Neil Freeman

[Wurzel]

Nice moth shot What with having to leave the bathroom light on for the girls and the window open because of the heat we've had a fair few moths in too but not one as nice looking as that one.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Wednesday 24th July

As some other UKB members have noted there are a lot of whites around recently, not least in my garden where they have been quick to reappear during the still warm sunny spells between the storms.

I have mentioned previously that the Green-veined White is a particular favourite of mine but I always seen to overlook Large and Small Whites, or put them down as 'various unidentified whites' when there are all the other butterflies around to attract my attention.

This also means that I have very few decent photos of Large and Small Whites so earlier this evening I went into the back garden and made a special effort to try and get some reasonable shots. This was easier said than done as despite there being plenty around with often half a dozen or more in view they were usually passing through and not stopping. There is one straggly lavender however that did tempt some to briefly stop and give me the chance of some shots

Large White - Coverdale 24.07.2013

Small White - Coverdale 24.07.2013

Small White just taking off - Coverdale 24.07.2013

And to make the trio of common whites complete....

Green-veined Whites - Coverdale 24.07.2013

Bye for now,

Neil.

[millerd]

Excellent pictures of overlooked and difficult-to-photograph butterflies, Neil. They do love lavender though, and will return again and again to the same clump. But it can get frustrating : you approach the butterfly and at the very last second up it goes, only to return a few seconds later on a slightly different flower. You recompose the shot and off it goes. And repeat da capo

Dave

[Nick Broomer]

Hi Neil,

Totally agree with Dave. And that first photo is just superb.

All the best, Nick.

[Wurzel]

I agree with the others - great shots Whites are one of those stand-by species - there when you're having a quiet day - so I must remember to not take them for granted.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks for the comments guys, very much appreciated as always

Friday 26th July

A couple of hectic days at work before I finished at lunchtime today for two weeks The weather has been on the change for the past week with some thunder storms and heavy showers but it has still been very warm and sunny in between and looks set to continue being 'changeable' for the next couple of weeks. Next week I have few a jobs to get done around the house but am hoping to get out a bit so I will probably wait and see what the weather does before deciding where to go.
The second week Jane and myself are off up to Arnside for a few days, stopping at the same B&B that we stayed at last year

Getting back to today, after finishing work and doing a bit of running around, I had a couple of hours to spare this afternoon so I nipped round to one of my favourite local spots, Shadowbrook Meadows.

The place was alive with hundreds of Meadow Browns and Whites with numerous Small Skippers and some Gatekeepers mixed in. I was also pleased to see a couple of male Common Blues that were very actively chasing anything that came near, a full time job with the numbers of other butterflies they were sharing the meadow with.

Large White - Shadowbrook 26.07.2013

Gatekeeper female - Shadowbrook 26.07.2013

Small Skipper - Shadowbrook 26.07.2013

Small Skippers - Shadowbrook 26.07.2013

One 'White' attracted my attention as being a bit different and on settling proved to be my first summer brood Brimstone of the year, a female.

Brimstone female - Shadowbrook 26.07.2013

This was one of the few local sites that I had found Small Coppers at last year and sure enough I soon spotted a nice fresh looking male zipping about. Watching him I soon established his 'patrol route' so I could sit in wait for him and get some photos. These are one of the easier species to photograph on a hot sunny afternoon as once you spot their favourite perches they inevitably keep coming back.

Small Copper - Shadowbrook 26.07.2013

Small Copper - Shadowbrook 26.07.2013

Small Copper - Shadowbrook 26.07.2013

Along one side of one of the meadows there is a hedgerow with some bramble patches along which there were at least half a dozen nice fresh Peacocks busy feeding up before tucking themselves away for hibernation. It is an amazing thought that when I return here next spring It will be these same individuals that I will be looking for.

