallowtails coming up in the next post.

Dave

[trevor]

Sweet revenge, Dave, sweet revenge! .

[millerd]

It's a classic pose, Trevor!

And so, back to Strumpshaw and the other Swallowtails I saw back on Monday 3rd June.

The flowerbed outside the visitor centre, carefully planted with this butterfly in mind, succeeded in its aim. However, any Swallowtail taking advantage of the nectar to be had was immediately besieged by eager photographers, myself included. All were well-mannered and everyone had their turn. Truth be told though, the incessant movement of this species when nectaring made decent shots hard to come by.

After a late lunch, I had a walk around the reserve - surprisingly, I didn't see any Swallowtails out here beyond a couple in the distance, but this is where I found most of the other species, including the Red Admirals. Towards the end of the afternoon, I made my way back to the Doctor's garden, and this time, Swallowtails were indulging themselves happily on the variety of flowers on offer. There was no one else here, except for a German gentleman and his wife: he was greatly interested in the species, being familiar with its continental counterpart, and we chatted at length - despite almost a complete lack of each other's language. He was a delightful fellow. I found time for an extraordinary number of photos, and the following is just a small sample.

Eventually I dragged myself away, undecided as to whether to return in the morning or head off for something different. It had been a terrific day.

Dave

[Goldie M]

Hi! Dave, FANTASTIC!!!!! is the only word to describe your shots Goldie

[bugboy]

"I found time for an extraordinary number of photos", completely understandable, I came away with nearly as many pictures as 9 days in Spain

[Wurzel]

Absolutely fantastic images Dave I've only ever encountered the continental race and they don't sit still for very long at all; a matter of seconds and they're off

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Thank you, Goldie and Wurzel. To be honest, they were easier to photograph than I expected: as Wurzel says my experience of the species abroad has been that they don't sit still for a second. However, it's always been in hot places, so no doubt that makes a difference.

Yes, their cooperativemness led to a lot of photos, Buggy!

On Tuesday 4th June, the weather was not as good, and if I was going to make the most of it I would have to hurry. Instead of staying around and adding to the Swallowtail collection, I decided instead to head due south to Essex and the Heath Fritillaries of Hockley Woods. The road between Norwich and Ipswich could have been better and frustratingly was mostly bathed in sunshine, but things improved (roads) or the opposite (weather), and I reached my destination just as the last of the sun was being engulfed by cloud.

I walked briskly down to the southern perimeter of the wood, and there they were = a dozen or so Heath Fritillaries. Most seemed very new, probably having emerged that morning in some cases, and they basked in what now had become merely bright overcast.[

As can be seen, some were very dark in colour. Soon, as the light continued to fade they shut their wings and disappeared, and the first few drops of rain started to fall.

pink meconial fluid from the pupa can be seen on the leaf

they were quite docile

Luckily, I had just made it back to the car before the rain came down properly. The only other species I saw was a Red Admiral - two in fact.

It was definitely worth the lengthy detour on the way home! Despite the rain (which must have been an Essex thing as it wasn't wet when I got back), the M25 was unusually kind too. Another great set of butterflies, and despite the increasingly low light levels I was very pleased with the photos.

Dave

[millerd]

For Wednesday 5th June, it was back to my local patch. A morning stroll produced around 70 butterflies of 9 species, including another first for the year here - a Painted Lady.

Small Heaths, Common Blues and Brown Argus were all frequent, and in similar numbers.

Holly blues, however, were declining - despite new examples still appearing. Looking at these you could be forgiven for thinking it was April.

Another highlight was a fresh new brood Small Tortoiseshell.

Also seen: a red Admiral...

...a Small Copper...

...and I managed a photo of the underside of a Mother Shipton moth - an attractive view.

Dave

[Goldie M]

More fantastic Butterfly shots Dave, love the Heath Fritillary shots Goldie

[millerd]

Thanks, Goldie - I remebered from last year that you like the Heath Fritillaries. They are such an easy subject to photograph too, I find.

