October 2011 sightings
Re: October 2011 sightings
9 October 2011
A Kestrel hovered over the middle slopes and thorn on Mill Hill. Wasps dominated the Ivy hedge that bordered Mill Hill Road north of the bridge over the A27. So much so, that I did not expect any butterflies on Mill Hill, until I immediately stumbled across a Speckled Wood followed a few seconds later by a Red Admiral, both south of the Reservoir. Eight Meadow Browns were seen all on the lower slopes and two of them in flight and copulating. A single male Common Blue was lively over the lower slopes and a Peacock Butterfly was seen on the Triangle part of the middle slopes. There was at least one grasshopper seen amongst the herbs.
Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2011.html
Cheers
Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2011.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: September 2011
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Sept2011.html
A Kestrel hovered over the middle slopes and thorn on Mill Hill. Wasps dominated the Ivy hedge that bordered Mill Hill Road north of the bridge over the A27. So much so, that I did not expect any butterflies on Mill Hill, until I immediately stumbled across a Speckled Wood followed a few seconds later by a Red Admiral, both south of the Reservoir. Eight Meadow Browns were seen all on the lower slopes and two of them in flight and copulating. A single male Common Blue was lively over the lower slopes and a Peacock Butterfly was seen on the Triangle part of the middle slopes. There was at least one grasshopper seen amongst the herbs.
Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2011.html
Cheers
Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2011.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: September 2011
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Sept2011.html
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Re: October 2011 sightings
I did`nt manage to get out and about today, [watching the rugby world cup and then motor racing on the box] but i was watching to see what came into the garden. my first visiter was a humming-bird hawkmoth feeding on honeysuckle, seen 3 times during the morning. then a red admiral visited, 4 seen. [could of been the same one] 5 large white, 3 at one time, 3 sightings of speckled wood, and one comma. all in all a great day.
nick
nick
Re: October 2011 sightings
Photos from last week in the Charente Maritime département of France.Any help with ID would be appreciated.
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Last edited by Ian Pratt on Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:03 am, edited 3 times in total.
Re: October 2011 sightings
I'm guessing at pics 2 & 5 are Brown Argus,Ian
- Dave McCormick
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Re: October 2011 sightings
Been quiet here recently, saw 4 small tortoiseshells and a large white at a woodland in north of Co Down on Saturday, feeding on the last of the large area of knapweed flowers that was there, other than that, rain has been pretty much constant around here so not much to be seen.
Cheers all,
My Website: My new website: http://daveslepidoptera.com/ - Last Update: 11/10/2011
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My Website: My new website: http://daveslepidoptera.com/ - Last Update: 11/10/2011
My Nature videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/DynamixWarePro
Re: October 2011 sightings
I am interested to know if anyone else has any ideas regarding those I have marked with a question mark.
Last edited by Ian Pratt on Tue Oct 11, 2011 5:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: October 2011 sightings
I think they were too big for brown arguses.marmari wrote:I'm guessing at pics 2 & 5 are Brown Argus,Ian
Ian
- Padfield
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Re: October 2011 sightings
Ian:
2 is not brown argus (cell spot and arrangement of spots on hindwing) - I suspect it is Adonis blue, though it could just be a common blue (female, obviously).
5 is brown argus.
For the first one, I have to say my instinctive reaction was helice, though the extent of black around the edge of the forewing doesn't seem great enough. She's quite a strange looking creature for a pale clouded yellow but that is the only other option. Far too angular for Berger's.
3 is a male long-tailed blue.
2 is not brown argus (cell spot and arrangement of spots on hindwing) - I suspect it is Adonis blue, though it could just be a common blue (female, obviously).
5 is brown argus.
For the first one, I have to say my instinctive reaction was helice, though the extent of black around the edge of the forewing doesn't seem great enough. She's quite a strange looking creature for a pale clouded yellow but that is the only other option. Far too angular for Berger's.
3 is a male long-tailed blue.
Guy's Butterflies: https://www.guypadfield.com
The Butterflies of Villars-Gryon : https://www.guypadfield.com/villarsgryonbook.html
The Butterflies of Villars-Gryon : https://www.guypadfield.com/villarsgryonbook.html
Re: October 2011 sightings
Thanks Guy- obvious when you know what they are. The possible pale clouded yellow is a query. I attach some more clouded yellows for comments.padfield wrote:Ian:
2 is not brown argus (cell spot and arrangement of spots on hindwing) - I suspect it is Adonis blue, though it could just be a common blue (female, obviously).
