ChrisC

[Susie]

I could have told you that, just maybe not with so many big words.

[Gibster]

My girlfriend Sami has a tattoo of a Glanville Fritillary on her chest. The tattooist clearly knew his stuff - ie insects have SIX legs. Luckily we intervened before a terrible hash occurred and her tattoo remains anatomically correct!!!

[Susie]

Do you think people looking at the tattoo notice how many legs it has?

[ChrisC]

now you tell me

[MikeOxon]

let me just check what Nymphalidae means

It's even stranger with the Duke of Burgundy - the female has 6 legs and male only 4! Remember all those jokes about why women have long legs....

Mike

[Susie]

Are you sure? The male does have six, just two are a bit stumpy.

[MikeOxon]

vestigially stumpy! - see below:

DoB male - Lambourn Downs - 4th May 2011

DoB female - Lambourn Downs - 4th May 2011

She's definitely leggier!

Mike

[ChrisC]

well it was a lot quieter on the butterfly front today at the wood and the butterflies (other than speckled wood) when the sun did come were isolated to a clump of hemp agrimony and fleabane. but probably commonest creatures after the grasshoppers and crickets were tachinid flies.

swf.jpg (136.82 KiB) Viewed 1407 times

had to doubletake when i looked at this one, if only they had been in focus

just some of the varied groppers and crickets

and probably my strangest sight of the year and yes it really was this colour

one of the many tach's

[ChrisC]

after yesterday deluge i thought i'd take the day off. wth sun coming out i thought Martin Down for an hour or so, was a bit breezy but managed a few reasonable pics for me anyway i even paid more attention to the females after the recent thread.

common, chalkhill, adonis blues c. heath, m.brown, sm tort, peacock, red ad, brown argus, brimstone, comma, a few whites all in all a good hour and a half.

[ChrisC]

just for a change i thought i'd spend time walking out the back, Ringwood Forest, for a couple of hours. mainly Gatekeepers, the odd meadow brown and a few speckled woods. odd red admiral and a single peacock. some other bits and peices and a bit of a surprise.

Raft spider, this one taken at slop bog yesterday but found at least 3 youngsters in a ditch today at Ringwood

Vapourer

garden Spider Hundreds all over the place, just liked the background on this one

Many fungi starting to show but this was the first time i've seen one like this. Edit: Tiger's Eye - Coltricia perennis

And then the surprise, I was sitting on this hill watching ravens chase off a buzzard

When i'd say at least 3 Grayling where flying around, (as they haven't been reported on the sightings i thought they must have gone over but now having looked at the species details 2nd week sept looks the limit but i was still pleased to see them)

[Susie]

That a lovely clear pic of the raft spidy, Chris

[Wurzel]

Cracking shots as per usual! I visited Slop Bog for the first time this year - it really is a cracking little place, in fact that should be, really little cracking place.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[ChrisC]

why thank you both
I went up to stephens castle just up the road from me last night and caught the sunset, this was taken just after the sun disappered.

[ChrisC]

a brief windy visit to martin down blew a few cobwebs away today, still a few butterflies around though barely stopping. and the video shows even down in the grass they weren't entirely protected. but nevertheless still a pleasure to see

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUsZ3b4Z7Vo[/video]

[Wurzel]

They're certainly looking a bit worn out, I almost feel sorry for them but I expect they've had a good innings ! I've only been back at work for a week and I feel like that already
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[ChrisC]

was at Durlston today in the glorious sunshine, more going for a walk than actual butterflying, but i'm sure you all know how it is if you take your camera.....
i was getting a picture of these two exhibitionists on a wall

when this chap decided to get his portrait, unfortunately, not having seen many lizards let alone have them appear a foot away, in my haste and excitement all the pictures i got had the body in focus but not much else so i'll put the short video up instead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWJSgPq5hqA[/video]

the only other butterfly that really stood out despite being tatty (and a bad pic) was this blue, the sun was hitting it and really making it look 2 tone.

The only other news is there must be some red admiral migration on the go as in 4 minutes 23 flew past along the clifftop heading east. reminded me of the painted ladies a couple of years ago.

last nights poor brief attempt at getting the moon and probably Jupiter (blur makes it look bigger than it is) from the garden

[Susie]

Lovely little video. It sounds really summery too with the crickets chirruping.

After the video had finished there were suggested other videos at the bottom of the link to watch, including "Rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock" from the Big Bang Theory. Love that programme!

[ChrisC]

i was watching it when i read your reply

[Susie]

i was watching it when i read your reply

You ol' multi-tasker, you

Nice collectiosn of spidy and butterfly pics

[Lee Hurrell]

Bazinga!