millerd

[millerd]

Thank you all for your concern - the problem is that I stupidly somehow managed to leave the thing on a train on the way home from London after my trip to York. I am hoping (unlikely though that probably is) that either TfL or Heathrow lost property will have found it. A lot of photos were on it from 2023 and 2024, but obviously a number of the better ones were posted here on UKB in my diary or in other threads, so are retrievable. There are also a few on iRecord, and one or two others I've emailed elsewhere that exist in my mailbox sent items folder.

The most annoying loss of butterfly photos is of those from the last few weeks which I hadn't got round to posting here yet. Also annoying is that the spreadsheet data for 2023 and 2024 that I keep of local sightings is lost too (though some of the info is in my PD on here). Everything up to December 2022 was backed up, I'm pleased to say.

Luckily, my youngest offspring produced a spare laptop from somewhere, reset it to its original state, and handed it over - once logged into my various accounts, magically all sorts of saved settings reappeared. However, the moral of the story is - back everything up all the time, and don't leave things on trains!

I went out locally this morning, found around 80 butterflies of 10 species, took a fair few photos and felt a bit less annoyed with myself...

Cheers,

Dave

[Pete Eeles]

Glad to hear you’re recovering everything, albeit gradually, Dave. Do let me know if it would help for me to download all your images (which will have been resized potentially) and send them to you … I can easily write some code to do this.

I had a PC die (hard disk drive failure) about a decade ago, which forced me to rethink my entire backup strategy. Everything is now backed up every hour to a second disk drive using Time Machine (I use Apple) and constantly to the cloud (using a combination of iCloud and Backblaze).

Cheers,

- Pete

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Dave. Just catching up on your PD, sorry to hear about your laptop incident but glad it looks like you can recover most of your photos.

My son built me a new desktop PC earlier in the year and I was amazed to discover how much stuff was saved in various places online. Although very helpful, I couldn't help but be a bit concerned over the size of my digital footprint, a lot of which I was unaware of.

Over the past few years I have got into the habit of backing up my photos to an external hard drive roughly every week and especially after my return from any trips away from home.

Cheers,

Neil.

[millerd]

Many thanks for your offer, Pete - I have sent you a PM on the topic.

Cheers, Neil - yes, I shall be much more rigorous in backing things up now. It's a habit I should have adopted a long time ago.

Overall, the biggest loss of photos is for the period 3rd - 20th August this year, for which only the few shots I've posted in the August sightings thread are available. During this fortnight or so, I went out somewhere every day, including trips to Bookham, Box Hill, Denbies, Aston Rowant and Shipton Bellinger - as well as numerous local walks. The most interesting bits, and one or two photos, are in the August sightings thread, so there is little point in rehashing those entries here. Consequently, I will restart my PD after 20th.

Dave

[Pete Eeles]

Many thanks for your offer, Pete - I have sent you a PM on the topic.

Hi Dave - nothing received! You can just email too: pete@ukbutterflies.co.uk

Cheers,

- Pete

[millerd]

Hi Dave - nothing received! You can just email too: pete@ukbutterflies.co.uk

Cheers,

- Pete

Cheers, Pete - I've just done so.

Dave

[millerd]

On Tuesday 20th August, I headed up to the York area to stay with my sister for a few days - where unfortunately the weather was somewhat cooler, though largely dry until late on 22nd.

There was a distinct lack of butterflies in my sister's garden, though there was evidence that there had been a few visitors.

Large areas of the nasturtium display had been skeletonised. The caterpillars do eat the flowers as well, but leave then till last. I understand - I'm quite partial to a nasturtium flower myself.

A few Small Whites were still around, and I also spotted a couple of Red Admirals.

The 22nd was breezy, but fairly warm and dry, and after walk around the woods at Allerthorpe, I dropped into one of my favourite spots in the locality -Calley Heath. This bit of sandy heath is effectively one big rabbit warren, and the grass is usually nibbled very short with just clumps of ragwort and bugloss sticking up and patches of sheep's sorrel here and there. However (like everywhere this year) the grass was very long, and made the site more treacherous than usual by obscuring all the entrances to the bunny burrows.