Peacock - Shadowbrook 26.07.2013

As mentioned above, there were numerous Small Skippers darting about all over the meadows and I did my usual thing of taking photos of them from various angles to try and confirm their identity. I had not previously found Essex Skippers here although they are present nearby at Castle Hills. Going through my photos earlier this evening I came across a couple of shots of one individual that looked like 'Essex' so I posted them in the 'Identification' forum where Guy Padfield has confirmed that it is an Essex Skipper: D

Essex Skipper - Shadowbrook 26.07.2013

A great couple of hours when it was fantastic just to be surrounded by hundreds of butterflies: D

Bye for now,

Neil.

[David M]

A great couple of hours when it was fantastic just to be surrounded by hundreds of butterflies

Couldn't agree more, Neil.

This time of year is lovely because you have all the fresh vanessids and Pierids joining the still respectable Meadow/Hedge Browns, Ringlets, Small/Essex Skippers. Throw in a few fresh Common Blues and Small Coppers and it is very colourful indeed (nice Small Copper pic, by the way).

[Wurzel]

Great report Neil. I agree that this time of year is greatin terms of range and number A couple of years ago at Alners Gorse I tried for to see a colour wheel of butterflies (struggled with green unless I could count female Brimstone as lime green?).

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers David and Wurzel, the past couple of days have been a delight, purely for the sheer number of butterflies about .

Saturday 27th July - Morning

On a Saturday I usually go out early and get some shopping done before the crowds build up and then do a few jobs around the house or garden depending on the weather. As it was a nice warm sunny morning again I pottered about in the garden, as usual with my camera close to hand.

I have already commented on the number of Whites passing through the garden and this morning was a repeat of the previous few days with loads of Large, Small and Green-veined, sometimes in numbers that looked like great big snowflakes were dancing around the garden.

This morning I also noticed a fair number of Gatekeepers, I often get the odd one in the garden but this morning there were half a dozen including a couple of females.

Gatekeeper female - Coverdale 27.07.2013

Gatekeeper female - Coverdale 27.07.2013

My dwarf Buddleias are starting to flower and attracted a steady stream of Whites and a single Comma that has been around for the past few days.

Small White - Coverdale 27.07.2013

Comma - Coverdale 27.07.2013

The biggest surprise of the morning however was a Large Skipper, the first I have ever seen in the garden

Large Skipper - Coverdale 27.07.2013

I also saw a couple of fresh looking Peacocks that flew across the garden but didn't settle long enough to get a photo. I reckon these are the first to emerge from the larvae that I had on my nettles recently. My captive pupae are not showing any changes in colour yet, they pupated about 7-9 days ago so the adults should be emerging soon, just in time for some heavy rain over the next couple of days

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Maximus]

Some nice photos in your previous postings Neil. There are loads of butterflies around at the moment and Gatekeepers seem to be doing well this year, as we have also had a fair number in the garden.

all the best,

Mike

[Pauline]

Evening Neil

I love your Small Copper wings closed with the complimenting background. Really nice shot. I am still trying to find my Small Copper with blue spots but I'd settle for that

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Mike , it is some years since I have had the number of butterflies in the garden that I have this past few days

Thanks Pauline, I quite like that one myself. All that dry grass around at the moment gives some nice background shades

Saturday 27th July – Afternoon

Later in the afternoon, after finishing the ‘stuff’ around the house, the forecast rain showers hadn’t materialised and it was looking to stay dry for a bit longer so I decided to pop out for a bit.
I didn’t have time to go far so went to have a look around at Sheldon Country Park, one of my local sites that I hadn’t yet visited this year.

As with Shadowbrook Meadows on Friday, the sheer number of Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers, Whites, and Skippers was amazing with dozens if not hundreds of butterflies in view at times.

Hedge and Meadow - Sheldon CP 27.07.2013

As well as Small Skippers, most of which were looking a bit tired and faded, there were good numbers of Essex Skippers. The Essex Skippers were mostly in much better condition, no doubt due to the fact that they generally emerge a bit later than the ‘Smalls’ and this helped me pick out which ones to concentrate on to get the photos to confirm their Identity.

