Kev Ling

[kevling]

With days out looking at spring butterflies a no no, I'm happy to have had a magic moment at home with the emergence of a male Orange Tip in our garden. Unfortunately the second one came to nothing. The pupa was translucent and empty. Not sure if it was predated or just didn't develop. Be nice to hear some thoughts on that. I'll leave with the photos of our new arrival.

Regards
Kev

[Wurzel]

Great stuff Kev Love the second shot - it's almost as if he's better off staying in the chrysalis and is trying to eyeing it longingly

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Nice result (at least for one of them, Kev). Hard though it is, we must accept that all forms of a butterfly's life cycle are heavily predated. That just makes the sight of a freshly emerged adult even more uplifting!

[Pauline]

Hi Kev

of the 3 wild OT pupa I found one just stopped developing. I didn't provide any sort of protection given that they'd survived outside all Winter but one morning I saw a relatively small spider on the 3rd one. I should have reached for my camera but I instinctively flicked it off. I couldn't see any damage, puncture holes or the like but from that point it didn't make any more progress. I still have it (just in case) but I doubt anything will emerge now.

[kevling]

Wurzel: I liked the photo with the chrysalis behind too
David: It's always been a longing of mine to locate a pupa and watch the adult emerge
Pauline: Interesting to reason why these things happen, but happy to have had at least one success story


19th April 2020

My local nature reserve is within a few minutes walk from home, so the perfect location to enjoy wildlife, whilst adhering to Boris's guidelines.
In 2019, I saw my earliest recorded Green Hairstreaks on 20th April. This year I beat that record by a day.
I first discovered them four years ago and even though the 200 yard stretch of ride has many Hawthorn trees, they have remained on the same three trees each year. It is hard to believe that I spent so many years before seeing one, but now I have my eye in, I seem to find them within seconds.

Kind Regards
Kev

[Wurzel]

Lovely Greenstreaks Kev
"It is hard to believe that I spent so many years before seeing one, but now I have my eye in,"...I though that after a pretty rough patch where I just couldn't seem to find them no matter where or how I looked Then all of a sudden they were everywhere

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

The great thing about Green Hairstreaks is that they are reliable in the same places every year. Like you, Kev, I can identify several little stretches of shrubs where I can guarantee they'll appear....although not always as early as this year.

[kevling]

Wurzel/David : It's nice to have a 'go to' butterfly that you know will always be there. As they return to the same spot when disturbed, they are so easy to get up close and personal to with nice photographs to show for it.

#stayathome is certainly paying off in my garden. Having had the Orange Tip emerge, the Garlic Mustard is now in flower and we have had at least one female ovipositing. Here she is choosing her moment and the little gift she left was found a couple of days later.

Next up for ovipositing was this Holly Blue, laying on our Pyracantha. This is the second year we have seen this shrub being used (totally ignoring our Holly).

Kind Regards
Kev

[David M]

...#stayathome is certainly paying off in my garden. Having had the Orange Tip emerge, the Garlic Mustard is now in flower and we have had at least one female ovipositing. Here she is choosing her moment and the little gift she left was found a couple of days later.

One bonus from all this carnage is that we're seeing more images from people's gardens, and it's heartening to know just how much butterfly activity is going on in them!

Orange Tips certainly are one species that is commoner in gardens than the books would have us believe. If only the wider public could be encouraged to plant a few helpful LHPs to assist these nomadic species.

[kevling]

I enjoyed an overdue rest day yesterday, so with Mrs L and Millie the Spaniel in tow, we headed to our local bluebell woods to see them in all their splendour. By the time I next got a chance they would be past their best. As we exited the woods, we spotted an Orange Tip at rest, waiting for the sun to break out. These were the perfect conditions to photograph my favourite species. Catch them in the shade, wings closed and watch them slowly open and bathe in the sun's rays when it appears from behind the clouds. It is a good couple of years since I had a protracted view of a male, wings open, so I revelled in this spectacle whilst I got the chance.

