Pete Eeles

[NickB]

Nice shots, Pete, and lucky you! We've had cold weather - lots of sun but a NE breeze has kept everything down. Was at a bio-blitz today where the last-night's moth trapping produced nil points, due to a frost last night! Visited a Grizzlie site this afternoon (where they have been seen already) but nothing about.
In the mean-time I'll have to make do with what you and UKB can offer.....more please!
N

[Pete Eeles]

Woolhampton Gravel Pits

A quick jaunt this morning to my favourite local site resulted in my second Cuckoo of the year, 2 Kingfishers and more Reed Bunting than I could count! The place is packed with wildlife! On the Leps front, my day started by releasing a captive-bred male Green-veined White that had safely emerged. I managed to notch up around a dozen Orange-tip, and even found an egg on a leaf of Garlic Mustard, whose flowers are yet to open. It was still white, so recently laid. I also spent a good amount of time watching a few Speckled Wood, including an ovipositing female. I was captivated by the behaviour she exhibited as she flitted from grass blade to grass blade, laying a single egg every now and again. The last surprise, though, was seeing my first Small White of the year.

Green-veined White (male)

Green-veined White (male)

Speckled Wood (male)

Small White (male)

Small White (male)

Reed Bunting (female) ... and a poor photo!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Wurzel]

Nice to know that someone is still seeing more than one species of butterfly!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[NickB]

Yep - the Butterflies are out there, somewhere.......

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Pete,

Nice photos, I particularly like the second Green-Veined White shot.

I managed to see 4 species today before the rain came down again. A single Peacock, 2 Small Tortoiseshells, 3 Orange Tips and 3 Speckled Wood, only managed photos of the Speckled Wood in my garden though.

I had a single Small White in my garden a couple of weeks back but have not seen another one since. I still have not seen a GV White around my bit of the midlands yet either.

Cheers,

Neil F.

[Pete Eeles]

Greenham Common and New Arlesford

Some sun at last! And, to be honest, with the intense workload I've had recently, I wouldn't have been able to get out even if it had been sunny! Anyway - today I ventured up to Greenham Common to see how the Dingies, Grizzlies and Green Hairstreak are fairing. I'm pleased to say that the Dingy Skippers are out in excellent numbers - almost pest proportions! I must have seen at least 50 in the hour I spent in a small area near the control tower. A few Grizzled Skipper were also flying around, and I managed to get a photo of one on a larval foodplant - Wild Strawberry in this case. And just as I'd finished taking a photo, a Green Hairstreak flew into the shot; he must have been feeling left out! But this was the only Green Hairstreak I saw, and the breeze didn't help.

Dingy Skipper

Grizzled Skipper on Wild Strawberry

Green Hairstreak

This afternoon we took a walk around New Arlesford in Hampshire, which has some very scenic foodpaths on the outskirts of the village and alongside the River Arle. At one point we came across a 50 foot corridor along a track that played host to 7 Orange-tip (all male), 6 Brimstone (5 male, 1 female), 2 Holly Blue (both male), and a single female Comma (which was very tatty, even by Comma standards!). The Comma was egg-laying profusely in the area, and I took great delight in spotting each jewel as she deposited them singly on the upperside of a nettle leaf. All in all, an excellent day!

Comma egg on Nettle

Cheers,

- Pete

[Jack Harrison]

Pete

The Comma was egg-laying profusely in the area, and I took great delight in spotting each jewel as she deposited them singly on the upperside of a nettle leaf.

That is impressive resolution/depth of field for such a tiny object. Camera technical details if you wouldn't mind Pete.

Jack

[Pete Eeles]

Pete

The Comma was egg-laying profusely in the area, and I took great delight in spotting each jewel as she deposited them singly on the upperside of a nettle leaf.

That is impressive resolution/depth of field for such a tiny object. Camera technical details if you wouldn't mind Pete.

