Painted Lady influx!!!

[Dave McCormick]

Thanks Zonda I would have had a video clip of someone I know talking about PL caterpillars in it as well, but I lost that video when my hard drive crashed.

[NickB]

Plenty still around Cambridge.
This morning in the cemetery, several very fresh ones -

..this afternoon along the Fleam Dyke, dozens seen. Amongst the fresh there were also a number of battered, light and faded examples, the most extreme of which I caught on camera -

- which I presume are from Africa, with light/desert colouration...
N
PS Talking to local BC member on Friday night (at Dingy Skipper larvae search) she said that they HAVE reached Iceland this year (I refer you to my earlier comments - "...next stop Iceland" )

[Lee Hurrell]

A very faded individual at Box Hill Surrey yesterday afternoon, I had to look twice as I wasn't sure it was.
Could this still be a migrant?

Cheers
Lee

[sahikmet]

Hi,

Just back from South of France, lots of Painted ladies about Camargue area (Count in hundreds) specially on the dunes near the coast.

Cheers

Sezar

[Lee Hurrell]

3 Painted Ladies seen today on the slopes of Coopers Hill Surrey, near Runnymede, all looking quite fresh. One was about the size a male Speckled Wood!

Cheers
Lee

[eccles]

A nice fresh one at the local wildlife park snapped last Friday:

[NickB]

Very nice pic, Eccles
That one didn't fly-in from Africa or the Continent!
N

[Dave McCormick]

eccles nice Shot Is it just me, or does that Painted Lady in your photo look like it has longer wings than ones we have been seeing? Something about it makes me think it looks more like the size of one of the original migrants here, they did loook a bit bigger than ones we saw here that hatched as adults.

[eccles]

Thanks both.

Is it just me, or does that Painted Lady in your photo look like it has longer wings than ones we have been seeing? Something about it makes me think it looks more like the size of one of the original migrants here, they did loook a bit bigger than ones we saw here that hatched as adults.

It was certainly a large butterfly. Maybe third generation ready to attempt a southerly migration d'you think?

[NickB]

I think we have seen a lot of smaller specimens amongst the immigrants...
Considering how far and strongly they fly one would expect them to have longer wings. They do look built for serious flying compared to a lot of smaller or weaker-flying species.
Another fresh one on Sunday...

[eccles]

That one looks quite fat, Nick. A female full of eggs maybe?

[NickB]

That one looks quite fat, Nick. A female full of eggs maybe?

Been looking at the sex of many of my own PL pictures and other posts here lately.... Looks like a lot of fat females and very few males - not needed now I guess
N

[NickB]

As we come to the end of the season...
Contrast this fresh immigrant from 28th May this year...

With a fresh one I saw just today...

[Denise]

Stonking photo Nick.

[Zonda]

I did see several today on the Dorset coast looking very fresh.

[Lee Hurrell]

I'll second Denise's comment - that's even better than the Red Admiral underside!

Cheers

Lee

[walpolec]

Painted Ladies featured on Friday's BBC Autumnwatch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VevPIA4WRAc

Chris

[NickB]

thanks guys and gals (tho' Denise is, one of the boys, so to speak!)
...getting to grips with my 200mm macro I guess...

[Denise]

thanks guys and gals (tho' Denise is, one of the boys, so to speak!)

That truly is a compliment Thanks Nick.
Your pics are going from strength to strength. Love the latest shot too.

Denise

[Zonda]

Nick said

getting to grips with my 200mm macro I guess...

You certainly got a great head on shot there. What was the aperture setting, keen to know all about the performance of this lens Nick. Couldn't give me a link to a review could you?