April 2014

[Testudo Man]

Thanks very much to Ian Pratt and Lee Hurrell for your comments, cheers.

Several more photos of that special little Grizzled Skipper, from the same day/session.
Since the sun went behind the clouds, i kept an eye on where the grizzled skipper took refuge/landed, which enabled me to capture some nice shots. This is only the 2nd year/season that i have seen/photographed a grizzled skipper, so i was very happy with how my images came out.

Cheers Paul.

Another species to add to my list of butterflies that have climbed onto my finger tips.

This last photo is not cropped at all.

[David M]

Wonderful stuff. I may have to pay a visit to my local Grizzly site to assuage my jealousy.

Here's hoping the weather stays fine.

[Ian Pratt]

More green hairstreaks and others. How many can you see on the bluebells? For more photos see http://www.flickr.com/photos/lepreskil
Ian

[Lee Hurrell]

Amazing! - 4?

[Neil Freeman]

I see 4, Lee just beat me to it.

Cracking stuff

Neil.

[Ian Pratt]

Correct, there were 4!

[William]

More green hairstreaks and others. How many can you see on the bluebells? For more photos see http://www.flickr.com/photos/lepreskil
Ian

I am green with envy

[Susan]

Brilliant photos all of you. Nice to see some we don't get at all round here. Also brilliant photos of the Orange tip Nomad. Obviously they do land then, just not in our garden, ever!!

Thanks for the welcome Mike.

[downland boy]

More White Admiral larvae from East Sussex/Kent border country.....one is feeding and the other in resting pose.
I promise no more until final instar and hopefully pupa....if the birds don't get them first!

[dave brown]

A (migrant?) Swallowtail yesterday briefly at Seabrook (between Hythe and Folkestone, Kent) was tweeted locally today.

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Dave,
Being in such a coastal location it's always tempting to attribute such a sighting to a primary migrant, and very often that will hold true. However, given what we know about recent movements of the species (summer 2013 influx), and that gorganus pupae are waiting to emerge on British soil (monitored in West and East Sussex gardens), I suspect a local emergence is more likely, perhaps from the garden or allotment of a carrot fancier in Folkestone. I doubt it will be the last.
BWs, Neil

[Ian Pratt]

Photos taken this morning before the rain came with an unidentified damselfly. Any ideas? Ian

[FISHiEE]

Hi Ian. That would be s large red damselfly which is normally the first species of the year I see.

[Ian Pratt]

Thanks, John.

[Pauline]

Thanks for the info Andy, you did really well to spot it.I am10 mins from Noar Hill and years ago there used to be Glow worms at the bottom of my lane but sadly they are long gone. Would be great to know they can at least be found reasonably locally.

[FISHiEE]

Morning Pauline,

The glow-worm Larvae was just walking across a bare bit of soil over one of the hillocks near the middle of the reserve it was the only one seen though.

Kind Regards

Andy

I was thinking it looked a bit glow worm but haven't seen one in day light before and it wasn't keen in being picked up for a closer study so glad you ID'd it!

[nomad]

Yesterday, I visited a locality in Wiltshire to photograph the Green Hairstreak and Grizzled Skipper. 45 of the former had been seen on this site four days ago and the latter were just starting to appear. It was cloudy with a few showers with sunny spells. The main factor was the wind, strong and gusty, which lowered the temperature in this exposed site. In spite of a long search of several hours, these butterflies were not on the wing. You know its windy when you see a strong flying Peacock forced into the grass and although the Bumble Bees were flying, a much tougher insect than butterflies, I saw one Bombus blown into the grass on take off after feeding at Ground-Ivy. Better luck next time I hope.

[Philzoid]

Sat 26th
Made a trip out to Denbies hoping to catch up some of the reported species I'd missed out on due to my Easter away in the North East (plenty of Small Torotoiseshell but nothing else seen). Was also hoping to avoid getting caught in a shower that tends to spring up over Denbies on such weather days.
A stiff breeze was blowing over the hillside but the sun was shining and lower part of the slopes offered shelter. After a lot of searching I eventually found me a Dingy Skipper.

Overall I saw around half a dozen in total but this involved covering a large area of the hillside . The predicted showers eventually came as the distant dirty grey clouds moved in, plonked themselves over the hillside and lingered their outer edges aglow with sunlight and blue sky promising better weather only a few miles away . Still, by them my calves were burning and I was well and truly knackered so it was a good time to call it a day. Other species Id hope for such has Grizzled Skipper and Small Copper didn't materialise. As for Wurzel's former nemesis? Well I saw green beetles; Greenfinches and a Green Woodpecker but no Green Hairstreak . Around 7 or 8 years ago I'd seen them in their scores, to the level of 1st brood Adonis. I think this species has tailed off in recent years at Denbies but to be fair I haven't been visiting this site as much as I used to.

Cryptocephalus (aureolus) Green leaf beetle in buttercup

Pancalia leuwenhoekella (micromoth from family Cosmopterigidae)

Phil

[David M]

Took a chance with the iffy forecast early this afternoon and visited Welshmoor, on the Gower, for a Green Hairstreak hunt.

In spite of a fair bit of cloud and even a shower, I managed to see 8, along with 2 Green Veined Whites, 2 Orange Tips and a Large White.

[maverick]

Its been a really good day in the Sankey Valley Warrington
the orange tips are all over the place and the G V Whites are aLmost a pest, chasing everything thats flying
ive even got my holly blue shots