Pauline

[David M]

Those PBFs are just to die for, Pauline.

I'm actually starting to think it might be worth a £60 fine.....

[Pauline]

Hope you realise how privileged you are Trevor . Re PBF - it is a very (very) small colony which Neil told me about years ago and swore me to secrecy. If he wants you to know I am sure he will tell you but I hope you understand.

Good to hear from you Guy and thanks for the ID. You can put as many images of foxes in my diary as Pete will allow To answer your question as briefly as I can, in my experience all fox cubs are unique and display very different temperaments from a very early age. Some are bold and some are exceedingly nervous. Like all youngsters they are full of natural curiosity and are very inquisitive. However, whilst in their very early stages they will wander up to folk, their natural instinct is to have a healthy distrust of humans. 7-8 weeks of age is when they are most vulnerable to dog attack - I can assure you that even the smallest of cubs smell very 'foxy' and it is a tribute to your dogs and your dog training that they don't chase. Trevor touched on the 'hand reared' topic. Some folk think they make great pets but they really don't and when folk find that out and 'dump' them they are ill-equipped with the necessary survival skills (which is how I ended up with my vixen, Saffron, for 10 years). There are some great books around but Red Fox - The Catlike Canine explores development and behaviour. Guess I'd better stop there and get back to butterflies!

Not sure about that David - just hang on in there and we may find that next week is a whole lot better

[Pauline]

Just too hot to go out today but yesterday I made a brief visit to Noar Hill. The Dingies were only just outnumbered by the Dukes (many of which are showing signs of wear) and since my last visit there has been a small explosion of Small Heath. Sadly, there were more folk there than previously and at least 50% of them hadn't heard of social distancing. At a point where I had been following a fresh female Dingy Skipper being pursued by a male for 10 mins, confident of seeing a pairing, a guy with a stick came close enough to scare them off

Bemoaning the lack of anything Blue, as I was leaving I saw both Holly Blue and fresh Small Blue:

[Wurzel]

That's the thing with butterflies Pauline - they often save the best til last, generally just as you're leaving I hope the stick man was Social Distancing properly - always the way though isn't just as you get the sublime shot or something interesting - boom someone/thing ruins it.

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

That's a great array of mid-spring species, Pauline.

Shame the human beings tried their best to ruin things.

That's not unusual.

[Pauline]

Cheers Wurzel - I have a huge mask that I got for spraying chemicals on my Red Mites. Think I might start wearing that when I go out - might help keep other pests at bay!

Thank you David. Sadly I have to agree with you

I must return to the Brimstone eggs which were laid in my garden on 22 April. I have checked them daily, becoming more and more despondent as one by one they disappeared. 9 eggs became 4 eggs and then on 7 May I was delighted to find 4 tiny larva probably less than 2mm. They are really difficult to photograph at this size as they are the exact same shade as the leaf but I have tried. They are incredibly mobile for their size moving right across the plant and eating more than it seems possible.

7 May:

8 May:

9 May:

Magnet couldn't understand why that little plant was getting all the attention when he wasn't allowed near it!

[Goldie M]

Good luck with the Brimstone's Pauline, can't wait to see them Cracking shots of the Duke and the Dingy and I love the shot of the Small Blue
With the news tonight it looks like I might get a few different Butterflies after all. Goldie

[David M]

Love the image of Magnet, Pauline. How long have you had that little treasure?

As for the Brimstone early stages, is it worth netting them off to protect them, if only temporarily?

Of course, you could always bring a small number inside and rear them yourself.

[Pauline]

Cheers Goldie - just remember to stay alert if you are out cos there are morons out there that don't know what 2m looks like!!!

Hi David - I have reared Brimstones before so my interest now is to see just how they cope in the wild which is easy to do now as they are so close. As for Magnet - you've probably forgotten that in Sept 2014 I found an unconscious wild rabbit at Noar Hill (Lucky) and she needed a friend once she was well - that took 3 months and included being on a drip for over a week and subcut fluids at home:

On principle I don't agree with Lion Head rabbits but he was all that was available locally at the time and he came from a household even crazier than mine. I met him as he shared a basket with a cat who was eating one of his carrots and a huge Mastiff was licking his head. Kids ran amok creating more noise than I thought possible so he was very well adjusted when he came to me in Dec 2014.