On Thursday 6th June, there was a bit of sunshine in the forecast and as I would be away in the cold wet north for the weekend I set off on another morning out. This took me up to Whitecross Green Wood in Oxfordshire and a traditionally reliable site for Black Hairstreaks. They were flying in their usual spots, and I saw about a dozen, all males, and as far as I could tell they were all fresh. While the sun was out they tended to stay higher up, but in cloudier spells, they had a tendency to drift lower down. A couple of times I was watching a particular individual do this when the sun went in, only to turn round and find another sitting right behind me on a bramble leaf. In the end, I took more care and managed to get some closer shots, but initially most were of the semi-obscured up-in-a-tree variety. Also seen: Large Skipper, Red Admiral, Small Heath, Common Blue, Small Copper, Meadow Brown and happily flying under cloudy skies, good numbers of Speckled Wood.

However, there were probably nearly as many Hairstreaks.

A bit of energetic wing-rolling revealed the red spots on the upperside for a moment

Dave

[essexbuzzard]

Glad you got to see the Essex Heath Fritillaries, Dave. The weather has been a bit testing for this warmth loving species this year!

[Wurzel]

Fantastic images Dave, the Heaths do just seem to sit out in the dull weather don't they? Next time we meet I might tap you for a nit of info on the Blackstreaks if that's okay? I think 2020 is the year I'll finally bite the bullet and try for this species Those lush wing rolling shots have sold me on the idea

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

That last one's got a very sqwiggly hindwing streak!

[Goldie M]

Lovely shots Dave, I've yet to see the Black Hair Streak, may be some day
At present I'd be glad to see a Meadow Brown, the weather's been awful here and I'm depending on Garden Butterflies, at present there's none about Goldie

[ernie f]

Dave

Thank you. I thought I saw a Holly Blue in my back garden yesterday but thought, no it can't be, wrong time of year. But if you are seeing them then it probably was after all.

Great Black Hairstreaks recently and that shot further back of the Heath Frit - all four wings from underneath - stunning.

[David M]

Some good stuff in your latest posts, Dave. That female Holly Blue is mint fresh - I haven't had the opportunity to get an image like that so far this year; all the ones that have posed well for me have been males.

The Heath Fritillaries are far duskier than those I'm used to seeing on the continent. Like the Swallowtails, I wonder whether this is a local form.

[millerd]

Cheers, Essex and Wurzel - the Heath Frits were doing their best in low light and a hint of rain.

Go for it, Wurzel, those Black Hairstreaks are just waiting for you and they don't seem to mind poor weather either. In fact duller days seem to persuade them down lower. I'm sure you'll get to see them one day too, Goldie!

You're right, Buggy - that streak has been drawn by a very shaky hand!

I was surprised (even with the track record of my local patch) to see fresh first brood Holly Blues, Ernie. It's now a fortnight later, and though I think they have disappeared now, I saw a fair few in Essex a couple of days ago. Interestingly, David, I find egg-laying females the most obliging in opening up as they come out and bask between bouts of laying.

I have also wondered about the UK Heath Fritillaries and their deep colouration, as the many images from the continent posted here do indicate much lighter forms. However, they are very variable, with virtually no two alike.

A brief late afternoon stroll on my local patch later on 6th June revealed that there are still overwintered Commas here too, plus new Red Admirals.

A Large Skipper also posed nicely.

I travelled north for the weekend, and the weather (especially in Manchester on Saturday 8th) was dreadful. It was not much better back south on Monday 10th... A four-day "blank" in mid-June? Fairly unusual I'd say.

Dave

[millerd]

On Tuesday 11th June, some brightness appeared late in the afternoon, and I had a quick survey of my local patch to see how it had fared since my previous visit five days earlier. The vegetation was a lot higher for certain! However, it really wasn't warm enough for there to be much flying: I only saw eight butterflies. One was a relatively new Red Admiral...

...two were Small Heaths hunkered down, including one that I think must have been caught in the rain...

...and three others were the first Meadow Browns on my patch this year. Two were males:

The third was a female, and she was very lethargic in the dull and cool conditions.

I also came across a plume moth of some sort, a very delicate-looking thing.

Dave