July 2013

[Jack Harrison]

darker than usual MBs

A thought. Could it simply be that you have been seeing them brand spanking new before they have lost a few scales?

Jack

[David M]

Female Brimstone spotted flying in front of my car on the way home from work. I'm sure it must be theoretically possible to see the adult of this species in every single month of the year.

[Debbie]

Hi Debbie - this is a Drinker moth larva.

Cheers,

- Pete

Thank You Pete, I will now go and look up what the Drink Moth looks like....

[millerd]

Female Brimstone spotted flying in front of my car on the way home from work. I'm sure it must be theoretically possible to see the adult of this species in every single month of the year.

I would guess so, David. I saw several at Box Hill today, both sexes, and courtship behaviour too. You'd have thought it was April to look at them. I wonder if an old male from last year would try his luck with a newly emerged female? Or wouldn't he recognise her?

Dave

[David M]

Female Brimstone spotted flying in front of my car on the way home from work. I'm sure it must be theoretically possible to see the adult of this species in every single month of the year.

I would guess so, David. I saw several at Box Hill today, both sexes, and courtship behaviour too. You'd have thought it was April to look at them. I wonder if an old male from last year would try his luck with a newly emerged female? Or wouldn't he recognise her?

Dave

That's a very interesting question, Dave, since the newly emerged Brimstones, one supposes, would not have the instinct to pair up (given that it would be a waste since both sexes will hibernate for several months in the imago stage).

I felt similarly intrigued when I saw a spring brood Map Butterfly in the Pyrenees last year, followed by a summer brood individual lower down in the valley the following day. What if they met? It might be the same species but the programming must surely be different.

Must admit, now that I know both forms of this incredibly sexually dimorphous butterfly ARE on the wing at the same time in the same localities, I class it as an (albeit extreme) ambition to get both in a single image!!

[Jack Harrison]

Mull 4th

Tatty Small Tort.

Jack

[JohnR]

Mull 4th

Tatty Small Tort.

Jack

Surrey 4th

Brand spanking new Small Tort.

John

[rageepona]

A WLH at nine O'Clock this morning, here in North London.
A nice way to start the day.

[sahikmet]

Lots of SSBlues at Fairmile Common Esher(50/60). Cheers Sezar

[aeshna5]

Horsenden Hill, west London, 5th July. Few butterflies but 2 White Letter Hairstreaks. Also 4 Meadow Browns, 2 Small Skippers, Comma, Small White, many Narrow-bordered 5-spot Burnets, couple of Burnet Companions.

[RobS]

Took a chance on Alice Holt forest (straits inclosure) today for white admiral and silver washed frits.Unfortunately nothing to report yet from this area so its STILL too early.The bramble has only just started flowering!! No Emperor action yet either but they are slightly less obvious than the other two and i did only get there about 12 oclock.So they could be there.No peacock or red admiral either.
Plenty of ringlet, meadow brown,large skipper and two pristine commas though.A lot quieter than ive seen it there before.
I think the next few days of sun could speed things up a bit so i may try it again next week.

cheers
rob

[Wildmoreway]

I paid a visit to Bovey Heathfield near Newton Abbot in Devon this afternoon. Modest numbers of Silver-Studded Blues in flight including a mating pair.

[badgerbob]

Every year I try to do a Small Tortoiseshell count along the River Cuckmere between Littlington and Alfriston and with good numbers showing recently I was hoping for a large count. Unfortunately, the path was closed somewhere along the path so I could only do a partial count. Now I have found out where its closed I will be able to do another count in the near future. The number of Small Tortoiseshell were very high in the area I did get to today with 32 seen. Several females were egg laying and it was very interesting watching them as they kept returning to the same nettle leaves to lay, a couple of times more than one butterfly was trying to use the same leaf!! There was an enormous quantity of nettles to lay on but the few that they kept laying on were small nettles right by the edge of the path which means there would be a danger of them being trodden on.