A couple of days ago I got a vegetable delivery for the parrots and just shoved it in the fridge. I brought out the broccoli this morning and noticed there was a larva on it. I THINK it might be Small White but I shall post a shot soon.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Pauline, love your Rabbit shots, Hope that Small White comes on okay, I'll take my walking stick with me Pauline Goldie

[Pauline]

Anyone who comes too close can be on the receiving end of your stick Goldie

So, here's the shot of the larva - pretty awful I know, but is it a Small White (4th instar?) and will it survive on the Broccoli as I have precious little else to offer except some Garlic Mustard? I'm pretty rubbish at ID's so an early response to this one would be appreciated for obvious reasons.

A brief visit to Noar Hill the other day where I discovered that most of the eggs I had posted earlier had disappeared with no signs of hatching. The rate of predation must be quite high (something I have noticed in previous years when monitoring them). A couple more that I found up there:

[Pauline]

Better shot below - got to be Small White surely????:

Back to the back garden Brimstones. I have found a fifth larva, larger than the 'original' 4, bedded down on the underside of a leaf:

and a brand new egg as of today:

Of more interest to me are the original 4 larva who are now shedding their skins, moving from 1st to 2nd instar, 5 days after they hatched. The first shot was taken today at 16.09 with the head pointing down. The second shot taken at 17.03 shows the larva, having turned round, is now eating the shed skin:

Amazing how much interest one little twig can generate!

[Pauline]

Compared to recent times my 35 min drive this morning seemed like a real expedition!

[Janet Turnbull]

Love the photo of that courting couple! A drive of 35 minutes - I'm surprised you could remember what to do, but what a great feeling to get a bit further afield.
Janet

[Wurzel]

Fantastic Wood Whites Pauline - I don't think I'll be seeing them this year even with the current easing of restrictions on travel but it's always good to save something for 2021 How did you manage to get that lovely contrasting dark background on the second one?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

I can guess where you've been, Pauline, and I think I may find myself down that way very soon! A lovely couple of photos there - Wood Whites make great subjects, especially when the sun regularly goes in and keeps them subdued.

Cheers,

Dave

[Goldie M]

OH! Pauline, that's a fantastic shot of the Wood Whites It should be entered in a photo comp Their colour and every thing, wish I'd been there with you was is the place you took me to once with Jim Goldie

[Pauline]

D'you know what, Janet? It felt really quite weird to be out - almost as if I was doing something wrong Good to hear from you and thanks for your comment.

Thank you Dave - I might well be back there myself on a better day.

Cheers Goldie - yes, that was exactly the same place - Happy Days

Cheers Wurzel - it wasn't difficult. It was so cold and overcast all the butterflies were roosting close to the trees for some shelter. The biggest challenge was finding them as they are very well camouflaged. It would have been easy to move them in their torpid state onto a pretty flower but really, what's the point? I already have loads of shots on flowers so that is just how I found them. I also found a few other things the first being this Robber Fly with its prey. There is such a tangle of legs I am not sure what is what!:

There were a lot of Scorpion Flies around and because it was so cold they weren't as active as usual:

A female Large Red Damselfly (I'm guessing here) presented its own challenges as it waved about in the slightest breeze:

I'm not sure what these 2 are - perhaps a Sawfly larva and pupa of some sort?

[David M]

Love those Wood Whites, Pauline. I bet it was a huge relief to be able to get out and about again?

[Pauline]

Thank you David, but what about that wonderful little Brimstone 2nd instar eating his skin? Far more interesting in my opinion Going back to the last post I fear I may have early signs of dementia I have taken 2 shots in previous years which were almost identical (thought they looked familiar!). The first is indeed a sawfly of the Oak tree variety probably and the pupal case is that of an Ichneumon wasp of the Hyposoter genus. If I do the same thing next year could someone please remind me to save me looking it up a third time - either that or shoot me

I have been keeping a close eye on my little Brimstones and whilst checking them this morning I saw at first what I thought was an aphid on the back of a leaf - then I realised it was a really tiny moth. Many already know my opinion of the micro variety but I was intrigued by this to the point where I had to attempt a photo. This was the best I could do. Haven't identified it yet but it was a pretty little thing:

The squirrel continues to torment me and is now digging up my hanging clematis in front of one of the poultry sheds. I have actually managed to video some of his antics and if I ever work out how to download them ..........