5 is brown argus.
For the first one, I have to say my instinctive reaction was helice, though the extent of black around the edge of the forewing doesn't seem great enough. She's quite a strange looking creature for a pale clouded yellow but that is the only other option. Far too angular for Berger's.
3 is a male long-tailed blue.
Re: October 2011 sightings
Although spiders are not strictly insects, can anyone identify this green spider seen in western France last week?
Re: October 2011 sightings
Micrommata viriscens or M. ligurina ?
They are the only two green spiders in my book of Mediterranean wildlife. From the photos, yours looks more like the latter.
Dave
They are the only two green spiders in my book of Mediterranean wildlife. From the photos, yours looks more like the latter.
Dave
Re: October 2011 sightings
Are both of these speckled woods or is one a wall brown?
Re: October 2011 sightings
Thanks Dave for that- it seems right having looked at some other internet photos.millerd wrote:Micrommata viriscens or M. ligurina ?
They are the only two green spiders in my book of Mediterranean wildlife. From the photos, yours looks more like the latter.
Dave
- Padfield
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Re: October 2011 sightings
Yes - both speckled woods. And I would say all the next set of yellows are male clouded yellows.
Guy
Guy
Guy's Butterflies: https://www.guypadfield.com
The Butterflies of Villars-Gryon : https://www.guypadfield.com/villarsgryonbook.html
The Butterflies of Villars-Gryon : https://www.guypadfield.com/villarsgryonbook.html
- Neil Hulme
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Re: October 2011 sightings
Hi Ian,
Going back to your first set of images, the first shot is definitely a female PCY, for the reasons that led Guy to the same conclusion. The extent and shape of the dark forewing margin precludes helice and is spot-on for PCY. The very angular wing tips preclude helice and BCY. It's quite a worn specimen.
Neil
Going back to your first set of images, the first shot is definitely a female PCY, for the reasons that led Guy to the same conclusion. The extent and shape of the dark forewing margin precludes helice and is spot-on for PCY. The very angular wing tips preclude helice and BCY. It's quite a worn specimen.
Neil
Re: October 2011 sightings
Was delighted to see my first butterfly for nearly a fortnight this afternoon. At about 1330hrs, in lovely sunny conditions, a Speckled Wood flew by me as I stood next to one of our aviaries in the back garden.
Thankfully the chickens didn't spot it and it duly flew out over the neighbour's garden.
Thankfully the chickens didn't spot it and it duly flew out over the neighbour's garden.
Re: October 2011 sightings
I was out at lunchtime today round the back of my work and there were 6 Speckled Woods, plus 1 Red Admiral and even a few dragonflies still hanging on. It felt as warm as a lovely spring day. Tomorrow should be nice so I encourage everyone to get out and enjoy it!!
Michael
Michael
Re: October 2011 sightings
Good advice that, Michael. Looking at the BBC 5 day forecast, by Tuesday daytime highs are going to be a mere 12C.
Re: October 2011 sightings
A walk around my local Radley gravel pits found this Speckled Wood and several Dragonflies enjoying the afternoon sun.
All the invertebrates were keener on basking rather than flying, which gave good opportunities for macro photos - not easy with Speckled Wood at most times!
Even at f/11, the depth of field is very shallow but smaller apertures tend to lose fine detail as a result of diffraction. I preferred this to one I took at f/16.
Mike
All the invertebrates were keener on basking rather than flying, which gave good opportunities for macro photos - not easy with Speckled Wood at most times!
Even at f/11, the depth of field is very shallow but smaller apertures tend to lose fine detail as a result of diffraction. I preferred this to one I took at f/16.
Mike
- dilettante
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Re: October 2011 sightings
We had a very light frost on the grass this morning, the first of the season, but I still managed to find this Red Admiral enjoying some decaying apples:
Red Admiral 15-Oct-11. Sony A700, Sony Zeiss 16-80 1/500s f/8.0 at 80.0mm iso200
And what's wrong with this signboard at a nearby organic farm?
Red Admiral 15-Oct-11. Sony A700, Sony Zeiss 16-80 1/500s f/8.0 at 80.0mm iso200
And what's wrong with this signboard at a nearby organic farm?
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dilettante's butterfly photos at pbase.com
dilettante's butterfly photos at pbase.com