Essex Skipper female - Sheldon 27.07.2013

Essex Skipper male - Sheldon CP 27.07.2013

Essex Skipper male - Sheldon CP 27.07.2013

This was one of the sites that I had looked for Small Coppers at last year without success so I was particularly pleased to find a couple of individuals, one of which posed nicely for me.

Small Copper - Sheldon CP 27.07.2013

Small Copper - Sheldon CP 27.07.2013

In the same corner of one field I also found a nice new male Common Blue, another species that I struggled to find locally last year. It is good to see that both Small Coppers and Common Blues are still at their usual local sites, even when I failed to find them last year they must have been there to produce this years descendants.

Blue and Brown - Sheldon CP 27.07.2013

Common Blue - Sheldon CP 27.07.2013

Common Blue - Sheldon CP 27.07.2013

Common Blue - Sheldon CP 27.07.2013

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Lovely Small Coppers and those metallic Blues - lush

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Nick Broomer]

Hi Neil,

Just been catching up with your recent posts, you have certainly been busy. Lovely reports, and some beautiful photos, especially the Small Copper, [26th,052] and the Male Common Blue, taken today. But, my favourite has to be the Gatekeeper [27th] on the dead piece of wood, i can just imagine it being on a beach somewhere, with a couple of old fishing boats moored-up behind it, with the tide out and, the small waves crashing down on the sand in the distance. An unusual photo, but a brilliant composition, very artistic, and a beautiful piece of photography.

All the best, Nick.

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel

Thanks Nick, that sounds very poetic

The piece of wood is actually part of my dilapidated garden fence, the background is the neighbours' shed

I have not actually travelled far over the past few days, just a couple of local sites and my garden, speaking of which..........

Sunday 28th July - A surprise visitor

I had invited my Mom round for the day today so obviously wasn't going anywhere but again the forecast rain showers didn't happen so we spent a bit of time sitting in the garden where it was very pleasant if a little breezy.

As well as the usual suspects from the past few days I spotted a couple of summer brood Holly Blues dancing around the shrubs and managed to get a shot of one.

Holly Blue - Coverdale 28.07.2013

A couple of fresh Peacocks were still around albeit very flighty and hard to approach.

Peacock - Coverdale 28.07.2013

A nice fresh looking Red Admiral spent a while circling around the nettle patch and settled a few times, right in the middle of the patch where I suffered a few stings reaching over to get the shots.

Red Admiral - Coverdale 28.07.2013

The biggest surprise of the day however was when I spotted what at first I thought was a faded Comma that has been around for a few days. I looked again and thought that it looked a bit big for a Comma and then thought 'No, It can't be'.....

...it was, a female Silver-washed Fritillary had come gliding into my back garden, and then proceeded to settle a few times.

Silver-washed Fritillary female - Coverdale 28.07.2013

Silver-washed Fritillary female - Coverdale 28.07.2013

I have no idea where it may have come from, there are no populations that I am aware of within 15 miles or so from my house which is in a typical sub-urban road. There are good numbers to be found at Snitterfield Bushes and Oversley Wood a bit further south and at Ryton Woods by Coventry but this is the first SWF I have ever seen anywhere around Solihull.

I think that for a garden sighting that will take some beating for me for a long time

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Nick Broomer]

Hi Neil,

Recently for three summers running i had a male Silver-washed Fritillary visit my garden, always on the Buddleia in early to late August, again the nearest site to me that i know of was a 15 minute drive away. Most unusual.

All the best, Nick.

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Nick,

Mike Slater from Warwickshire BC tells me that SWFs have been popping up all over the place this year. He has also seen a DGF not far from me, again miles away from where they are usually found.

Monday 29th July.

A day of dramatic changes in the weather with thunderstorms and heavy rain showers but also with some prolonged warm sunny spells in between.

This afternoon we went round to our daughters and whilst Jane and Sarah were busy talking women talk, I nipped out for a bit of a walk. I was lucky to catch a spell of good sun and there were plenty of butterflies still about despite there being some heavy rain shortly before.
I followed a footpath going along hedges across farmland between the M42 and M6 near Coleshill, seeing mostly assorted Whites and Browns but also good numbers of Peacocks with the odd Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral as well.

