Goldie M

[Goldie M]

Thanks a lot David and Neil for your posts, I'm looking forward to next year and what it will bring Butterfly wise

I've just got to have the patience to wait

I've got my family around me now, when I move it will be a twenty minute Journey for them instead of a six hour one, I can get out in my car and search for these Butterfly sites too without having to leave which will be great

I thought of you Neil the other day, I've a bit more time at present and was looking into some of the Moth photos I've taken over the years when I came across these, I always seemed to miss out on the Silver Y photo wise, but I'd forgotten this shot I took in
2018 , also A White Spotted Sable Moth,( I think that's what it's called,) I took that photo at Gait Barrow, ) taken in 2015
I'll be looking to set up some thing in my small garden to attract moths so may need advice. Goldie

[Wurzel]

That Sable Moth is cracking looking Goldie I hope you're keeping well and things are ticking over house wise

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Aaah! Anania funebris, Goldie.

I recall seeing one of these in Swansea a few years back, and the local moth group got quite excited when I reported it. It's not at all common so great find.

Here's the UK distribution:

https://easymap.nbnatlas.org/EasyMap?tv ... ill=39B0D5

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel and David, It's amazing what you find when you start going back through your shot's

Things seem to be ticking over nicely with the house , we've a surveyor looking at it , it's just a question that if every thing's okay we can set a date for moving, it looks like it'll be after `Christmas but that's okay, we've been getting the lights out ready for the Christmas tree's , and i've just bought two Ham's so it's all go at present much better than last year, the Grand children are in and out , one of them's a Chef and treated us to a meal over the week-end

The best thing I did was to move.

Hope you have a great Christmas Wurzel and David, if I find any more different shots I'll post them. Goldie

[Allan.W.]

Hello Goldie,
You done well to get a shot of the Anania Funebris .....................they don,t keep still ! , and you should be lucky to get another crack at them ,as there is a good population in Denge Wood ,Chartham and i generally see a few while looking for the Dukes there ,i,d say that this is a must visit site for you n Kent ,excellent for butterflies ,moths plants (orchids !) and birds ................. the Bluebells and Lady Orchids are stunning !
Regards Allan.W.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Allan, I've been to Denge Woods and I was amazed to find Silver Washed Frits there, that was ages ago, my Husband was alive then, I found the way there very muddy at the time and although I looked for Dukes I never found them, I'm not sure where to park either as we only went there once, my Husband wasn't too keen on the road because it was very muddy at the time and lots of ditches, we did think there could be another way in but we never really looked,

I wouldn't have a clue where to look for the Dukes, if you could tell me the best way into the woods and where I could find them that would be great, I haven't seen them in years, it would be good to see them again. Goldie

[Allan.W.]

Hello Goldie,
To be honest ,there isn,t an easy way into Bonsai bank (Denge wood ) and any way you go , the roads are VERY narrow , when we get a bit nearer
the time i,ll send you some instructions of where to head for,( and where to look),there is a closer entrance to the site at Garlinge Green ,but i think the parking is quite a problem there.....................never been in this way either myself . I,ve never seen Silver Wash there ,but i did know they were present ,i rarely visit after late May ,many years ago when the Bonsai bank section was a lot clearer (than at present ) I saw Pearl Borders there .........
but unfortunately they are now long gone !
Other species present are Green Hairstreak and a few Dingy Skippers .
Regards Allan.W.

[David M]

Hope you have a great Christmas David...

Thank you, Goldie. May yours be a distinct improvement on 2020 (I know it's going to be!)

[Goldie M]

Thanks for the info Allan, I look forward to hearing from you.

I'm surprised to hear about Denge wood , you'd think Butterfly Conservation would want to look after it because of all the Butterflies of different species there and make it easier to get there, I suppose that's the council's problem really but it's such a shame.

Anyway have a great Christmas Allan and a happy New Year Roll on Spring, Goldie

[Allan.W.]

