Pauline

[Pauline]

Cheers Wurzel - won't bore you with the details but it was a challenging couple of days and I'm now totally shattered! Thankfully all well.

Thank you David - I dread to think about my next water bill as I was doing that most of the day; not just the hens but the aviaries etc. The rabbits, tortoise and a couple of chickens ended up in the kitchen. By 10.00pm last night I think I was worse off than any of them!

I managed to grab a couple of shots in the garden:

but the rest are from a brief trip early this morning to Oxenbourne, where, as yet, there are no SSS:

A handful of Small Skippers were egg-laying:

I thought I would look for some eggs but all I found were these?:

I also saw the biggest bee I have ever seen - don't know what sort it is. There were some that looked the same that were only one quarter of its size. Poor thing seemed to be host to some mites/ticks?

Hopefully the weather will remain significantly cooler now.

[Pauline]

Update on Speckled Wood:

14 July:

17 July - fully grown larva:

20 July (but been like this since 19th):

Today, frustratingly, just missed the first few seconds of the transition to pupa (was photographing something else at the time ) - and no second chances to capture the moment. Still incredibly interesting, thrashing around to discard the old skin........ and then, in the space of a few brief moments, the outline of a brand new butterfly can be seen:

[Wurzel]

Good to hear that all ended well - even if you were worn out by it all Strange that the Silver-spits aren't out yet - what with the warm weather I'd have thought that they'd have emerged already - perhaps it was too hot?

Have a goodun


Wurzel

[Pauline]

Seemed the perfect day for them Wurzel and I, too, thought they might be early altho' the 24th is the earliest I have seen them on this site - won't be long

Update on 2nd Common Blue:

It won't be long before the butterfly emerges (hopefully) so I have a question for the photographers out there. When these butterflies emerge they are scurrying around really fast for the whole time their wings are inflating. Many will know that I have a problem taking images of fast moving creatures, whether birds or something else. I normally shoot on AP. Should I change this perhaps to SP and if so what sort of speed - remember, my camera is quite basic and in the past when I have tried with SP, couldn't get the speed I needed as not enough light. Do I also need to adjust ISO? Or should I just use Sports mode? Any timely advice/suggestions really welcome.

[Pauline]

Drinker moth in the duck shed this morning. I was going to say not much in the way of fens or boggy areas here but after all that hosepipe action on Tuesday .................

[Pauline]

The second Common Blue emerged yesterday. I was a bit better prepared this time, knowing what to expect. I don't know about the other Blues but these really don't resemble butterflies when they first make an appearance - so much hair!:

Back up on the Common I waited patiently, dodging Horsefly bites, until I was sure the wings were dry and the butterfly was able to take flight:

[Wurzel]

She definitely had a bad case of 'Bed Head' Pauline I can't believe how hairy she is - she'd give my ragdoll cat Teddy a run for his money in the hirsute stakes

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Sublime emergence sequence, Pauline. This must give you such a sense of satisfaction.

[Pauline]

Thank you David - it certainly adds a different dimension to 'butterflying' and provides learning opportunities and the ability to witness stuff not usually seen.

Checking again for SSS without success. It was all about the Chalkhills - hundreds. I saw at least 10 mating pairs and got so complacent I even stopped photographing them. They were crashing into my face in their pursuit of the few available females, emerging all around me, egg-laying. They weren't the only ones - Marbled White, Small Skipper, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, DGF were a few of the species intent on oviposting. It was almost impossible to get any shots in this heat but I tried:

A couple were just inflating their wings but couldn't find the pupal case:

I have never seen these egg lay before but unlike Common Blue, the ones I watched today delved deep into the vegetation so this was the best I could do:

I did spot a second brood Dingy Skipper but only managed a distant shot before it disappeared:

[Pauline]

A few shots from Rake Bottom yesterday - it was alive with butterflies. I spent more time watching them and just enjoying the experience than taking photos. A beautifully fresh Painted Lady skillfully avoided being captured by the camera but by running up and down the valley sides I eventually caught up with the Clouded Yellow. The area is looking quite arid - very different from how I am used to seeing it..... and my legs are suffering today after the steep climb up!!!

Back home, an elderly Ringlet was noted on my orange-peel plant and the first SWF of the season was swooping around the garden, whilst a Comma appeared to be egg-laying on the nettles:

[Pauline]

Good to see my first SSS today but just a few record shots for now:

[MikeOxon]

I always like to see SSS - where did you find those?

[Pauline]

Hi Mike - good to hear from you. These are my local colony at Oxenbourne. You might remember that it is a small colony that has been hanging on by a thread for some years now with the site in need of serious management. I am pleased to say that a great deal of work has now been done on this site in a careful and sensitive manner so I am hopeful the colony will benefit in the future. A couple more shots below. The Chalkhills still dominate with many more mating pairs seen.

BTW, if anyone has been there recently (or knows of someone)and has lost some specs, they are currently in my possession. I only picked them up as I was afraid that the sun might reflect thru the glass and set the place alight!!!! Probably not, but better safe than sorry given the other fires around here.

This one got lucky. I managed to get to it before the spider did:

[Pauline]

Apologies for poor quality images but can anyone ID this please?

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Pauline
Lesser Whitethroat.
BWs, Neil

[Wurzel]

Cracking Cloudy Pauline and lovely set of Silver-spots - one of my fave species - I just wish they were around for even longer

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pauline]

SSS are so photogenic Wurzel, especially the females which are not out yet around here.

Thanks Neil. I have never knowingly seen one. I wouldn't have seen this one either if I'd blinked as it was gone in seconds. I only saw it as I was watching this family group, wondering if they would take one of the many butterflies - and I do know what these are :

[Pauline]

Very pretty Meadow Brown seen today:

along with many other butterflies. I have saved a few from spiders recently (a form of revenge for the nasty spider bite I received recently) but I was too late for this one:

[Katrina]

And very pretty Peacock!

[Pauline]

Wasn't she just Katrina - beautifully fresh, and here's another fresh one. Speckled Wood this time, which decided to emerge only 10 days after pupating: