Neil Freeman

[Pauline]

It's definitely not as bad as my worst ever shot Dave. I managed to get the 3 male OT's together in one image but they were circling round each other and the result was something so blurred it is hard to recognise them as butterflies!!! It feels like hard work this season so far, don't you think?

[Neil Freeman]

...It's definitely not as bad as my worst ever shot Dave...

Thanks Pauline, although I'm Neil, I was wondering if you were doing a 'Trigger' on me there

Friday 28th April.

After another wet night and a dull and cloudy morning, it gradually improved until we had some nice sunny spells later this afternoon. I spent a bit of time pottering about my still quite soggy garden during which I spotted two different male Speckled Woods checking out the usual spots.

Speckled Wood - Coverdale 28.04.2023

Speckled Wood - Coverdale 28.04.2023

I also had brief flypasts by a Holly Blue and a white that was gone before I had chance to ID it.

I see that temperatures are on the up this coming weekend although it does look like there is a lot of cloud and some rain in our forecast for here as well. Oh well! lets see how it pans out.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Neil Freeman]

Saturday 29th April.

Saturday turned out to be a day of two very different halves. The forecast had said we would get rain on and off all day but in the end it was on all morning and then off all afternoon. The clouds gradually broke up during the afternoon to give us some nice warm sunny spells with possibly our warmest temperatures so far this year although everthing was still soggy after the soaking we had during the morning.

I popped into the garden a few times when the sun came out and spotted three Speckled Wood, two of which were a pair in cop settled in full view.

Speckled Wood pair - Coverdale 29.04.2023

I only had time for the one photo before the second male barged in on them and they all took off down the garden. A bit later I photographed a SW basking down by where they had gone, possibly one from the pair but can't be sure.

Speckled Wood female - Coverdale 29.04.2023

Although I see plenty of Speckled Wood here in my garden and at my local spots, I rarely see mating pairs of this species, I think this is only my third time and the second here in the garden. I see far more courtship behaviour with the female usually playing dead to reject the male.

Speaking of courtship behavior, at one point I watched a male Orange-tip fly in and dive down into the vegetation where he had discovered a female, this being the first female OT I have seen so far this year. She presented him with the classic rejection pose and he gave up and flew off, quickly followed by the female.

Orange-tip pair - Coverdale 29.04.2023

Orange-tip pair - Coverdale 29.04.2023

Orange-tip female in rejection pose - Coverdale 29.04.2023

I saw male Orange-tips passing through a few times and I suspect there were two different individuals going around their circuits. I base this on the timings of their visits and the fact that they appeared to be following two distinct routes around the neighbours gardens. I was fortunate at one point to catch one of them briefly stop on my spanish bluebells, just long enough to get a couple of shots before he was off again.

Orange-tip - Coverdale 29.04.2023

Orange-tip - Coverdale 29.04.2023

Later in the afternoon the clouds began to build up again and during the evening we had a load more rain. As I write this on Sunday morning it is cloudy outside and looks to be remaining so all day...if I believe the forecast that is

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Pauline]

Apologies Neil. I thought Wurzel had started a new trend as apparently I am now Goldie!

Just wanted to say that is a lovely image of the mating Speckled Wood, and to have it in the garden too! I haven't seen a single one so far this season.

[Wurzel]

Great capture of the Specklies in cop Dave..I mean Neil They're tricky to see when they're 'at it' Lovely looking Orange-tips too although that male isn't as lucky as the Mr. Specklie

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Pauline. No worries about the name, I think we all do it sometimes, more often as we get older

Cheers Trigger...I mean Wurzel .

Monday 1st May - Bank Holiday Monday

Well, the forecast for sunday was right in the end...it did stay cloudy all day. Today (Monday) started off damp and dismal after some more overnight rain but it eventually brightend up somewhat in the afternoon until a gap appeared in the clouds around 2.30pm and we saw a bit of blue sky. Over the next couple of hours the clouds thinned and we were treated to some decent sunny spells which raised the temperature with the butterflies in the garden responding accordingly.

As usual, the first ones flying were Speckled Wood with a couple of males chasing each other about and landing in their usual favourite spots.

Speckled Wood - Coverdale 01.05.2023

Speckled Wood - Coverdale 01.05.2023

There were definitly two different male Orange-tips passing through repeatedly today as on one occasion I was watching one flying in my neighbours garden when a second one flew past me from behind. They were very active in the warm spells but one eventually fluttered around my lilac (which is just begining to flower) and my spanish bluebells and stopped just long enough for me to grab couple of quick shots.

Orange-tip - Coverdale 01.05.2023

Orange-tip - Coverdale 01.05.2023

Later on, one of them landed right in front of me as I was watching the Specklies having one of their tussles and posed with his wings open.

Orange-tip - Coverdale 01.05.2023

Although I know that some people do not like spanish bluebells due to their invasive nature and the fact that they hybidise with our native species, I find them an invaluable flower for attracting spring butterflies in my garden, especially Orange-tips and Holly Blues. This afternoon a Holly Blue proved the point by fluttering around a coupleof clumps and settling a couple of times.

Holly Blue - Coverdale 01.05.2023

Holly Blue - Coverdale 01.05.2023

Around 4.30pm the clouds returned and a the breeze picked up a bit. I am currently seeing a lot of cloud in the forecast for the next few days, but then again today turned out better than the forecast indicated so we'll see. Fingers crossed.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

"play it nice and cool, son, nice and cool, know what I mean?"
Cracking set of shots again Neil - your garden comes up trumps for Specklies, OTs and Holly Blues

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Katrina]

Yes must be wonderful to have OTs in your garden

[trevor]

All of the above visit my garden, but spread out through the season, not in one go !
Another for male and female OT's in the same shot.

Trevor.

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Wurzel, Katrina and Trevor
This is the time of year that my garden often produces the same species that my local sites do albeit in smaller numbers.

Wednesday 3rd May.

I had a couple of errands to run this morning but once these were done I pottered about in the garden for a bit with my camera at hand in case any opportunities presented themselves. By now it was feeling quite pleasant with the sun shining from mostly clear blues skies with just a bit of wispy high level cloud about, although there was a cool breeze holding the temperature down a bit..
A couple of male Speckled Wood were sparring over the usual favourite spots and settling occasionally with their wings tightly closed in the bright sunlight.
After going in for a bit of lunch, I went back out into the garden just in time to see an Orange-tip settle on my Spanish bluebells and grabbing my camera I managed to get a couple of quick shots before it was off again.

Orange-tip - Coverdale Road 03.05.2023

I spent another hour in the garden and had return visits from a couple of Orange-tips and Holly Blues (or maybe the same ones on repeat circuits) but by now they weren’t stopping despite the still quite cool wind.

I then decided to have a wander down to my local spot by Wagon Lane to see if anything had changed since my last visit about a week ago. The first obvious difference was that the blackthorn blossom was nearly all over now with even the later flowering stands now browned off by the recent cold nights.
Despite fewer numbers than a week or so back, Small Tortoiseshells were still the most numerous species with around a dozen seen, including some engaged in courtship behaviour.

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 03.05.2023

Small Tortoiseshell pair - Wagon Lane 03.05.2023

Small Tortoiseshell pair - Wagon Lane 03.05.2023

Just two Peacocks were seen, in the same spots as last time and quite possibly the same individuals that I had seen here before, just looking a bit more faded now.

Peacock - Wagon Lane 03.05.2023

Peacock - Wagon Lane 03.05.2023

I was just thinking that I hadn’t seen a Comma here today when I spotted one basking on a bramble patch. This remained the only one seen here today.

Comma - Wagon Lane 03.05.2023

There were more ‘whites’ about today with around a dozen seen although these were nearly all too far away and too active to confirm their IDS. The only one that I am sure of was a female Orange-tip that I spotted settled by the side of the path.

Orange-tip female - Wagon Lane 03.05.2023

I addition to these I reckon I saw half or dozen or so male Orange-tips but again they were too active to get close to.

Equally as active were the half dozen or so Holly Blues that I saw and although I saw a couple of these settle they were high up and out of reach of any decent shots. The photo below is a close crop of the only one that was close enough that I could be bothered to try and photograph.

Holly blue - Wagon Lane 03.05.2023

Back home again later in the afternoon I popped into the garden with a coffee and waited to see what came along. I soon spotted a fresh looking Speckled Wood that had joined the other two.

Speckled Wood - Coverdale 03.05.2023

With the sun now getting lower the Orange-tips began to slow down a bit and I was chuffed to see eventually see one settle on one on my white Spanish bluebells with his wings wide open.

Orange-tip - Coverdale 03.05.2023

Bookended by an Orange-tip to start with and then one to finish with, it was another one of those days that turned out better than the early forecast had indicated. Lets hope a few more do that.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[Pauline]

Really like those shots of the 2 ST Neil. Lovely composition and so much trickier than just the one butterfly. They seem to be in short supply round here.

[Wurzel]

I too really like the courting Small Tort shots Neil The size difference between the sexes is really apparent in those shots, something I'd not really noticed before

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[essexbuzzard]

I like the Torts as well. They are present here, but in low numbers. I think last years drought did for them here. With the lush growth on nettles, let’s hope they bounce back in early summer.

The Orange Tip on the white Spanish bluebell is rather nice, too.

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Pauline. I am fortunate in that I have a good site for Small Torts within walking distance, plenty of large nettle beds that the local council can't get at.

Cheers Wurzel. I posted a couple of pairs of Small Torts on the previous page in which the size difference is less obvious. I reckon there is a certain amount of variation in size of both species.

