Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Cheers for your comments DMS!

I managed to break the weekend duck today while at work. I was in a meeting with the Head, it was drawing to a close and I had a view across the quad when a white butterfly flitted along the hedge. It was then that I realised that I'd love to have eyes that could focus independantly Luckily the bell went, so I loaded my 3 hours worth of work for tonight into the car and then grabbed the camera and headed back to the quad. I managed to relocate the butterfly and it wasn't just a white but a female Orange-tip. The sun went in initially so it shut up shop for a while.

But then when the sun came back out it opened it's wings for me. This was my first fully open wing shot and I've been trying to get this since I started butterfly photography 2 odd years ago. Looks like good things do come to those who wait.

Other people may be working their way through the species list (not that I'm envious of course ) but I'm still loving the Orange-tips!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Nice work, Wurzel. Always good when you get to conquer a nemesis.

Female Orange Tips happy to pose open-winged are almost as elusive as Holly Blue females doing likewise.

Another one you can consign to the 'history' bin!

[millerd]

Lovely. It's the only time you ever really see that yellow blush on the hindwings.

Dave

[Lee Hurrell]

Is it me, or is that another ab? I've never seen white streaks in the black wing tips like that before

Lee

[Wurzel]

Cheers for the kind comments guys In terms of the History bin I'm now looking for Duke closed wing shots and Wood White this year I know what you mean about the wing tips Lee, I had a look on Cockayne and thought that lineata looked possible, but it's more likely that it fits into the normal range of variation. I don't think I'd be that lucky to get two abs in a row

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Over the last few days the rain and cold temperatures have meant no butterflies. Plus I've been at work so today when I finally saw the clouds break and the sun come out I thanked the timetabler for giving me a free period! Marking pushed to one side (I'll finish that later tonight) I headed out to the wildlife area. There were a few bees about; Buff Tailed Bumble Bees, an Ashy Mining Bee and also a male B.lapidarius. But no butterflies
I was briefly joined by a Song Thrush who seemed to stare quizzically at me for a while before deciding that I obviously wasn't a threat and so it went back to it's business.

Later at the end of the day we experienced another break in the clouds and this time there was a butterfly - a single female Orange-tip, from the looks of the wing tips the same individual from Monday. She posed again here and there before finally completing a goodbye circuit and heading up and over the building. Unfortunately blades of grass kept getting in the way of my shots (something I'll have to get used to in the summer) but I'd rather that than no butterflies.

Also around was a caterpiller which seemed to be stitching itself up in a leaf - not sure what species it is But it looks similar to Nick's (Hideandseek)?

And there was also a Bee - possibly a Colletes?

The forecast is for more of the same but hopefully I can find a break in the clouds and might get to Bentley Wood for an early reccie. Then they're predicting snow and the coldest May in 100 years . Lets just hope they get it wrong, although I've noticed that when it comes to nice weather (barbeque summers etc) they often are inaccurate but the bad weather they're bang on with! (I'm sure I've said that before ) Still here's hoping...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Having felt trapped almost at work all week I was itching for the chance to get out over the weekend and so jobs over and shopping done I headed over to Bentley Wood. I was thinking that there might be an early Pearl Bordered Fritillary but as I pulled up in the car park the sun disappeared from view, so not looking good. It didn't get any better when I checked the sightings book as it made pretty grim reading! Still I pressed on and spent some time walking around the eastern clearing just seeing waht I could find. There were plenty of Willow Warbler and Chiff Chaff calling and amongst them all I heard my first Tree Pipit of the year. Then I located it at the top of a large Silver Birch and it did it's parachuting song flight to another tree top. As it flew I noticed the leading white tail feathers that I' hadn't really paid attention to before which reminded me that there is always something new to observe.

I then zoomed in to the smaller scale and there were one or two bees around as well as a few beetles...

Tiger Beetle

?

...But no butterflies, until in the only break in the clouds, when a Speckled Wood landed very briefly a couple of times. It was very difficult to approach and so I only managed to get a few distant shots but on days like this I'll take what I can get!

