Maximus

[Wurzel]

Cracking Sooty Coppers Maximus The few times that I've seen them when on holiday I've found them to be perfect time wasters - what seems like 5 minutes with them watching their antics and getting the odd shot actually turns out to be 30-40 minutes

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

...Sooty Coppers would surely do well in the UK, shame they're not there.

Yes, Mike, I'm sure they would fare extremely well in the southernmost parts of the UK. Sadly, Coppers are generally non-migratory, so unless someone secretes a few in clandestine fashion (something which is not unknown here) we will continue to gaze in awe and envy at a butterfly you have in your part of the world that would be a very welcome resident in Britain.

[Maximus]

Thanks, Wurzel, I know just what you mean about about Sooty Coppers, loads of time looking

La Manche is too great an obstacle for them David, sadly




A recent visitor to our Choisya hedge was this lovely Map spring brood, (f. levana) butterfly, the first we have ever seen. Simply stunning is an understatement, hope we see loads more, although butterflies have been a bit thin on the ground over here, due to the poor weather of late!!

[trevor]

Lovely fresh Map, Mike.
You are now well placed for surprises like that!.

Stay safe,
Trevor.

[Maximus]

Thanks, Trevor

Over the last couple of days it's been nice to see both Broad-bordered bee hawk moths and Hummingbird hawk-moths visiting our flowers in bloom. I have really struggled to get any decent shots of them as the weather has been dull and windy. Therefore I substitute some photos that I took of them last summer when the weather was far better. I find Bee hawks are easier to photograph as they tend to 'walk around' the blooms using their forelegs (as seen in the photos), as opposed to hummingbird hawks who actually hover next to each flower before quickly moving on. A shutter speed of 1/1600 of a second was still not enough to fully freeze the motion of their wings.

[Katrina]

Very nice bee Hawkmoth - very fluffy looking.

[Neil Freeman]

It is really interesting to see what you are finding in your new home James and illustrated with some superb photos

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Wow that Map is even better looking than the summer form and those are cracking shots of it I long to see one of those

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Great images of the Broad-bordered bee hawk moths and Hummingbird hawk-moths, Mike...and as for your Map

You're not that far away from UK shores where you are, but you may as well be in a different world. We can only look on in envy.

[Maximus]

Thanks, Katrina, very fluffy


Thanks, 'Nefreem' , appreciate your comments


Thanks, Wurzel, they are soooo good looking


Thank you, David, yes it's only the English channel which stops them being residents


The other morning we watched a Map Butterfly hanging around some stinging nettles in a corner of our garden. It became obvious that she was a female looking for somewhere to lay her eggs. As we watched she landed on on the the underside of a nettle leaf and began egg laying. I managed to get a few shots, even though she was laying in a shaded position underneath the nettle leaf, which made getting good shots difficult.

We will keep an eye on the eggs

[trevor]

Some well captured ' action ' shots of that Map. very unusual eggs.
Presumably she is contributing to the White Admiral look alike brood later on.

What a garden visitor1

Stay safe and well,
Trevor.

[Katrina]

Really interesting the way the eggs hang. Presumably they can’t eat their shells when they hatch or the eggs below would drop to the ground?

[bugboy]

Fascinating to see. I remember reading somewhere that this method of ovipositing is thought to mimic the Nettles flowers, although surely if this were true that would work more effectively if they were laid on or near the actual flowers

[Wurzel]

Really interesting seeing the underside and the eggs laid in such a fashion - but like Bugboy says surely if they're laid to mimic flowers they'd be better laid amongst the flowers? Sill there's something quite satisfying about the structure

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Maximus]

Thanks, Trevor, yes, they will become (hopefully) White Admiral lookalikes later

I understand what you are saying, Katrina, the latest shots should clarify that

Yes, Bugboy, they look vaguely like nettle flowers, but I agree that they are not in the right place

Perhaps the position they are laid in is enough to fool predators, Wurzel, but I'm not 100% convinced they're meant to mimic nettle flowers



An update on those Map(f. levana) eggs that were laid by the female on 5th, of June, on nettle in our garden. Most hatched this morning (16th June) with just a few late hatchlings to go.

[Wurzel]

Fascinating shots Maximus I'm still trying to figure out how they get out of the egg without the ones below being displaced - do they use the side door?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Maximus]

I believe the side door it is, Wurzel

[Katrina]

Fascinating indeed - I'm learning a lot today - thank you.

[David M]

Great observations, Mike. How I wish we had this species in the UK!

It's quite extraordinary how levana oviposits in this manner. I'm struggling to theorise what advantage such a strategy provides.

[millerd]

What a great set of shots of another species that would be very welcome here in the UK, Mike - I'm sure there are plenty of nettles to go round! It is interesting that its life cycle does not follow the same pattern as the nettle-feeders we do have, and it doesn't pass the winter as an adult. I wonder if this is a factor that has kept it from establishing here.

Cheers,

Dave