July 2009 Sightings

[Jack Harrison]

Gruditch:

I’ve also found for Whites a polarising filter is very effective.

Ah, sounds a very good tip. I would never have thought of that.

It would be intriguing to photograph whites in ultra violet as apparently they would take on a delightful blue colour. I have a "black light" (for moths - doesn't work very well) that makes white clothing glow (disco style so I am told) so that could be very effective for experimenting with whites.

Now to search for my old folding net, last used many years ago for Essex/Small Skipper counts – the net is doubtless hiding in the garage somewhere. I'll catch a white or two, then try to pose indoors in the dark except for the black light.

Jack

[eccles]

Shirley

Most people find that when photographing whites, deliberate underexposure by 2/3 or 1 full stop works well and minimises loss of detail in the highlights.
Does anyone seriously disagree?

Jack

It depends on the metering used. If you use average, evaluative or multisegment metering then the butterfly's white colouration won't necessarily swing the exposure enough and will risk blowing out the whites. In that event deliberate underexposure will help.

But if you use spot metering on a white area then it'll treat that spot as a grey average, i.e. it'll underexpose. If you have a histogram function it makes good sense to use it, or at least view your results on the screen regularly during shooting.

For my camera, using centre weighted metering without any compensation works quite well, but different cameras will act differently.

[Dave McCormick]

One buff arches moth in my garden this morning before the rain:

[Charles Nicol]

The colours of these creatures when they are fresh are amazing, deep gold and red. Whom ever named them "brown" needs shooting. They're the colour of flames.

That is a beautiful picture Susie !!
The Black Hairstreak is even less appropriately named

Charles

[Jack Harrison]

Dave told us:

One buff arches moth...

Snap, got my first one this morning (South Cambridgeshire). Thanks Dave for the i/d. I hadn’t yet got round to working it out.

Still haven't looked up this one.

Jack

[Dave McCormick]

Jack, I think your second moth is dark spectacle - http://www.ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=481 if it is its a bit worn, looks darker than the Spectacle

[Denise]

No less than 7, (yes, SEVEN) Painted Lady in the garden today, all fresh.
2 Red Admiral, 2 Comma, 1 Peacock, lots of whites including a mating pair of Small White, and Speckled Wood (10+) were only out numbered by 20+ Gatekeeper including this, my first female of the year, lurking in the undergrowth.

Not forgetting a few Ringlet and Meadow Brown, just to even things up.

Denise

[eccles]

Another aberration, albeit a common one. I see as many of these ab. caeruleopunctata small coppers as the normal examples. Snapped at Stockbridge Down last Monday.

[Perseus]

Separate thread for Chalkhill Blues:

http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/phpBB2/v ... f=8&t=3353

[Perseus]

Hello,

14 July 2009
A visit to Tottington Woods, Small Dole, with Jan Hamblett, resulted in the sightings of two butterflies not recorded personally in the Lower Adur Valley area before.

Silver-washed Fritillary

White Admiral

There were frequent flights under the canopy of Oak and Willow of the large and splendid Silver-washed Fritillaries flying up to about five metres above the ground vegetation and wood piles and occasionally landing for a photograph. Two splendid White Admirals were spotted, the first one slightly worn and intact, and the one that landed in front of us was damaged with two chunks missing out of its left forewing.

Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2009.html

Cheers

Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2009.html
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2008.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: July 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/July2009.html

[walpolec]

I stopped off at my usual site to look for Purple Hairstreak yesterday. The previous evening had been better weather and at 7.50pm there were still several of them buzzing the tree tops. Unfortunately I didn't have camera or binox with me at the time.

Anyway, I had my kit with me last evening, but it was breezier and a little cooler. Result: a brief sighting of one possible individual. Then, I was on the point of leaving when through the binox I saw something showing purple/grey, high in the tree top. Just for fun I took a couple of photos.

The first shot is the uncropped view, the second and third are crops. The third has an arrow which could be pointing out the body????







What does everyone reckon - a leaf or a butterfly? Either way, I accept I've some way to go before I can say I've properly captured this species "on film"

Cheers

Chris

[Pete Eeles]

Nice leaf

Cheers,

- Pete

[walpolec]

Nice leaf

Cheers,

- Pete

Oak-ay, I'll leaf it there!!

Cheers

Chris

[Dave McCormick]

Eccles, I've changed the lens to the 55-200mm and it was nice to zoom in instead of getting too close and disturbing the butterfly. To-day I saw a fresh Painted Lady and many White's. I think this one is a Large White!

Picture 045 (Medium).jpg

Shirley

Thats a Green Veined White (Male I think) but its a nice shot Thats the good thing about good zoom lenses, you don't need to get closer to the subject to shoot it. Anyway all I have seen was a few small whites laying on the cabbages in my garden. Might rear the caterpillars.

[Pete Eeles]

A good number of second-brood Wood White were out and about at Botany Bay today together with very fresh Painted Ladies and Peacocks. And the usual crowd

Cheers,

- Pete

[Vince Massimo]

Pete,

I was there as well. We must have walked past each other. I arrived at 10am and left at 3pm.
I reckon there were around 15-20 Wood Whites on the wing.

Cheers,

Vince

[Jack Harrison]

Holme NNR, Hunstanton 16th July. Perfect camouflage (the eye-spot is hidden later as wings are retracted).

Jack

[SteveA]

Following a post a few days ago there appears to be 'good' numbers of Marbled Fritillaries out at Finemere Woods, details on the Upper Thames Branch website.

Its not clear if these are from fresh release or breeders that have managed to carry over from last year. A question here, what if these butterflies are a self sustaining colony? albeit from introductions.

[Jack Harrison]

... Marbled Fritillaries ...Finemere Woods ...

Highly unlikely of course to be the result of natural immigration – nearest place where they occur (according to my Collins) is southern France and northern Spain. That hardly suggests that our Midlands climate is suitable for introduction to succeed.

Jack

[Pete Eeles]

For the first time (I think) I can actually empathise with the collector who rounded up all of the Map butterflies that were released into the Forest of Dean.

I personally consider such introductions to be a *very bad* thing. This species is not native, never has been, and we've no idea what impact there might be on the resident populations of other species.

Cheers,

- Pete