On the way home the clouds lifted, the temperature rose and the wind dropped - typical!
My garden yielded the ususal bees but I also found a very small bee which appears sort of greeny metallic on the thorax? Better get onto BEWARS!

usual...

new...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Nick Broomer]

Hi Wurzel,
Your larva looks just like mine, and if it is only about 10-12mm in length, [the one i found did`nt get any bigger]and that is a Nettle leaf, [all the ones i have found have been on Nettle] then like mine it will pupate, and attach itself to the leaf within the tent it is constructing. The pupa is only 7-8mm in length. Now i am just waiting for my one to emerge.[could be waiting a long time, but i hope not]

By the way, that blue Beetle is lovely, i hope you get an id for it.

All the best,

Nick.

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Wurzel,

Your mystery beetle appears to be the Oil Beetle, Meloe proscarabaeus.

A nice find.

Good hunting.

Kind regards. Mark

[Wurzel]

Cheers for the I'd Mark it was easy to spot being bright blue and huge
I'll keep my eye on the "tent" Nick

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Over the last couple of days the weather has been more like November than April, I've heard about little April showers but at the moment we're experiencing April Downpours!
Yesterday I actually saw a butterfly...yep I almost couldn't beleive it myself. It was a white, which was the best i could do as it was on a traffic island on the A360 on my journey home. However there have been one or two bees around at work and in the garden including a couple of new ones.

The Carder Bee I've seen before but it's generally the first one to appear after a shower, almost an indicator species showing that it's warming up a little and hanging around and seeing what might turn up would be a good idea...

In the garden it meant finding a possible Bombus rupestris...much, much smaller than the huge lapidarius, with a lighter red bum.

At work it got me onto a very small bumble bee (smaller than the hairy footed ones in my garden, "plumipes") with a red bum and yellow thorax stripe. I thought it might be a male lapidarius at first but it seemed really small and the yellow from the "neck" should have continued over the top of the head and down the face. I did read on one website that despite alot of images of pratorum having an additional yellow abdominal stripe some lack this, and so this is the identification I went for. The area where the abdominal stripe would be does appear worn.

Hopefully there may be some respite from the terrible weeather at the weekend and I can post some butterfly pics again...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

What with the weather still only mildly getting better and the fact that I haven't photographed a butterfly in 5 or 6 days now, I revisited some photos that I took of the Butterfly collection from work. It's taken a lot of trawling through the internet (the Flickr site "African Butterflies" was the most useful) but I think I've managed to identify a few more species. Again they are only tentative identifications so if something is wrong then please let me know...

Amuris albimaculata

Charaxes varanes

Colotis regina

Small Orange Tip?

Mylothris sp. (could be agathina)

and the underside...

Junonia oeone

underwing

Dark Blue Pansy

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Over the last couple of days rain has stopped play for me. When it’s been fine I’ve been working, and when I can get out and about it’s been raining, drizzly and cold or blustery showers! All of which means that I haven’t photographed a butterfly in almost a week now . I was hoping to get out today at some point and the previous couple of evenings were spent checking all the weather apps on my phone. Three of the four showed it being cloudy but with no rain up until 4pm and with temperatures no lower than 12 degrees, the least accurate was showing rain. So hopefully I lay my weary head on the pillow and dream planned the outing to Bentley Wood with my younger daughter...
This morning I awoke to the plinking of rain on the porch roof and all of the weather apps had changed. Now the 3 of the four showed light rain to heavy rain all day with temperatures no higher that 11degrees and the one which had previously got it correct showed sunny showers . In the end I gave up even considering a trip out and so have pinned my hopes on next weekend.
While out doing an errand in the rain the drumming on my hood lulled me into contemplation...Recently I have been feeling very envious of other members of the forum who seem to be able to make the most the sunny/dry periods, or those who have been enjoying more favourable weather whilst I seem to be trapped in by the weather or work...and then I realised that I need not worry. Eventually the sun will shine over a weekend and then there will be butterflies and I may be able to see them. On top of that so long as I can stay clear of accidents and ill health I reckon I’ve still got at least another 37 more springs in which to find and see butterflies...so long as this wash out doesn’t put the populations into free fall. And so I spent the day catching up on work – so that when things do align I can get out with a clear conscience and spend even more time out in the field .

In the mean time here are some shots of things that I have been finding during my very limited free time which coincides with it not pissing it down!! Enjoy, and here’s to a sunny weekend next week...
From work...

Nomada sp

Nomada sp. again

At home...

Mesembrina meridiana

Nom nom!

Actually the fly would have been a new species for me, so I moved in to get a shot but was even more chuffed when the Crab spider presented itself
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

The camouflage on that spider is quite sublime. Excellent stuff. Thanks for sharing.

[Wurzel]

Cheers David I've been stuck in and working hard all weekend so imagine my annoyance when watching the weather on Countryfile and seeing a huge blue splurge settled just over Salisbury tomorrow which for pretty much everyone else is going to be the best day of the week

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Debbie]

how nice to see everybodys photo's Great photos When hubby and I went out Saturday it was 6 degrees wet and windy and not even a wood ant could be found

I hope that you do not mind me asking but as you also photograph lots of bees, bugs and things, do you use the www to id them or books ( I am currently looking for a good book for identifying them)

Kind Regards,
DMS (Debbie)

[Wurzel]

Cheers Debbie I generally use a website called BWARS for the bees as it difficult to find a single book which covers as many species as the website. I also have the Readers Digest Field Guide to Butterflies & Other Insects of Britain and The Natural History of Britain and Northern Europe series in terms of books but they don't have much detail so they're just the starting point. I hope this helps!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

I made the mistake yesterday of watching Countryfile and caught the "5 day forecast" which suggested that today was going to be the best of the week. As I drove to work this morning through yet more rain I was convinced that they'd got it wrong again. But the day brightened, and then the sun came out and with it the butterflies. I was anxiously watching the clock all day, waiting for the bell to go and once it did I was off!
The journey from Pewsey to Martin Down produced 4 male Orange-tip, Large White and Red Admiral which cheered me no end . I hadn't seen Orange-tip so close to work this year and they must have been laying in wait for the sun or temperatures to rise as they all seemed very bright and fresh. Lets hope that they can last through the next bad spell...
Almost as soon as I pulled into the car park at Martin Down the sun dove behind the clouds - they say that the sun shines on the righteous - well I must be one evil b***ard then! Luckily it soon popped out again and by that time I'd found my first Grizzlie of the year - at last! I settled down to enjoy and get to know this cracking little butterfly better. It behaved impeccably well, opening it's wings to bask, walking up grass stems and closing it's wings so I could get the full complement of shots. There was one problem and that was the breeze that kept catching it's wings and so making photography difficult, but you can't have everything can you?

Lovely eyelashes!

I left the little fella and headed to round to see what else was about and the next butterflies were a pair of Peacock - one looking pretty battered. They both settled long enough for a careful stalk so I could get a few shots.

Photos taken I then had a bit more of a wander, the sun and songs of the birds ruined somewhat by the drone of a Helicopter practicing who knows what over the reserve. The sun seemed to heed this and so disappeared behind the clouds and stayed there. I then strolled along Bokerley and managed to find a roosting Grizzlie followed by another one. I seems an odd behaviour to cling to grass stems etc as the breeze whips you forward and back, I would have thought that they would have hunkered down in the grass. One of the Grizzlies looked pretty worn and knackered no doubt from grimly clinging to it's roosting perch during the last however many weeks of the deluge we've experienced!

The final act of the evening was the dulcet tones of my first Cuckoo drifting across the road from Kitts Wood. Hopefully there will be many more sunny days to come in May so i might be able to squeeze in another visit for Grizzlies and Dingy's.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Gibster]

Hey Wurzel,

have a look at http://johnwalters.co.uk/research/oil-b ... cation.php for your oil beetle problems!

Cheers matey,

Seth.

[Wurzel]

Cheers for the site info Gibster I've now brushed up on my Oil Beetles

All the best for the weekend!

Have a goodun

Wurzel