June 2019

[Testudo Man]

This Bredhurst site, is absolutely covered in these Ox Eye Daisies! I just wish the weather/light etc would have been better...next time perhaps.

Several images of this fresh female Common Blue. No images are cropped.
Cheers Paul.

Great shots Paul,
Wish you h'd have better weather for more snaps on your next walks.
I too happened with that form of C blue on june 6th, in Arnos Vale (BS$) but the weather has been on whim for nearly 10 days now that it is safe to assume there no longer will be an opportunity to make shots at all

Thanks for that.
It would seem that the Common Blue "blue form" females, "steal all the limelight" these days I dont see that many "bown form" common blue images being posted anywhere now??

As you say, the weather/climate/conditions for this season/2019, have been challenging at times...but that can make it more fun, to capture pleasing images.

[David M]

Amongst the handful of Heath Fritillaries ,in a partly flooded East Blean wood ,this morning was this one which I believe is AB;Obsoleta.

Great find, Allan. That's a very striking specimen.

[Allan.W.]

Thanks David, I was very pleased to find it.!
Early AM. IN Orlestone forest (Kent ) my first (3) White Admirals of the season ,also around 15 + Meadow Brown ,2 Large Skipper , and a
handful of Common Blues. Regards Allan.W.

[David M]

Aah, White Admirals!! A sure sign midsummer is here!

[Jack Harrison]

A sure sign midsummer is here!

Here near the Moray Firth - normally a benign climate - spring arrived three days ago when I could finally turn the central heating off.

Jack

[David M]

Here near the Moray Firth - noramally a benign climaate - spring arrived three days ago when I could finally turn the central heating off.

I've news for you, Jack - I had mine on earlier this month and I'm on the same line of latitude as London!!!

[millerd]

Essex Skippers out in numbers at Hadleigh Country Park in their home county. None of those checked were of the Small persuasion.

13 species seen altogether here, including lots of White Letter-Hairstreak and quite a few newly emerged Marbled Whites. More in my PD in about two weeks I should think!

Dave

[Jack Harrison]

!8th June two Dingy Skippers Ardersier Common (near Inverness) in windy overcast conditions. One Painted Lady, one [presumed GV] White, no blues.

Jack

[bugboy]

Essex Skippers out in numbers at Hadleigh Country Park in their home county. None of those checked were of the Small persuasion.ES1 170619.JPG
13 species seen altogether here, including lots of White Letter-Hairstreak and quite a few newly emerged Marbled Whites. More in my PD in about two weeks I should think!

Dave

Very interesting, the day before they were all Small and none of an Essex persuasion (apart from being in actual Essex!)

[millerd]

That is indeed curious, Buggy. I'll have another look at the other photos and see if any could be Small rather than Essex, and of course there were quite a few orange blurs that could have been either of the two. All the 100% IDs were Essex, though.

Dave

[David M]

Essex Skippers out in numbers at Hadleigh Country Park...

Superbly captured, Dave. No disputing that one!

[sonomoha]

Hej hej!
Not much has changed around in my local patches, though I feel I missed the opportunity to photograph those very blue female common blues. After a week-end out in Bham and London, I came back to see the same marbled white that seems very bother to the very idea of moving to a different flower I also made my first shots of a Meadow brown yesterday in Callington Road local nature reserve, more cnaps with a male damselfly as well. But I barely have the time to just play with the marbled white shots on the computer, nothing else so far.

Made this other post to ask about your opinion on putting a frame around photographs. It is right here.

[Allan.W.]

Just back from a short break down in West Sussex we were hoping to find Black Hairstreak ( a lifer for me !) ,Frog Orchid ,which I,ve only seen once before (in Kent) in1991(now presumably extinct !) , and Club -Tailed Dragonfly . The weather wasn,t kind ! but that said we did 0.K. On our way through on Tuesday we stopped off at Ditchling ,and more by luck than judgement stumbled across the hotspot ,there were three others looking and sure enough the Hairstreaks were showing , jinking about in the Blackthorn tops ,with a couple coming down briefly on to the Bracken ,I decided to walk away a few paces and look at a slightly different patch ,and immediately spotted ,what looked like a female Black Hair ,sitting tight ,as I got closer ,I could see that she was attached to a male ,couldn,t believe my luck ! called the others over ,and all had excellent views ,photography was a bit difficult ,as they were about two and a half metres up ,and the male was partially obscured by a Blackthorn leaf.
On the way home today we stopped again for an hour and had several sightings ,but they seemed reluctant to settle low down.
Bumped into Dave Cook (who found them ) and had a chat ,good to meet him !
Another site that I visited several times ,in the early mornings was Fairmile Bottom ,what a site !! Hundreds of Orchids ,mainly Common Spotted
but also good numbers of Pyramidal ,I also found Bee,Fly , and my target Frog ,so pleased to see these again ,I managed to find 8 ,but never re-visited
them ,as they,re so small and insignificant looking ,they seem to vanish in the grass ,and I was worried about treading on any.
lots of commoner butterflies on the wing (even at 7am ) my highlights were a beautiful fresh Dark Green Fritillary ,a very late Grizzled Skipper ,
I urge anyone that's down West Sussex way ,to drop into this superb reserve .
After making it to the car park twice ,and the weather turning to pouring rain ,we finally got things right at Stedham Common ,for the Silver Studs
yesterday,there were high numbers about ,and we had the good fortune to find a mating pair.
Regards Allan.W.

[Pauline]

What was it you said Allan, 'a photo would be a bonus' - well, I reckon you hit the jackpot there

[Mark Tutton]

Good numbers of freshly emerged High Brown Fritillary flying on Exmoor in beautiful sunshine, at least 30 including three mating pairs - a few adders and ticks too.
I had forgotten how steep the slopes are and how high the bracken was!
Kind Regards
Mark

[Jack Harrison]

22 June. Finally – a Scottish Small Blue.

My third visit to Ardersier Common (near Inverness) this week produced just one tatty individual at some distance from the only patch of Kidney Vetch (larval foodplant) I have found on the Common. The butterfly was incredibly lively and this photo is nothing more than a poor-quality grab shot for record purposes.

Jack

[MrSp0ck]

Two Larval webs of Glanville Fritillary at Hutchinsons Bank, and planty of Dark Green Fritillaries at Chapel Bank.

Small Blues still about in numbers.

[David M]

Good numbers of freshly emerged High Brown Fritillary flying on Exmoor in beautiful sunshine, at least 30 including three mating pairs..

Excellent, Mark. Hopefully I will get time to check out the colony here in south Wales this week.

[Jack Harrison]

Grey Ladies
There has been a major influx of Painted Ladies to north east Scotland.

Not all are as fresh as this one!

Jack

[Allan.W.]

That is a mere "Ghost" of a Painted Lady you found there Jack , I,m surprised its still able to fly !
On the subject of Painted Ladies ,I,ve noticed quite a few here in Kent over the last couple of weeks ,and several in Sussex ,last weekend in my local
forest (Orlestone ) on a White Admiral hunt ,I noted 8 Painted Ladies ,and 4 at Dungeness ,a few days earlier.
Regards Allan.W.