Thanks
Katrina, a reminder that we shouldn’t ignore our commonest butterflies if we needed one
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
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Thanks
Wurzel, I suspect there’s a number of factors which decide bedtime for the Pearls, it was interesting that the ones I was watching all reacted at pretty much the same time though give or take a minute or two.
I’m sorry
Goldie, I didn’t mean to rub it in. I couldn’t believe it that my camera found them with such a busy background, and they’re not slow either!
It was nice to see so many so soon after the last major influx
David… although after the recent few days of weather one wonders whether we’ll see much of the progeny, fingers crossed though eh
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May 2021
I’d booked
Monday 17th off quite a while ago. Since then I’d ruined the day by also booking a dentist appointment for the afternoon, my first visit since before the end of the world happened. To take my mind off it I ignored the high risk of getting drenched and went off to Wanstead Park to see if there was enough sun to wake up some Green Hairstreaks. A brisk wind kept the clouds moving along, with occasional sunny spells waking up the odd White, and more notably (at least for this year) a Speckled Wood along the way.
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I arrived at the Green Hairstreak lair at the tail end of another sunny spell just in time to find a couple of Small Coppers looking for somewhere to rest and wait for the return of the sun. Minutes later the first few drops of rain could be felt and I made a mad dash for a tree to shelter from a 5-minute deluge. Once the shower had passed, I relocated the Copper to find it had done that thing they always do, turn round Hairstreak style so they are side on to the direction of the sun, or at least where the sun would be.
The suns half attempted effort to escape the clutches of the clouds stirred another copper, this one a female. I followed her around for a bit as the sun appeared and vanished, she was a bit of a looker and obviously knew it by the way she posed.
There were about 6 or so Coppers in this little sun trap and in the absence of the Hairstreaks they made interesting company. I watched a pairing take place which was preceded by short game of their version of kiss chase and a bit of ‘flashing’ from the eager to impress male.
The pairing itself took place on one of the footpaths and they looked like they were quite happy to settle there so I moved them to a safer place. I think the picture of them on my finger is what Wurzel refers to as a twofer.
Like all the other Coppers they ‘Hairstreaked’ their orientation when rested between sunny spells.
I did actually manage to see a real Hairstreak but he only stayed for a short while and not particularly close.
During cloudy periods I did switch to stalking a pair of Green Woodpeckers, the male thought he was hiding from me as he yaffled from the top of a tree. The female was somewhat bolder as she made a mess of herself probing the many ant nests that litter this patch of the park. For those not in the know, to sex a Green Woodpecker you look at ‘moustache’ which is red with a black border in the male and solid black in the female.
The only other butterflies I saw here was a shy Peacock and what may or may not have been a Painted Lady who nearly took my head off. The stars today were however the Small Coppers.
On the way back I came across a second Speckled Wood and stopped to admire the hundreds of male
Adela reaumurella Longhorn moths. I attempted some in flight shots of them with mixed results.
I’d been lucky with the rain after the first sharp shower but the 10-minute walk home from the train station was exceedingly wet as a thunderstorm passed over, I got home in a rather soggy mess. On the plus side though, my dental check-up was pleasantly brief. Overall a pretty good day in the end
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)