Pauline

[Pauline]

Cheers Wurzel - already there!

Desperate for moisture - landing on bramble, nettle, bracken etc but not settling and always the wrong side of the sun.

[Wurzel]

Cracking but I was hoping that they'd hang about for a bit longer - oh well His Nibbs rarely does what you want him too

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

... I believe it was Neil F who took that fantastic photo of a Speckled Wood egg-laying some time ago...

It was indeed Pauline. I was honoured that Pete included that shot in his book.
I have been watching female Speckled Wood ever since hoping to get another similar shot but have not managed to get anything close.

Good to see you are already on to His Nibs. I am sure you will get some good photos before long.

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

...already there!

Well done, Pauline.

We're underway!

[Pauline]

Thank you M - pleased you liked the WA shots. You are sure to see some soon. Those dogs were probably fine but I can understand why you didn't want to take the chance; better safe than sorry!

You know what Wurzel, under the circumstances I'm quite pleased I got any shots at all. I've seen them like this many times in very hot weather and there is little point chasing after them.

Thank you David - there is just so much to see at this time of year, isn't there?

Hi Neil - I have often wondered why you never reared any of the eggs but I'm beginning to understand now. I had read that the eggs hatched shortly after the crown turned a dark colour so once they reached that stage I decided to watch and wait.So I watched and I waited, and I waited some more, and then more and then more...........and then it was dark and time for bed. The next morning both eggs had hatched. So, just to reflect all that waiting I shall post just a very tiny selection of the eggs as they continued their development over 24 hours:

........ and at last they made their appearance - big cats for only a few hours old:

[Pauline]

Still struggling to coax those WLH down to a reasonable level but as always the Skippers keep me amused whilst waiting. This site is crispy dry now and female Essex and Small Skippers struggle to find places to egg-lay. Desperately need some rain:

How many Skippers acn you count?

[Pauline]

The weather being what it is provides another opportunity to review the development of the immatures. I have not reared Common Blue before so I am finding it really interesting, not least the camouflage of those tiny larva.

Just hatched - can you even see it?

One day old:

Shedding skin:

As of today:

[Pauline]

Given the weather - warm, humid, overcast - I thought I would spend a little time with my local Marbled Whites this afternoon. Very striking butterflies I always think, and another species that presents few difficulties when photographing:

I watched with some alarm as 4 males tried to mate with a female low down in the grass before she had even expanded her wings. After about 30 secs of this I decided it was time to intervene, but alas, I fear she may have been significantly compromised by their attentions:

I watched a great deal of egg-laying and was taking note of the plants they seemed to favour. It was in doing this that I noticed what I initially thought was an ant on this clover but closer inspection revealed a spider. I have just read that there is such a thing as an ant mimic spider. Is this one perhaps?

Hearing the Turtles Doves continual purring in the background was lovely but on this occasion I couldn't get a better shot than this

I've been asking too much of my camera too many times just recently!

Edit: this one looks as if it has a bit of a plant stuck on its proboscis but not sure which plant it came from:

[Goldie M]

Hi! Pauline, I didn't realise so many Butterflies were out now , (That's what comes of being in the North for so long )

I'll have to see if the Marbled Whites are out here yet, another trip to Temple Ewell before I move I think :

You've posted some great shots lately Pauline, I always thought the Emperor was out mid July, that's when I saw him last, well done with that Pauline. Goldie

[Pauline]

Thank you Goldie - I think you'll find you'll be seeing many species a lot earlier than you are used to

Today, despite the wind and grey skies, I decided I would look for Purple Hairstreak on the coast. The sea was quite choppy which suited the windsurfers just fine. There was a large organised event and it was great fun watching them. I was talking to someone who explained that there are different types of boards including ones that come out of the water like this:

The Hairstreaks took a bit of finding in this weather but I managed to track down a few fresh ones

[Wurzel]

Fantastic Purps and Marbs Pauline Hopefully I'll be able to find a few myself next weekend when I'm let off the leash

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pauline]

Cheers Wurzel - nice of you to say so. I forgot to add that I saw my first Grayling of the season - a female - on the Hairstreak site. The wind blew her away before I could get a shot but she was quite a way from where I normally see them. As I couldn't find her I walked across to the usual area but couldn't find a single one. If they had any sense at all they would all have been hunkered down.

Today I saw my first Gatekeeper of the season:

[Pauline]

A few more immature stages:

3 day old Speckled Wood:

Clouded Yellow:

Several more Brimstone have now pupated:

Common Blue:

[Pauline]

I really hope I can do better than this before the season is over. I am inclined to think it is the weather which is stopping them from coming down low. I visited 3 WLH sites this morning and saw a handful of butterflies ranging from tatty males to pristine females but they were staying at the back of a large bramble patch and quite high up:

[Pauline]

A lovely Buff Ermine moth in the duck shed this morning:

and by way of contrast, the White Ermine that I found in the same place a short while ago:

[millerd]

Your experiences with the WLH, Pauline, mirror mine on my only encounter with them this year. For the most part they stayed well back on the brambles and mostly silhouetted against the light, resulting in very-looking images. There must be some common external factor (mine were a long way from yours) - weather is certainly a possibility.

Dave

[Neil Freeman]

I really hope I can do better than this before the season is over. I am inclined to think it is the weather which is stopping them from coming down low.

Any one of those shots is better than anything I have ever managed of this species. I see them most years but up here I have just not found anywhere where they come down low.

Nice comparison of the two Ermine Moths. These two can sometimes be confusing with some female White Ermine being a pale buff colour and some female Buff Ermine being white . It's all in the pattern of spots.

Cheers,

Neil

[Goldie M]

Hi! Pauline, Your certainly finding the Hair Streaks, I don't know where to find the White Letter HS round here but they must be here some Where, and I see you've found the Gate Keeper has well Not seen that in the woods yet but the flowers it likes are there. Keep them coming Goldie

[Pauline]

We certainly need the rain Dave but I've had enough of the persistent gales down here. Even when I was trying to get shots of that PE, each time he touched down the wind blew him flat over - and that was on the ground, never mind high up in the trees!

If you're ever down here at the right time of year Neil, then I'll show you where. Just to illustrate your point re Ermine moths, this is a shot I took last year of a pair of White Ermine mating in the garden:

Doing my best M

[Pauline]

Between the showers this afternoon I thought I would check to see if the Chalkhill Blues were emerging on a local early site. They weren't but there was plenty happening. There were about half a dozen female DGF egg-laying, in particular one which was huge and dark in colour but I couldn't get near her. Some were looking very worn:

I also discovered there are Essex Skippers here - I never knew that!

Many Marbled Whites still egg-laying - and still emerging. I came across another mating pair down in the wet grass. Like before, her wings hadn't yet fully expanded and were quite floppy and, like before, they were being assaulted by other males. This time I did intervene. I encouraged them to climb onto a stem and 'guarded them' until I considered she was safe, when I put them in a sheltered spot. She had already sustained some damage to one wing but hopefully this won't hinder her too much:

Her better side:

Seems like I'll have to pay a return visit for the Chalkhills but that won't be any hardship!