Jack

No probs:

Canon 7D
Sigma 150mm
EDIT: Extension tubes
1/160s
50mm focal length
Shutter priority
ISO 200
Off-camera flash
Tripod mounted
Remote release cable
Wimberly plamp
Fingers crossed

Cheers,

- Pete

[Pete Eeles]

When in Rome

Actually, "when in Scotland" I'm working in Edinburgh part of this week, and decided to take the opportunity to head north to visit a few sites for Chequered Skipper and other species on the wing. Given the ridiculously-warm weather, I knew I needed to be in the area by 0700 at the latest (really!). And so I'm glad I made the effort to set off at 0430, arriving bang on time at Glasdrum Wood, because the first butterflies were flying at exactly 0722 beneath the electricity pylons - in this case, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary ssp. insularum.

Glasdrum Wood

This subspecies is somewhat brighter than those I'm used to seeing down south, and all individuals seen were extremely fresh. By 1000 none were settling for photos for any reasonable length of time. Males and females were out in equal numbers.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary ssp. insularum (male)

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary ssp. insularum (male)

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary ssp. insularum (female)

I failed to find any roosting Chequered Skipper, but they quickly showed themselves as soon as the Small Pearls started flying, with males actively defending their territories from anything flying nearby. Of the 20+ individuals seen, only 2 were possible females, which are much more secretive in nature. The individuals were in varying states of wear and tear; some had obviously been out for a few days, while others had emerged this morning, including one that seemed to prove the point by ejecting some meconium fluid (a waste product from the pupal stage) from its abdomen.

Chequered Skipper (male)

Chequered Skipper (male) - with meconium fluid

Chequered Skipper (male)

Chequered Skipper (male)

It was great to meet up with fellow UKB member "ScottD" who had led walks at Glasdrum the previous weekend, and was able to give me various pointers as we walked the site. In addition to Small Pearls and McSkippers, we came across Small Heath, Orange-tip and Green-veined White.

Leaving Glasdrum I headed to some other sites that Scott had put me on to. Unfortunately, I came into contact with a mobile phone signal only to find that various emergencies needed me back at work However, since it was only 1030 I had more than enough of the day left to put various fires out

Aside from the butterflies, the scenery in the Scottish Highlands is simply breathtaking - and certainly gives a sense of space that is difficult to find further south - the highlands are absolutely one of my favourite places on earth!

Glen Coe

Cheers,

- Pete

[Wurzel]

Absolutely cracking shots - very, very jealous!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[essexbuzzard]

Seconded! We wanted to and see the Chequered Skipper too,but can't justify the cost this year. A hard choice to make-in fact even harder now, seeing those brilliant photo's!

[ScottD]

Unfortunately, I came into contact with a mobile phone signal only to find that various emergencies needed me back at work However, since it was only 1030 I had more than enough of the day left to put various fires out

Now that's a shame
Still, I'm glad that you enjoyed what will probably end up as having been Scotland's summer this year & it was a pleasure to meet you (& the other UKBers that I met over the last few days).

& the scenery is looking magnificent in the sun.

[Pete Eeles]

Doings at Home

With a few captive-rearing projects at home showing some significant developments, I thought I'd provide an update. First off, Gerald the Grizzled Skipper turned out to be Geraldine Anyway - she was released from whence she came a couple of weeks ago, when the weather was much more stable that it is currently.

Grizzled Skipper (female)

The few Dark Green Fritillary larvae I've been rearing have all done really well but show wildly different rates of progression. The early instar larvae appear somewhat different from the final instar larvae in that they have a significant white stripe running the length of the back. This is absent in the final instar larva, whose most prominent markings are red dots along their flanks.

Dark Green Fritillary larva

Dark Green Fritillary larva (final instar)

I also have a few High Brown Fritillary larvae which are remarkably well camouflaged when sunning themselves on bracken. The first few have already pupated, despite the wet weather of late. The pupa is formed in a "tent" of bracken and leaves, held together with strands of silk. The silver flecks on the back of the pupa are quite beautiful when glimmering in the sun; something I've always struggled to reproduce in a photo.

High Brown Fritillary larva

High Brown Fritillary pupa

Cheers,

- Pete

[Pete Eeles]

Silchester Common

Inspired by Mark Colvin's dedication, resulting in some superb Silver-studded Blue shots from Iping Common, I decided to venture out in today's break in the monsoon - to visit my local Silver-studded Blue site at Silchester Common. To be honest, I didn't hold out much hope of seeing any, but I was surprised to find 5 males flying in the usual area, along with a male Common Blue acting in a very similar manner, including nectaring on Bell Heather! Not the best of shots, but was nice to see that the critters have survived the recent deluge, and despite the site being more waterlogged than I've ever seen before.