[EricY]

Did a good tour today. Arr Glapthorne @ 10.45, 3/4 Blacks Hairstreaks intermittently on 3rd track, two of them with bits out of wings. Tried Bedford Purlieus, no SWF's of WLH's showing yet plenty of meadow browns. Barnack hills & holes had 5/6 flighty Marbled White so only got a distant shot. Thought I would try Castor Hanglands as well, awkward to find your way in as completely surrounded by farmland & forestry. Decided not to walk all way to supposed spot for BH's but was pleased to get oviposting BB Chaser on a pool. Seen these many times but not oviposting before. Eric

Black Hairstreak Glapthorne 5th

Marbled white distant shot full zoom @ Barnack H&H

[MikeOxon]

On my third attempt, I managed to find Large Blue at a Cotswolds site. This is rather more "extreme butterflying" than at Collard Hill, and it took a long time, on a very hot day, to find any specimens at all and even longer to get a photograph!

High Summer butterflies are now on the wing and I was pleased to find plenty of Marbled Whites.

Gloucestershire - 5th July 2013
Nikon D300s with 300/4 + 1.4X TC - 1/500s@f/11 ISO400

and also my first Dark Green Fritillary,this year.

Gloucestershire - 5th July 2013
Nikon D300s with 300/4 + 1.4X TC - 1/350s@f/9.5 ISO400

I am certain of the Large Blue underside but the second shot, of a rather worn specimen, is more doubtful - I'd be grateful for confirmation, or otherwise. Altogether, I saw 3 - 4 specimens at the site.

Gloucestershire - 5th July 2013
Nikon D300s with 300/4 + 1.4X TC - 1/250s@f/9.5 ISO400

Gloucestershire - 5th July 2013
Nikon D300s with 300/4 + 1.4X TC - 1/350s@f/9.5 ISO400

Mike

[Mark Tutton]

Spent the day at Bernwood forest - plenty of Black Hairstreaks but the only ones down were pretty worn but had good views of fresh individuals higher up. Most of the worn specimens seem to be females suffering the rigours of egg laying. Very few other woodland species showing except good numbers of speckled woods. Off to tack down High Brown Fritillary tomorrow - hope they are not zooming around too much in the heat
Mark

[David M]

Had a half day at work today so spent it at Cors Caron, otherwise known as Tregaron Bog, near Lampeter in mid-Wales.

This is the furthest southernmost site at which you will encounter Large Heath in this country - form polydama.

I spent roughly four hours there. The weather was benign, 20c, light winds and minimal cloud cover.

This meant Large Heaths were practically impossible to photograph. Of the 60 or so seen, only about half a dozen settled. Still, patience is a virtue and I managed to get a couple of record shots:

[Vince Massimo]

Every year I try to do a Small Tortoiseshell count along the River Cuckmere between Littlington and Alfriston ............... Several females were egg laying and it was very interesting watching them as they kept returning to the same nettle leaves to lay, a couple of times more than one butterfly was trying to use the same leaf!! There was an enormous quantity of nettles to lay on but the few that they kept laying on were small nettles right by the edge of the path which means there would be a danger of them being trodden on.

Great shots and observations, Bob
The females are very choosy at the best of times, but at this time of year they avoid all the old, tough nettles and select the young fresh growth, which is usually at the edge of a patch which has been cut or disturbed.
Could you add the first two images to the Species-Specific Album when you get time please.

Many thanks,
VInce

[Ian Pratt]

My wife and I have been away for two weeks in Barmouth and North Shropshire.
Weather has been mixed but the general impression has been that butterflies are very low in number generally, although yesterday at Whixall Moss we saw over 20 large heath. Hopefully the forecast fine weather over the next two weeks will encourage some species. In my opinion 2013 looks like being worse than 2012.

[Jonny721]

Up to the Lake District yesterday where Mountain Ringlets put on a great show during the sunny spells above the Honister Pass. There were 10-15 in the small area I was watching, appearing from nowhere as soon as the sun came out. Lower down into the valleys near Borrowdale and Grange there were several Dark Green and a single Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary