Hoggers

[Maximus]

Great Orange-tip photos Hoggers. I thought at first that your mystery egg could be a Dunnock's, but using your car key as a size guide it looks too big, so I think it could well be a Starling's egg.

[Hoggers]

Many thanks for all your comments and for the help identifying Hoggers' Mystery Easter Egg!!

We had glorious warm and sunny weather today. I decided to go looking for Specklies and so headed for the woods.

I was greeted by the sight of a million Bluebells

Absolutely stunning, with Celandines, Primroses, Dog Violets, Wood Anemones and Stitchworts thrown in too.

The wood echoed with the songs of Chiffchaffs, Black Caps and Nightingales. What a fabulous time of year this is!

And then I came across my first Speckled Woods of 2014

Six in all

Marvellous!

I also found two Commas

And a few Green-veined Whites

There were plenty of Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks on my walk back but today I saw only two Orange Tips, both in too much of a rush to pose for any photographs.

At home I was delighted to see these courting Peacocks

And a beautiful Holly Blue

Dare I say that this is looking like it's going to be a cracking year for butterflies and for those of us who love them?!

[Wurzel]

Great Specklies and and I really like the Holly Blue shots - they really put the sighting into perspective Here's hoping the year meets up to expectations

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Butterflysaurus rex]

I agree some great Speckie shots there Hoggers And you got some Holly Blues, it's about the only butterfly that's out that I've yet to see - other than some Dukes.

B'saurus

[Hoggers]

Many thanks for the comments Wurzel and B'Saurus, much appreciated.

I got home around 2pm on this bright and breezy day, went into the garden and bumped into an Orange Tip

He took off from the Wallflower but instead of flying away he settled on a near-by bush and began to open his wings, so I was able to get a few photos before he finally went on his way

While out in the garden I also saw a Speckled Wood and a Holly Blue.

[Hoggers]

Over the last few weeks I've been clearing a border in the garden with a view to planting a flower bed. I made sufficient progress this afternoon to at last be able to put in the first Wallflowers, three in all. Once they were in the ground I gave them some water then I sat back to admire my efforts (I find the "sitting back and admiring" bit to be the part of gardening I do the best..)

Literally within minutes a Holly Blue appeared and began mudpuddling on the wet soil!

I ran indoors to fetch my camera and the butterfly was there still by the time I got outside again

But not for long: it took off, flew up the garden and just when I though it had gone it came back and landed within my reach on a bush

Nor did it stay there for very long either so I had fun trying to get some "in flight" pictures

They are such fidgets!

[David M]

Even though they're not rare at all, the sight of a Holly Blue is always exciting. Their behaviour is just SO much different to all the other UK Blues.

[Neil Freeman]

... find the "sitting back and admiring" bit to be the part of gardening I do the best...

I can relate to that

Love the photos of the Holly Blue in flight Hoggers.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Great stuff Hoggers I saw my first of the year today and I totally agree with David - they're a welcome sight like nothing else

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Hoggers]

Today I teamed up with Brother Hoggles for a Green Hairstreak Hunt on Wye Downs. It wasn't long before we found one

Over the course of a couple of hours we saw 7 of them, some fidgety but others more approachable

It's fun to see how the light plays on their wings

I'd never noticed the bluey tracery on the hindwing veins before

Looking at a close up I could see what appear to be coloured squiggle-like structures on the wings

If they really do exist and are not aberrations of my camera I'd guess they're responsible for the iridescent effect.

Anyway, I know nothing whatsoever about science so to quickly change the subject,here's a photograph showing how the presence of a tiny little coloured butterfly can floor a fully grown man

Brother Hoggles at work!

Whilst up on the Downs we also saw our first Dingy Skippers of the year

Two in all.

Other butterflies seen were two Peacocks and this female Brimstone

All in all a very successful visit.

[Hoggers]

On my dog walk this morning I managed to find a single Green-veined White despite the chilly wind

I guessed it would be even colder by the coast but decided to visit Dungeness today with my fingers crossed that the Small Coppers would be out. I need not have worried: I came across my first of the year within feet of where I'd parked

I was there for about two hours and stopped counting at 30

Bearing in mind that more than half of the site was submerged for a considerable period during this year's flooding, such a strong Spring emergence is heartening

They were doing what Small Coppers do best, bustling about after one another in feisty little dogfights then heading for the next available flower

In spite of their war-like nature I like to think they have an essentially sunny disposition.

I also saw two Peacocks and several Small Tortoiseshells

On a different note, when I checked my "Blue Tit Cam" this morning I discovered that she's laid 6 eggs

I'll be keeping a close eye on her. Last year was pretty awful, only one chick out of the eight survived. Signs are that this year will be better: I've already seen good numbers of the little green caterpillars that they feed on.

Returning to butterflies for a moment,I'm delighted that the Small Coppers are back; they're my favourite butterfly and I've missed them

[David M]

I love Small Coppers too, Hoggers, and hope to see my first of the year anytime now.

Great images.

[William]

Great stuff Hoggers - I too saw my first Small Coppers today, always a wonderful suprise

[Butterflysaurus rex]

A fantastic run of reports and photos Hoggers, Spring really has sprung down in these parts. Can't wait to see what you post up next

B'saurus

[Wurzel]

Fantastic stuff with the Small Coppers Hoggers - I missed your previous posting or was it because it featured a Green thingy quite heavily

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Hoggers]

It rained yesterday and I was holed up indoors all day (not even the garden centres were open!) so when I woke this morning to see the sun shining bright I decided a butterfly expedition was in order. I headed down to Dungeness to see the Small Coppers and to have a look for Grizzled Skippers.

Well, I had a long search for Grizzlies and didn't find a single one but there were compensations!

Gorgeous fresh Small Coppers almost everywhere I looked

And I was delighted to find a mating pair

Which bodes well.

There were Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells and Small Whites too

On the way home I stopped off at Orlestone Forest where I saw Speckled Woods, Orange Tips and about 12 Brimstones

Love clearly is in the air at the moment!

A memorable day's butterflying

[David M]

Nice spring images, Hoggers, especially the vivid caeruleopunctata.

[Neil Freeman]

A smashing selection of Small Copper Images and I love the Brimstone sequence, great stuff

Cheers,

Neil.

[Paul Harfield]

Hi Hoggers

Absolutely lovely Small Coppers especially the one with blue spots and the mating pair I have not seen any of my local population yet

[Wurzel]

Fantastic Copper shots Like many others I'm still Copperless so far this year, it seems that my region is about a week behind counties further east.

Have a goodun

Wurzel