Trevor

[trevor]

Cheers Dave. I only managed two shots of that Small Copper ab before it was off,
unlike some of the others, it was not seen again.
For the next couple of weeks those gardens will be heaving with butterflies,
given good, sunny weather. Well worth a visit.
As for H&O, don't forget that the sun shines on that hedge as soon as it rises!.

Stay safe and well,
Trevor.

[bugboy]

Lovely Copper Trevor , radiata verging into obsoleta possibly. That's one species where I don't see many abs at all, I do have one nice one waiting in the wings though

[Wurzel]

Cracking set of images Trevor with some lovely Coppers. That ab is very interesting - that streak of orange almost suggests ab.radiata, I wonder if there is such a thing as 'partial radiata'? either way still most cracking
The Walls I saw a couple of years back at Great Cheverall were on 29th August so second brood - I did read somewhere that there were often 3rd brood Walls around September/October time at Keyhaven but I can't recall seeing any records from Wiltshire that would suggest a third brood - if I get a chance on Monday I'll have a flick back through the annual county records

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[trevor]

Cheers Paul & Wurzel. More Walls today!.

On arrival at High and Over this morning I just had time to photograph two of the three
Wall Browns that appeared when a bank of high cloud came over, the temperature dropped
and the butterflies disappeared. Looking at the images obtained, they looked OK, so I headed
back to the car. From the car park I could see a large patch of blue sky, which should be at H&O
within an hour or so. So I decided to stay on.
Several Red Admirals entertained, nectaring on Ivy blossom, as I waited. It was interesting to
watch the Red Admiral's irritation as hundreds of Ivy bees buzzed around them.
Then I felt warmth on my back, the Sun had returned!.
Back at the famed steps where basking Walls are almost guaranteed all hell was breaking out,
with many male Wall squabbles taking place, pairs, threes and even four were brawling in the air.
Fortunately the earlier cool weather meant that many of the Walls needed to bask for longer
than normal, allowing me plenty of photo opps.

All posed open wing today!
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Great Walls Trevor I think that the one with the double eye spots is called 'anticrassipincta' but I might be mistaken Great shot by the way

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[trevor]

I went for a stroll around Rowland Wood this afternoon.
There were very few butterflies to be seen, but unusually I found two Small Heaths nectaring,
as opposed to grounded and tilted to one side, also they were not too easily disturbed.
A couple of fresh male Common Blues and a part worn Small Copper. Then a shower brought
my brief walk to a close.

Stay well all,
Trevor.

[millerd]

More excellent Wall shots from High & Over, Trevor. With a decent weather forecast this week, there should be some further opportunities to see them (I hope!).

Cheers,

Dave

[Neil Freeman]

Some cracking Wall Browns in your previous report Trevor Well worth sticking around for the cloud to move on.

Cheers,

Neil.

[trevor]

Thanks Wurzel, Dave and Neil. I think I've got my head around the name for that twin spot, Wurzel.
That cloud cover was just the cooling off period those Walls needed.

Anyway I found a very fresh male speckled Wood this morning.
And I have included a teaser for what else was seen today!.

[millerd]

A very nice new Specklie, Trevor - and before I saw this post I had already somehow guessed what you might also have been up to (and even sent you a PM on the subject... )

Cheers,

Dave

[bugboy]

From events I saw on facebook over the weekend I've already penciled in Thursday for a trip into Sussex to go looking for some BLEP, that looks the best day weatherwise that coincides with a day off...

[trevor]

As you might of guessed a hunt for Long Tailed Blues was on the menu today.

I arrived at Whitehawk Hill to a grey sky, and for about 30 mins all I saw was the Speckled Wood ( above ).
One other person was already on site and he confirmed that nothing had been seen. Then a couple turned up
and the woman, whilst walking through the long grass, sent up an LTB. Fortunately we all saw where it landed.
We were looking at a near pristine male, and with no sun, we all had plenty of time for many shots

When the sun did appear the warmth built very quickly, and very soon multiple LTB's were zooming around.
There was no need for photographers huddles there were enough for everyone to have their own personal LTB!.

I even saw five in the air at the same time, three in a vertical chase and two flying around the BLEP.
I won't even try to guess how many were seen, but the action was non stop.

An absolutely fabulous morning!.
Trevor.

[bugboy]

[millerd]

I have to echo those Terrific shots of a fresh male LTB, Trevor. (Somewhat annoying as I wasn't very far away yesterday...!)

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

I was scrolling through and the moment I saw a BLEP I thought "here we go!" Fantastic set of shots Trevor When fresh the males look distinctly hairy not something I'd noticed before

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[trevor]

Many thanks Gentlemen, I went back to Whitehawk Hill for another dose today..

Although there were fewer Long Tailed Blues flying this morning than yesterday it was still action packed.
For the first hour I had the site to myself, when most images were obtained. Later on, as more people arrived
the site became crowded. Visitors came from afar including Norfolk and Oxford. I think all would have headed
home happy, as the LTB's were reasonably co-operative.

Another great morning,
Trevor.

[trevor]

An excellent week for migrants.

This morning Doug and myself visited the gardens of Herstmonceux Castle.
We had not been there long when a Clouded Yellow was spotted. Sometime later
when the butterfly returned I saw it land on a large patch of Rudbeckia.
The resulting image is rather yellow!. A little later a lady gardener asked us if
we were looking for butterflies, and pointed to a grounded Cloudie, so we grabbed
a few more shots, and thanked the lady.
On the way to lunch, passing through another part of the garden, I saw a Cloudie
land on a Verbina and in a great position for quite a few shots.

I had no doubt at the time that we had seen ONE busy Cloudie, but when I loaded
my shots onto the laptop it became clear that we had seen three different individuals.

These were my first Clouded Yellows since 2018. None were seen last year.

More to follow,
Trevor

[Wurzel]

Fantastic images Trevor - LTBs and the Cloudies That first one is so vivid and yellow it almost looks fake

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[trevor]

Thanks Wurzel. Two of those fresh Clouded Yellows were particularly bright.
It's a pity they never open up when nectaring, with such beautiful markings.

One of the reasons for our visit to Herstmonceux yesterday, was for the Small Copper.
The garden offers them abundant nectar from the late summer flowers, and for us
a dramatic backdrop to set off their bright copper orange.

Trevor.

[millerd]

Lovely fresh vibrant Cloudies, Trevor. That must make up for missing out last year. If only they were so obliging every time, but they must have been captivated by the abundant nectar sources in the gardens. Cloudies are very identifiable by that central hindwing mark - it's almost like a fingerprint and very useful when you're trying to work out how many you've actually seen. The Coppers are an excellent selection too.

After seeing all your terrific shots, I've caught up with those LTB myself now - almost certainly some of the same individuals. I suspect their hindwing markings would also be as individual as those on the Cloudies...

Cheers,

Dave