Kind Regards
Kev

[Wurzel]

Cracking shot Kev, its great when that happens isn't it? Mind you the closed wing blending in with the white florets is equally as satisfying

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[trevor]

As you say, Kev, you had ideal conditions to photograph that Orange Tip.
When they were at their best around here we had blue sky and full sun,
day after day. They sometimes paused to take refreshment in the afternoon.

Keep up the good work, and stay safe,
Trevor.

[David M]

..These were the perfect conditions to photograph my favourite species. Catch them in the shade, wings closed and watch them slowly open and bathe in the sun's rays when it appears from behind the clouds...

Yep. You summed it up well, Kev.

Don't go chasing them on a warm, sunny day. Wait for part cloudy, cooler conditions and you'll be rewarded.

This spring has been ideal - lots of good days with quite a few cool ones inbetween. Ideal conditions for OT watching.

[millerd]

Great Orange Tip shot, Kev. You described the perfect technique - many's the time I've loitered next to a snoozing Orange Tip waiting for the sun to come back out! You can get some funny looks, mind...

Cheers,

Dave

[kevling]

Martlesham Common - Ipswich
I have been making the most of my lunch breaks by walking the short distance to a heathland nature reserve and a small colony of Green Hairstreak that are ever present each year. They are becoming a favourite species of mine and it is interesting watching how the behave, including how they tilt their body at an angle to the sun to regulate body temperature (seen in photo 2).

Also seen was this splendid Brown Argus.

01D13F39-4D65-468A-AE6A- 41668FD56438.jpeg

Regards Kev

[kevling]

My #stayathome butterflying is going rather well, with plenty of Orange Tip action in the garden this spring. Having safely seen a new arrival into the world, we enjoyed another female ovipositing on our Garlic Mustard late in the afternoon. The photos I got of her at rest proved quite atmospheric.

I have counted 5 ovum on separate Garlic Mustard plants and they are now at differing stages of development. Here are 1st, 2nd & 4th instar examples.

The arduous task starts of trying to find one of them pupating.

Regards
Kev

[Wurzel]

Great reports and shots recently Kev The first female OT from your most recent report is an absolute belter of a shot - beautifully evocative of a late spring evening.

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Good to see an Orange Tip ovipositing in the last week of May, Kev (particularly this year, which has been particularly early).

You look as though you've got your eye in for the larvae too!

[kevling]

ORANGE TIP OBSERVATIONS

We have had a bumper spring in our garden for Orange Tip, observing all of the life stages. Pete Eales fantastic book taught us a lot about the differing instars as we tracked their progress.
Please may I also credit Guy Padfield, who's diary this week showed me developments in the pre-pupation larva that I had missed from my own photographs (namely the developing wing buds). I have now re-analysed my photos and am glad to see that I captured them too.
I observed every instar this spring, but also witnessed my first casualty. This second instar example developed a black patch on it's skin. It struggled for over 24 hours on the same seedpod, before finally dying. I'm not sure whether it is diseased or perhaps a victim of attempted predation by a bird.

Here is our first of two adults making it to pupation. Sadly the final transformation happened at first light before I awoke for breakfast.

Kind Regards
Kev

[Padfield]

Super pictures Kev. You've had a much higher success rate than me. 11 out of 12 of mine died of one thing or another between the egg and the end of 5th instar. I know at least one fell to a spider, some, I'm sure to insectivorous birds, and one, I think, to an aphid that punctured it instead of a stem. On another plant, a ladybird larva was zooming around polishing off all the aphids for several days. I thought this was probably a good thing, until, I think, it finished by eating my larva ... There are, of course, various viruses and other diseases that can affect them.

I'll be interested to know what you do, if anything, with the pupae, to keep them safe and healthy until spring.

Maybe bump into you soon in the Ipswich exotic butterfly park ...

Guy