Trevor

[trevor]

Cheers Wurzel. I would not have returned so quickly had been run of the mill ' Plod '.
Now you mention it that specimen must be up there with Chief Constable.

Thanks Katrina!.
Trevor.

[trevor]

A mid afternoon visit to Horseshoe Plantation found many, fairly worn, male
Speckled Woods brawling then posing. One in particular was not typical of the
others as it was mint fresh. I also saw a ' dead ' female being constantly pestered by a male.
When he left her she suddenly sprung into life. No images were possible, too much undergrowth.
Some ripe blackberries attracted two fresh Commas and they remained there for the whole of my visit.

On the way back to the car I was tempted to pause for a while on a wooden seat, in the shade.
Soon after I sat down a very quick Clouded Yellow flew past and almost disappeared into the
distance before returning and landing on the slope of the Downs. I only had to scramble a short
way up the slope to locate the Cloudie, perched on a leaf. Five quick shots and it was gone.

Still, my second Clouded Yellow of the year was in the bag, and it was a fresh one too.
Better still it was very unexpected !.

Trevor.

[Wurzel]

That is a fresh Cloudy and a half Trevor - more Canary Yellow than Clouded I managed to get one at Martin Down but it was nowhere near as good looking as yours so here's another

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Nice Clouded Yellow, Trevor. There seem to be quite a few fresh ones being reported lately.

Even better is your caeruleopunctata Small Copper from your previous post. That's a particularly fine example.

[millerd]

That's a very yellow Cloudie, Trevor... I availed myself of a few Sussex examples the other day as well - hard to resist when you post sightings of them!

Cheers,

Dave

[trevor]

Many thanks Wurzel, David and Dave. Clouded Yellows make for a wonderful climax to the season.

ARRESTING COPPERS.

This afternoon I went back to Herstmonceux Castle for another Small Copper fix.
There was a lot of variety on offer, including amorous males receiving the cold shoulder,
and several ' blue badges ' though not as spectacular as my last one.
A long period of thin cloud ensured that most Coppers were calm, and were fairly easy to photograph.

Trevor.

[Katrina]

A crowd of coppers there! Beautiful photos again.

[trevor]

Many thanks Katrina, do try to go again before the seasons over.
Still no Cloudies or Walls there though.

Stay well,
Trevor.

[trevor]

I drove over to Southwick this morning hoping for more Clouded Yellows.
My first butterfly was an absolutely fresh female Common blue, a real beauty.
I only managed an underside shot before it was off.
Clouded Yellows were frequently seen as singles, but later on I saw three in
the air at the same time.
Examining my shots at home it became clear that I had photographed one
Cloudie on three occasions over a long distance, from the steps to the fuel tanks!.
So I will leave my count at three, although I had many sightings.

None were fresh.

Trevor.

[bugboy]

I was there this afternoon Trevor, found a fresh male Common Blue and a definite 2 Cloudies. Only managed one of the blighters but I can see it was a different one to the one you got . All my action took place down by the fuel tanks on the Buddlejas.

[Katrina]

Useful to know Trevor and Bugboy,
I have to decide where to go tomorrow …

[millerd]

I was down there last Friday, Trevor, and I saw at least three male Cloudies - including one unusually small one and one unusually large one (the third one was somewhere in between). I need to check my photos to see what overlap there is! Like you, I saw them from one end of the site to the other - they cover a lot of ground!

Cheers,

Dave

[trevor]

Blighters sums up yesterday's Cloudies quite nicely, Paul.
It was just too warm, with too little cloud to calm them down.
I saw one on the Buddlejas, but the decomposed Fox on the path ensured
my visit to that area was brief! Talk about pen and ink!.

Ground covering was something they excelled at yesterday, Dave.
I was just lucky when they chose to nectar or go to ground.
Even so I missed far more shots than I got.

Hope your chosen destination today is fruitful, Katrina.

Stay well, all.
Trevor.

[trevor]

In my garden this morning.

[Maximus]

Wonderful Small Coppers, Trevor, including the ab caeruleopunctata and great to see the Cloudies too In an earlier post that was a stunning female Common Blue, she really stood out, great reports
Mike.

[trevor]

Thanks Mike. More Coppers today.

But first an incredible stroke of luck, and a photogenic gift!.

The one and only Painted Lady of the afternoon landed perfectly for an open wing shot.
Not only was it mint fresh and unmarked, it then flew on to Rudbeckia ' cone ' and posed
perfectly for a closed wing shot. The lighting was just right, with the butterfly set against
a dark background, creating an effect that I found very pleasing.

Hope you enjoy,
Trevor.

[bugboy]

Blighters sums up yesterday's Cloudies quite nicely, Paul.
It was just too warm, with too little cloud to calm them down.
I saw one on the Buddlejas, but the decomposed Fox on the path ensured
my visit to that area was brief! Talk about pen and ink!.

Ahh yes, the fox was still there, quite remarkable how much 'aroma' was coming from what was essentially a skeleton held together with leather and sinew!

[Katrina]

I went today but gave up quickly , sewage smell added to the aroma.
It looks like you were back at the castle Trevor? Great photos!

[trevor]

There were two surprises among today's Coppers. An ab and a very fresh female.
Once I had spotted the ab obtaining an image of it was another matter. Bees and
an amorous male ensured that this particular copper was always on the move, but
eventually I managed a shot to show the orange blobs at the base of the hindwing
instead of the normal orange band.
The fresh female was found on the ground, probably in the later stages of drying
her wings. She certainly displayed a wonderful sheen on the wings, even a bluish
purple on the forewing.

A great afternoon.
Trevor.

[trevor]

I wouldn't have swapped places with you today Katrina.
I had some wonderful photo opps, followed by coffee and cake,
in contrast to Southwick!.

Stay well,
Trevor.