The site is one of the most reliable I know for Small Coppers, and it wasn't long before I found one. Curiously, when I moved in to take a shot or two, I found the frame had been invaded by a Meadow Brown which rather surprisingly didn't shut its wings as I approached.

I did a couple of careful circuits, but found no more Coppers, though there were a few more Meadow Browns, a GVW or two, a gaggle of Gatekeepers by the entrance, and a single Common Blue.

The icing on what had been an otherwise unspectacular cake came in the form of a male Wall.

I have seen these on the Yorkshire coast at Bridlington, and some years ago now came across a few at Kiplingcotes (but not since), so was surprised to find this individual so far from the coast. The nearest "sea" is about 20km or so away - the head of the Humber estuary near Howden. Maybe the species is starting to recolonise more inland areas?

Dave

[millerd]

Back home from Yorkshire, and all the angst around the loss of my laptop - compounded on 24th August by what has been a bit unusual down here since mid-July, a wet day.

However, Sunday 25th was much better, with 8 hours of sunshine, though temperatures only reached 22 degrees locally. I set about renewing my acquaintance with my local patch (a lot can happen in nearly a week) and did a lengthy circuit. I found around 85 butterflies of 11 species, with the recently-discovered patch still boasting numbers of Common Blue and Brown Argus, plus a bonus butterfly joining them, a Small Copper.

This was clearly not a new butterfly, but I'd not spotted it on my previous recent visits though as a male on territory it had almost certainly been flying around the same spot.

I initially concentrated on the Brown Argus, which included a few new-looking examples - like this female.

I was not the only one that had taken an interest...

...

After all this attention, she left backwards, with the attentive male remaining on the flower.

A few of the others seen.

The Brown Argus outnumbered the Common Blues 3:2 today, and all the later looked a little worn...

...or a lot.

It was good to see a selection of fresh Small Heaths - apparently a third brood of this species (the second brood had two distinct peaks as well, so it may be more complicated).

Also notable today were the three species of Whites, with fresh examples of each - though I managed shots of only two of them.

Holly Blue numbers have been down in their second brood, but they are still almost everywhere in their reduced numbers.

The other species seen today:Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and Small White.

I suspected I might be stuck on my local patch for a few days now, as the car was headed garagewards for a service, MOT and in response to one of those nagging warning messages from the engine... Oh well, at least there appears to be no shortage of butterflies at the moment.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Just catching up with your PD Dave - so sorry to hear about your laptop loss, I know that you would have had some cracking shots from the trips I accompanied you on
Still the recently posted Brown Argus shots must have cheered you up a little, there are some crackers there

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel - you're spot on about losing the shots from Shipton B. and Aston Rowant - I was particularly miffed to lose the Wall photos from the former trip that I'd taken early in the day on the way up from the village. Rarely do they behave so well! Still, I have one or two shots that I posted in the August sightings thread, as Pete has kindly retrieved everything that made its way onto UKB in some form or another during 2023/4.

Monday 26th August was a broadly similar day and I set out locally once again first thing before any cloud had a chance to build. 12 species made an appearance, the addition today being a few fresh Commas. One was seen initially enjoying some of the many fermenting blackberries, the aroma of which pervades the whole walk at times just now.

Another just basked.

The last one was very new indeed, with spots of meconial fluid from the pupa visible on the leaf below the butterflly.

One of the Brown Argus today was particularly small, dwarfed by the fleabane flower it was nectaring from.

Others were of more standard proportions.

There were a few Common Blues hiding among them too...

...and the solitary Small Copper in the same spot chasing everything else.

Other species:

This just left the Whites. Large Whites seem much more easily photographed at this time of year than in spring (when they spend most of their time high in the trees).

GVW were the commonest of the three today, though.

Dave

[Pete Eeles]

Pete has kindly retrieved everything that made its way onto UKB in some form or another

You're welcome, Dave. Although I would like to stress that members shouldn't use UKB as a backup mechanism, otherwise we'll have to start charging

Cheers,

- Pete

[Wurzel]

"you're spot on about losing the shots from Shipton B. and Aston Rowant "
Lovely looking Commas Dave, it's great the way the light affects their colour so Also that diminutive Brown Argus is also a little shy in the spot department

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

I shall be taking better care of my images from now on, Pete!

