Hoggers

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Hoggers,

You have certainly had a very yellow year but there are plenty of other great colours in your photos as well, Blues, Coppers, Browns and some silver all looking good, and not forgetting a bit of purple

Cheers,

Neil F.

[Maximus]

Sone lovely photos of various species. I don't blame you for making the most of CY's, as who knows how long we will have to wait for another year like this

Mike

[Hoggers]

Hi Neil, thanks for that, I've certainly felt spoilt for choice this year!

Thanks for your kind comments Mike. I agree with what you say about the Clouded Yellows: last year was a Clouded Yellow-Less Year for me, while in 2011, I saw just one, which zipped past my ear and disappeared!

Apart from the sheer joy of their arrival, what's also struck me about this year is that after two months of seeing them almost every day, I now feel that they are a settled feature of my local butterfly population and not just fleeting visitors. Yet on the other hand, I know they cannot survive our Winter.

Today I went to Folkestone Warren. The first insect that I saw of interest was this colourful moth

I believe it's a Jersey Tiger.

There were many Common Blues indeed. This one was roosting on an Everlasting Pea (which now I can never pass by without checking for a hidden Long Tailed Blue!)

And this one I thought looked very pretty on the Sea Lavender

Just a few feet along from the Blue I was delighted to find a Clouded Yellow at rest

At rest, but not for very long! Soon he was away. I saw three more on my walk, all flying fast and purposefully. A beautiful sight.

I came across a Peacock, two Red Admirals, many Small Tortoiseshells

And three Painted Ladies

There were many Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers, Large and Small Whites and a single Marbled White too.

All along my walk, almost as a constant companion, there were Walls

I also came across this rather handsome caterpillar

I felt very envious of him if all he has to do all day is loll about in a great big soft yellow flower. Nice work if you can get it.

[Wurzel]

Cracking shots Hoggers My fave has to be the Wall as I've never really managed to capture an image of a female I too was Yellow-less last year but we all seem to be making up for it this time around

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

I also came across this rather handsome caterpillar.

I felt very envious of him if all he has to do all day is loll about in a great big soft yellow flower. Nice work if you can get it.

Only enviable if the flower in question doesn't have a resident crab spider!

[Hoggers]

I've often thought that the Crab Spider is the most Shakespearian of Arachnids as the treachery it employs to snare its prey is positively Devilish; not so much the "serpent beneath the flower" but actually setting itself up as a flower! Nasty!

Today I had an early finish at Canterbury and so paid a visit to Oare Nature Reserve near Faversham. It's best known as a Bird Reserve but they let in UKBers too. It's a beautiful location looking across the Swale to the Isle of Sheppey.

Within minutes I had seen a Clouded Yellow

I saw 6 of them in a couple of hours including one so tattered it was just barely still able to fly

But more excitingly,a female which appeared to be egg-laying (or at least going through the motions) on Bird's Foot Trefoil. I really struggled to keep up with her and managed only this very poor photograph, but it does show her curving her abdomen onto the leaf

There were many Large and Small Whites, Common Blues and a few Brown Argus. I saw several Small Tortoiseshells

And was delighted to come across a little enclave of Essex Skippers

All of the Small and Essex Skippers on my Patch are long gone for the year, so to find 6 of them at Oare was a real pleasure

There was a sprinkling of Meadow Browns and Small Heaths too

I enjoyed visiting Oare. I explored only a small part of the Reserve with a slow amble along the sea wall but the footpath goes on for miles, so lots left to discover.

[Hoggers]

A trio of Clouded Yellows in the "usual field" when I took the hounds for their walk this morning

I still have to stop and stare when they fly by.

This afternoon I visited Wye Nature Reserve at the Devil's Kneading Trough. I didn't see a Clouded Yellow, but next best thing, I met a lady who had!

I did however see many Chalkhill Blues

And Common Blues

Several Wall, many Brown Argus, Large and Small Whites with good numbers of the delightful Small Heath

My biggest surprise came whilst gazing at the scenery and chomping on a Marmite and Banana Sandwich : A Skipper landed right next to me

A Silver Spotted Skipper!

This is the first SSS that I have ever seen at Wye. They've certainly been recorded at Wye before (although quite whereabouts on the site I'm not sure) but in all the years I've been visiting the Kneading Trough I've never seen one, until today

Maybe it was the Marmite?

[Padfield]

... Marmite and Banana Sandwich...

Did I hear you right? As a vegan I'm always on the lookout for tasty and nutritious combinations, but ... really?

I will try it, though. I hope I'm pleasantly surprised - and that a silver-spotted skipper drops in to join me for lunch.