Cheers,

- Pete

Silver-studded Blue (male)

Silver-studded Blue (male)

Oh yes, I'm the great pretender. A male Common Blue.

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Pete,

Many thanks for your extremely generous comments about my pictures, that means a lot.

I'm really glad you managed to get out and see the Silver-studded Blue on your local patch, they are certainly one of my favourite species. I too, was pleased to see my local Stedham and Iping colonies after the recent storms. You comment on Silchester Common being waterlogged. I don't generally tend to associate sandy heathland environments being wet, though I know they can be, but I came home absolutely soaked after my excursion due to the standing water.

Good hunting.

Kind regards. Mark

[Pete Eeles]

Collard Hill

With the Large Blue at Collard Hill peaking this week (according to Matthew Oates), I decided to spend the morning taking a look. I arrived around 0745, but the first butterflies weren't mobile until 0845, despite the cloudless sky. Of course, a cloudless sky is the last thing you want if you're after an upperwing shot of a Large Blue! I soon bumped into UKB member Trev Sawyer and his wife, and Trev kindly pointed out a mating pair.

Large Blue (female)

Large Blue (mating pair)

I managed to see quite a few individual Large Blue and, even though my brain was "homed in" on the Large Blue, I do believe they were one of the commonest butterflies on the site. I probably saw 40 individual arion at least - spread right across the hill, unlike previous years when they've all bunched up at the eastern side of the hill. There were also good numbers of Meadow Brown and Small Heath, several Marbled White, a few Large Skipper and a couple of Painted Lady too.

Of course, the recent weather has caused the grass to shoot up and so most Thyme plants have grass in and around them, so I did my fair share of gardening (as suggested by Matthew and a sign on the reserve entrance) in order to help ovipositing females (and I saw 2 females "in the act" - and the resulting eggs as evidence!). Given that I didn't see a Large Blue nectar on anything but Thyme, I figure that this will help all adult Large Blue.

At around 1000 a few light clouds appeared, but sufficient for the butterflies to finally open their wings, where I managed to get a few shots - and I'm fascinated at how much the spotting on the forewings varies; I'm sure you can ID individual butterflies based on this! By this time there were also quite a few people on the hill (at least 30) and I fully anticipate some of those are UKB members, so we should see more Large Blue photos appearing, hopefully! The only downside of the day was failing to meet up with Dave Simcox and Jeremy Thomas, who arrived at Collard 5 minutes after I'd departed. Unfortunately, I didn't get decent phone reception (and a message from Dave) until several miles away and on my way home!

Large Blue (male)

Large Blue (male)

Large Blue (female)

Large Blue (female)

Cheers,

- Pete

[Jack Harrison]

Those Large Blues are boo'i'ful as we say in Norfolk.

Jack

[ChrisC]

another species i'm yet to see. (lovely shots too) but with regards to identifying individuals, earlier in the spring i thought the very same thing about the hindwing of orange tips, but i haven't really looked at other species. Mark Colvins 2 diary entries from 4th and 8th April are what made me look. but i've embarassed myself far to often on here before to mention it one of my winter experiments was to google images and see if i can spot the same butterflies in different peoples pictures eg, google sussex orange tips.

Chris
edit: i just did a quick google and found Colin knights pictures in his blog of the very same butterfly as in Marks diary, then i read the blog and it's because Mark told him about it.

[David M]

Nice images, Pete. Yes, hopefully the robustness of the foodplant given the rain will ensure that Large Blue caterpillars will have no problem consuming sufficient nutrients over the forthcoming few weeks.

It'd be nice if the adults were accorded a break from the generally appalling conditions too.

[Padfield]

Conditions need to be right for the ants, too, who don't thrive in long, lush, shady grass! Obviously, that will be managed on Collard Hill but I imagine other colonies struggling on their own (are there some, or are they all managed?) will be challenged by this year's cool weather and rampant growth.

Guy