Cheers, Wurzel - fresh Commas just seem to glow...

On Tuesday 27th August (another warm (25C) and sunny (8 hours) day) after dropping my car off for a few issues to be dealt with, I decided to carry out one of my periodic counts on my local patch.

GVW 26
Small Heath 21
Small White 15
Large White 14
Holly Blue 12
Brown Argus 12
Common Blue 9
Speckled Wood 8
Red Admiral 5
Comma 4
Meadow Brown 4
Small Copper 1
Brimstone 1

13 species: 132 butterflies.

It's interesting to see that sufficient heat and sunshine will rouse the odd Brimstone from hibernation. Hopefully all the fresh white butterflies will have time to produce another generation - which will spend the winter as chrysalids. I tried to limit the photos while counting, but failed as usual...

Gave

[millerd]

Wednesday 28th August was hot (back up to 29C again), and my local walk was a short one. I managed a few shots of Holly Blues in the shade, but that was all.

Somewhat surprisingly, I counted 14 altogether - they seem to enjoy flying in shady conditions on a hot day.

Dave

[David M]

...On Tuesday 27th August....GVW 26...

That's an impressive day's total for that species, Dave.

12 Brown Argus ain't bad either given how rough things have been for them in 2024.

[Wurzel]

You're getting closer with those Small Whites being Southern Dave concave discal spots, greater range on the tip markings but not quite low enough, not far to go though More cracking Brown Arguses...or Argi

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

While the other two Whites have had a poor season (until recently), David, the GVW has done pretty well here in all its broods, including the current one which must be the third of the year going by peaks and troughs in numbers.

As for Brown Argus, their second brood seems to be a somewhat drawn out emergence as I've been seeing new ones from mid-July onwards. The majority have been recently, and they have been quite amenable subjects as you've spotted, Wurzel. As for Small Whites, this is the time of year when every one deserves a close look, particularly when there has been a spell of winds from the near continent. One day a SSW will turn up under the nose of someone who knows what it is and has a camera ready...

Thursday 29th August was thankfully a bit cooler, but was a very sunny day. The Brown Argus continued to show off nicely...

...but the Common Blues were not so accommodating today. The latter were far more spread out as well.

Holly Blues were trickier than both today, and are definitely showing signs of finishing their current brood.

I doubt there will be a third one this year as numbers have been down and the second brood was later than usual.

By contrast, Small Heath numbers were still increasing - I counted 23 today.

I was tempted again into trying for in-flight open-wing shots...

More work needed... I have noticed though that almost all the individuals I've tried to photograph in this way have been females - they are brighter and more eye-catching in flight and this is likely why I follow them.

I found a Comma making the most of the copious honeydew that was all over the bushes - everything was really sticky.

the "double tube" nature of the proboscis is clearly apparent here

Overall, 12 species seen again, and around 100 individual butterflies.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cracking Small Heath action shots Dave And that Comma is a bit of a looker too One of those Brown Argus looks similar to one from before as its lacking half of the 'figure 8'

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Another attempt at a Small Heath in action coming up, Wurzel, as well as another Comma...

I suspect I've taken shots of the same Brown Argus(seses) a few times, as I've visited their newly found hotspot quite a bit...

Friday 30th August was another warm and mostly sunny day, but I only had a brief opportunity to visit my local patch - though I still counted around 100 butterflies (though only 10 species put in an appearance on the day). 40 of these were Small Heaths.

One of these was another brand new Comma, once again producing meconium from its transformation in its chrysalis. There was initially one spot of this fluid on the leaf below the butterfly...

...but immediately before it took to the air, the butterfly produced a second.

There were a few Common Blues of both sexes...

...and Brown Argus - including this one taking on a mallow flower.

A few others...

...the remaining species being Large White, Small White, Meadow Brown and Holly Blue.

Dave

[bugboy]

Nice upperside shots of those Small Heaths . I actually managed one today in perfect focus, however it was slightly deceased in the middle of the path at Denbies so probably doesn't really count...