The fat cat you envy is notable for being extremely uncamouflaged on that dandelion head. It's really quite strange to see something so incongruous. I wonder if he was actually crawling around looking for a place to pupate and just happened to be passing that way ...

Guy

[Hoggers]

Guy - The Marmite and Banana Sandwich: try it. You'll never look back.

Together with Pot Noodles they got me through University and a good few years thereafter.

Hoggers.

[David M]

Guy - The Marmite and Banana Sandwich: try it. You'll never look back.

Together with Pot Noodles they got me through University and a good few years thereafter.

I have no specific antagonism towards either vegetarianism or veganism, but I have to say both the above make me retch.

How about a fistful of pistachios, some dolmados, sun roasted tomatoes, kalamata olives and a good prosecco?

Forget the marmite and Pot Noodle.

[Hoggers]

All this talk of food is making me hungry!

But before I get myself some lunch, I saw a single Clouded Yellow on my morning walk with the dogs

It was generally overcast with a cool breeze and apart from a sprinkle of Whites I didn't see any other butterflies

[Wurzel]

Nicks reports and great shots Hoggers I'll have to try your sandwich mix, it sounds more interesting than the standard Peanut Butter, Jam and Banana Try Peanut butter and golden syrup next time you have pancakes

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Hoggers]

Hi Wurzel, give the Marmite and Banana Sarnie a try: sometimes I go for the Marmite Sandwich in one hand and a Banana in the other, taking alternate chomps from each. The logistic problems of this are however greater than the All-In-One Sarnie Combo, particularly when a Silver Spotted Skipper suddenly appears and you're in a rush to snap a photo of it!

On another subject, have other UKbers noticed that their Buddleia bushes have gone quiet? All my Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks have vanished although the weather remains hot and sunny. I'm left with only a few Whites while the Buddleias are looking very empty!

[millerd]

On another subject, have other UKbers noticed that their Buddleia bushes have gone quiet? All my Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks have vanished although the weather remains hot and sunny. I'm left with only a few Whites while the Buddleias are looking very empty!

Yes, exactly the same near me. I imagine they have been able to fill themselves with nectar because of the good weather, and having laid down maximum fat reserves have headed for hibernation.

Dave

[David M]

Yes, exactly the same near me. I imagine they have been able to fill themselves with nectar because of the good weather, and having laid down maximum fat reserves have headed for hibernation.

Peacocks have declined seriously in numbers in my vicinity, but Red Admirals are increasing in numbers and Small Tortoiseshells are now king of the castle, with double figure numbers practically everywhere there are buddleias.

[Hoggers]

This morning I saw three Clouded Yellows in the field where I take my dogs for a walk

By 1030 I was wandering around Dungeness. The number of Small Coppers is a joy to behold

I managed to find six which had the lovely blue spots on the hind wing

I always seem to find these blue spotted ones in late Summer rather than the Spring

I also came across this one which has much less in the way of black marking on the fore wings than usual

I love watching them, they are so pugnacious. But rather than having a punch-up, these two were on friendlier terms

I also came across four Clouded Yellows

Flying in off the beach

Lots of Small and Large Whites, many Small Tortoiseshells, Common Blues, Small Heaths and a single Red Admiral completed my tally for the morning.

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Some fantastic Small Copper photos there Hoggers I kind of used to take them for granted...... not anymore!

[Hoggers]

Hi B'Saurus, thanks for your message and kind comments. Much appreciated.

I've generally never found Small Coppers in great numbers except at Dungeness where, if the weather's been good, they thrive. Yesterday I must have seen 50-60 of them and that's just in a small area, not the whole site!

I always try to get a close up look at them not only because they're Little Crackers but because you can find the blue spotted ones and other varieties too. I had a look on the Small Copper section of our esteemed UKB site and found photos of one that our equally esteemed Wurzel had found, which had less in the way of black spotting on the fore-wings, so rather like the one I saw yesterday. There are other, sometimes extremely rare, aberrations too. So yes, well worth checking out.

As far as today's concerned, I didn't have long on my dog walk but did manage to see three Clouded Yellows.

P.S I'm still scrutinising EVERY White just in case it's a Helice! As you can easily imagine, my head is Spinning!

Cheers and Happy Butterflying!

[David M]

Hoggers, when the Clouded Yellows reach dry land do they come to rest pretty quickly or do they press on inland without stopping?

[Hoggers]

Hi David, the CY's I have seen arriving at the coast have really always seemed on a mission to head inland, just stopping off briefly to re-fuel. About 27 CY's arrived at Dungeness during one day but had dispersed by the next. I watched two males come in off the beach and I got myself puffed out running after them as they continued flying steadily inland!

As you know, "My" CY's are inland and after watching them for a time I'm convinced that some remained on site for a week or two at least, while others headed off without lingering for long.