Thankyou Goldie ,and i hope you also have a happy and healthy Christmas ! On the subject of Denge wood ,the Butterfly conservation volunteers ,do work really hard to keep the site open ,and they have done wonders there ! if it wasn,t for them the main Duke area would have scrubbed over many years ago ,and they have also been trying to encourage them to move along certain corridors to other areas within the forest
must admit that i haven,t visited these other areas as yet . Perhaps next year i,ll give you a grid ref to another site which is quieter than Denge wood
during peak season ...................only drawback at this site ............... is that the access roads are even narrower .or alternatively a long (but glorious ) walk from a reasonable parking spot ! Regards Allan.W.

[Goldie M]

That will be great Allan. pleased to hear about things being done for the Butterflies, I don't mind narrow roads if they're passable and not covered in mud like Denge wood, if you get stuck in a ditch there I bet you can't get out Goldie

[Goldie M]

Just posted to say, A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERY ONE AND A HAPPY NEW BUTTERFLY YEAR Goldie

[Wurzel]

And a Happy Christmas and New Year to you too Goldie! May Father Christmas bring you many a Grizzlie

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERY ONE AND A HAPPY NEW BUTTERFLY YEAR Goldie

Best wishes to you, Goldie. Next year is going to be an exciting time for you in a new location with a different cast of butterflies on your doorstep.

Enjoy!

[Goldie M]

Hi! David, I really hope the weather is better than last year, really looking forward to Spring

Last Night I woke up about 3-30am , I looked out of the window and saw this red light in the sky, at first I thought it was an Helicopter but it didn't move and stayed in the same place, then I thought it could be the Satellite ,but surely that would move also? In the end I got my camera out and took these shots through the window, needless to say I went to bed none the wiser,

Considering the time, I thought I'd wait until morning wondering if it was some thing on somebodies chimney, but when I looked out this morning there was nothing higher than the Tree top's , anybody any Idea's.

I took shots and made them closer on my computer, but the light never moved and remained static. Goldie

[Padfield]

Hi Goldie. What woke you up, and why did you go to the window? How long was the red pair in the sky for? The first two pictures are taken 7 seconds apart but the third is over a minute later. Intriguing!

Guy

[Goldie M]

Hi! Guy, I woke up to go to the toilet it's separate from the bathroom, and the small window overlooks the garden , I looked out over the garden because we've had a fox in the garden a few times and I wondered if it was in the garden, you can image my feelings when I saw the red Light, I can't say for sure how long it was there before I saw it, but I went quietly back into the room after watching it for a few seconds to get my camera because it seemed so static, I was dead curious.

It took me a few minutes to get the camera, then I realised I'd the wrong lens on for taking the shots, so I went back into the bedroom and changed the lens to a larger one which I've used before for taking distant shots of Butterflies also night shots of the moon. I thought it would have gone by then but it was still there , after I'd taken the shots I went back to bed thinking the shots wouldn't be much good because I'd taken them through the window and the subject was quite distant, also I was sure if anything was out there others may have seen it coming back from late parties etc.

Then today when I checked the shots on my computer, I realised after all, I'd got the red light and even if the glass gave a reflection it showed the thing to be static, when I showed them to my Daughter this morning she laughed and said " Big Brothers' watching us " and that's it really, I just posted in case others had seen it. Goldie

[Padfield]

I didn't mean to pry into your nocturnal habits, Goldie! I just wondered if there had been other noises or lights that had roused you from your slumbers, that might have given a clue.

My best bet is that it's a Chinese lantern, though why it's double I don't know. They can seem to hang in the air like that. But the sky's a busy place these days. In April 2020 I watched a stream of lights moving through the sky and was quite baffled until I did some research and found they were just maverick billionaire Elon Musk putting satellites into space, as you do. Living near US air bases I've seen quite a few weird things at night.

Guy

[Goldie M]

That's okay Guy Age is a wondrous thing (at times )

I can't resist taking shots of weird things, example below have a good year Guy Goldie

[David M]

You do take some great pictures of the skies, Goldie....including some things that cannot be explained!