Thanks Mark. From what I have seen reported over the past couple of years, there seems to be a north/south divide developing in this species. My brother up in Newcastle tells me he is seeing loads up there and I see other reports of good numbers in the northern half of the country. Of course this is probably a reflection of the fact the the south was more effected by the droughts last year but then again that is often the case with the north usually seeing more rain than the south.


Thursday 4th May.

A cooler day today with a lot more cloud about, most of it high level stuff that with a blustery easterly wind prevented it from warming up properly for most of the day. Nevertheless there were a few spells when the cloud thinned and allowed the sun to peek through albeit for fairly short spells.

I had to go out in the morning but back home early in the afternoon I spotted a female Orange-tip fluttering down the garden and come to rest.

Orange-tip female - Coverdale 04.05.2023

I had just taken a couple of photos when a male appeared and instead of sitting there and displaying the rejection pose she took off and disappeared with the male in pursuit.

Later in the afternoon I spotted another female fly in, I believe this was a different female to the earlier one by subtle differences in her black markings. I was slowly approaching her when a male came in and zeroed in on her and started the usual fluttering around her. He was quite persistent and kept up his antics for some time as she sat their displaying her rejection pose. This gave me time to put my camera onto sports mode and fire off a load of shots.

Orange-tip pair - Coverdale 04.05.2023

Orange-tip pair - Coverdale 04.05.2023

Orange-tip pair - Coverdale 04.05.2023

Orange-tip pair - Coverdale 04.05.2023

At one point a thicker cloud came over and it went quite dull which made the male fly off and the female closed her wings as if to roost.

Orange-tip female - Coverdale 04.05.2023

A few minutes later it brightened up a bit again, not proper sunny but bright enough for the male to quickly reappear and start another attempt at trying it on.

Orange-tip pair - Coverdale 04.05.2023

Orange-tip pair - Coverdale 04.05.2023

Orange-tip pair - Coverdale 04.05.2023

Orange-tip pair - Coverdale 04.05.2023

After another spell of this he finally gave up and flew off down the garden where he found one of my small bowles mauve plants.

Orange-tip - Coverdale 04.05.2023

This is one of a couple of small plants that I grew on from cuttings taken last year, a good job I did as I lost my other (bigger) plants over the winter. I must remember to get some more cuttings this year as these are only short lived plants anyway.

Apart from the Orange-tips, a couple of male Speckled Wood were chasing each other about in the brighter spells but I was concentrating on the OTs and pretty much ignored them.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Pauline]

You're setting the bar high Neil! Lovely sharp images despite the frantic activity that this sequence co clearly portrays. I'd be delighted to obtain a set of shots like that.

[trevor]

An amazing OT sequence Neil. She's clearly not interested.

[Wurzel]

Cracking Orange-tip sequence Neil I was lucky enough to see something similar at Martin Down the other day involving Brimstones and it got me some cracking open wing shots I can't help thinking that this is the butterfly equivalent of 'flipping the bird'

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Thansk for the comments Pauline, Trevor and Wurzel

I can't help thinking that this is the butterfly equivalent of 'flipping the bird'

Yep, sounds about right Wurzel

Sunday 7th May.

After an awful Saturday with rain most of the day, today (Sunday) was much better with some nice sunny spells and decent temperatures that reached the high teens this afternoon. I still have a couple of little jobs on the go in the house but found time to pop into the garden every now and then with a coffee and my camera to hand.

A couple of male Specklies were up to their usual antics and I managed to get a few shots when they slowed down a bit when a cloud passed over the sun.

Speckled Wood - Coverdale 07.05.2023

Speckled Wood - Coverdale 07.05.2023

Speckled Wood - Coverdale 07.05.2023

A couple each of Orange-tip and Holly Blue came motoring through at a high rate of knots and later in the afternoon one of the Holly Blues touched down a couple of times on my Spanish bluebells, but only briefly each time which didn’t give me enough time to get a better angle.

Holly Blue - Coverdale 07.05.2023

Holly Blue - Coverdale 07.05.2023

I kept an eye out for an Orange-tip settling but unfortunately today it wasn’t to be.

Over the past few days I had seen reports that there was a bit of an influx of Red Admirals down south and I saw my first one here today, what looked like a female that checked out my nettles briefly before heading off again at full speed.

Red Admiral - Coverdale 07.05.2023

This is the earliest that I have ever seen a Red Admiral around here, I have seen them earlier but that is when I have been down south i.e. in mid April last year down in Bosham.

As I write this on Bank Holiday Monday morning, it is raining outside and looks to be wet all day here…typical Bank Holiday weather

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Goldie M]

Fantastic shots Neil, Goldie

[David M]

That's a phenomenal sequence of Orange Tip behaviour from 4th May, Neil. Pin sharp in-flight images.

Nice too to see your garden dwellers, Holly Blue & Speckled Wood.