There was one stretch of hedgerow that had a thick band of Ragwort growing along it that was covered in Peacocks, at least a dozen in view in front of me with more flitting between flower heads to each side.

Peacocks - Coleshill 29.07.2013

Peacock - Coleshill 29.07.2013

After being out for an hour or so, I was watching some dark clouds get closer and a few distant rumbles of thunder started again so I started walking back to my daughters, arriving just as the heavens opened again.

Later in the afternoon, back home, the storm passed over and the sun came out again and butterflies almost immediately re-appeared in the garden. The Red admiral from yesterday was still around and appears to have taken up a territory above the nettle patch in almost exactly the same position that one did last year.

Red Admiral - Coverdale 29.07.2013

Still no sign of my own captive Peacock pupae emerging.

Bye for now,

Neil

[Neil Freeman]

Tuesday 30th July – Counting Coppers

Having found Small Coppers at Shadowbrook Meadows and Sheldon Country Park over the past week and following their poor year locally last year, I was keen to look for them at Castle Hills.
This site lies sort of half way in between the other two, just to the south of where the A45 is being diverted to make room for the extension to the runway at Birmingham Airport and is accessed by a couple of public footpaths that lead across towards Bickenhill.

After a couple of rain showers this morning the weather turned quite nice this afternoon, warm with light cloud and sunny spells so I went to have a look around.
As has become usual recently there were loads of assorted Whites flying and Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers and Skippers (Essex and Small) were in their hundreds across the site along with dozens of Peacocks.

Even though I had not found any Small Coppers here last year, I had seen them in previous years so I made my way to a corner of a meadow where I had seen them before. As I approached a clump of Ragwort I saw one, not only that but he had a nicely defined row of blue spots of form caeruleopunctata.

Small Copper - Castle Hills Solihull 30.07.2013

Small Copper - Castle Hills Solihull 30.07.2013

Moving on I soon found another and along this one edge of the meadow I counted four different individuals defending territories every 10-15 yards or so.

Small Copper - Castle Hills Solihull 30.07.2013

Small Copper - Castle Hills Solihull 30.07.2013

Small Copper - Castle Hills Solihull 30.07.2013

Small Copper - Castle Hills Solihull 30.07.2013

Going into the next field I found a couple more and circling back around, another that made seven between the two fields

Small Copper - Castle Hills Solihull 30.07.2013

Small Copper - Castle Hills Solihull 30.07.2013

Small Copper - Castle Hills Solihull 30.07.2013

Small Copper - Castle Hills Solihull 30.07.2013

At one point I was walking past a small shrub sized Oak, only about ten feet high when I saw a small butterfly flying around it. I had often looked up at the Oaks around this site looking for Purple Hairstreaks but despite a few tantalising glimpses had never had a clear enough view to confirm a sighting. This time there was no question as the butterfly settled just above head height a few times and proved its identity beyond doubt, a female Purple Hairstreak. Not only that but she opened her wings enabling me to get my first ever proper open wing PH photo, not the best condition example but I was well chuffed
nevertheless

Purple Hairstreak - Castle Hills Solihull 30.07.2013

Purple Hairstreak - Castle Hills Solihull 30.07.2013

Purple Hairstreak - Castle Hills Solihull 30.07.2013

After a couple of hours the clouds were getting heavier and darker and I felt a few spots of rain in the air so I made my way back feeling very happy, not only with the number of Small Coppers seen but also with the unexpected Purple Hairstreak

Also, my Peacock pupae are changing colour now, I have seen a couple of fresh Peacocks in the garden today, presumably from the same original batch of eggs.

Bye for now,

Neil

[millerd]

I am immensely envious of that Purple Hairstreak, Neil. The only one that has ever come close to doing that for me was so worn it was hard to say what it was! Excellent shots.

Dave

[Goldie M]

Hi! Neill I've yet to find a Small Copper, your photo's are great, I'm off to Southport tomorrow so here's hoping Goldie