Pauline

[Pauline]

Thank you Wurzel - let me tell you, getting good open wing shots in captivity is not easy either

That means a lot Mark - thank you.

Now call me daft but I was determined to see one of my PH pupa emerge. Convinced that because they had turned completely black the event was imminent I spent 8 hours yesterday watching the pupa ... and I am not a patient person. However, I collected these eggs from my lane so I have a special interest in them. Needless to say, nothing happened . Having wasted a whole day I decided to get out early this morning with my camera, assuming that the pupa would not emerge until it warmed up a bit. I arrived back shortly after 8.00am to this:

Another male. At least it gave me a chance for a few more photos. Perhaps by the time they all emerge I might have taken a decent one

[MikeOxon]

Another very artistic series of images - some would make lovely framed illustrations. I like the 'S-curve' of the antennae.

Mike
ps I shall have to design an 'emergence detector' - could make my fortune

[Pauline]

Thank you Mike. I actually like the first one. Having just emerged I do not think they are particularly photogenic as they are not fully 'pumped up' but it is good to record the stunning colours and 'newness' ... if you can

Now this morning I did something I have never done before. I got up at 5.00am ( that's normal), I was out taking photos at 6.00am (done that loads of times) and I took my tripod with me . I knew where I was going and I knew where my target would be. I was spurred on by the fantastic shots Andy achieved and I wanted to check up on 'my' White Admiral larva. This cat is tucked into the bushes a little so lighting was always going to be difficult. I tried to remember what I knew about the camera settings as it is quite difficult to get it all in focus with all those bends and curves and spikes going in all directions. Depth of field I thought. Large aperture = greater depth of field = small f number but still needed better light. ISO set to 200, couldn't think of anything else. Anyway, these are the results.

I am hoping to monitor this cat regularly and hope to see it pupate. Fingers crossed.

I had a very quick look for other larva (unsuccessfully) but did find this egg?

[Pete Eeles]

Large aperture = greater depth of field = small f number

Actually, it's "Small aperture = greater depth of field = large f number" Nice photos all the same.

It looks like the Purple Hairstreak's wings hadn't finished drying before it was moved, Pauline - which is why they look a little crumpled. As a general rule, I never move a butterfly until it's decided to move itself. Yet another tip for the article!

Cheers,

- Pete

[badgerbob]

Well done Pauline with the Hairstreaks. What chance have I got with my Wall pupa out there in the wild. I've been up to check on it nearly every day for over 3 weeks now. Still not convinced its alive, probably not, but still go up there. If your White Admiral pupates where you can find it beware, the petrol bill will go up because you will want to keep checking it!! It also drives you completely mad!

[Neil Freeman]

Just caught up with your Purple Hairstreaks Pauline, superb images

The White Admiral caterpillar photos are great as well, fascinating looking creature

All the best,

Neil.

[Pauline]

Well Pete, they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks No wonder my photos are not getting any better Seriously, thank you for correcting me on this (can't seem to remember from one week to the next!) - as you know I have always invited criticism and advice and shall continue to do so in my efforts to improve.

Never say never Bob! Keep us informed, I shall continue to watch what you've been up to. I am lucky as my WA larva is not very far away so hopefully the petrol bill won't be prohibitive

Thank you for the compliment Neil - very much appreciated.

A few shots from later today:

[Susie]

Your photos are superb! That ph is amazing

[Pauline]

Thank you Susie but it is so sad that this beautiful female emerged deformed.

It wasn't a great day yesterday which ended with an unpleasant experience at Rake Bottom. I was looking forward to my visit as I had been told it was now teeming with butterflies and so it was. I parked carefully avoiding all the glass that I assume came from Mark's windscreen (you could have at least cleared it up Mark ). I don't usually go out on Bank Holidays as places are usually busy but I had assumed (being quite remote) this venue would be OK. I was marvelling at how many Green Hairstreaks were flying around (at one point there were 6 nectaring on the same Hawthorn bush) when my attention was interrupted by a series of calls along the lines of 'oi, you!'. Half way up the bank there were 2 teenagers sitting and calling to me. I am not sure why I felt immediately intimidated. Perhaps it was because it reminded me of a similar experience at Paulsgrove, perhaps it was because I realised there was no-one else about, perhaps it was because they were wearing hoodies (with the hoods up), but more probably it was because they stood up and started making their way down the valley towards me. I started climbing the opposite bank and was briefly diverted by a beautiful Hairstreak egg-laying. I had wanted to look for the eggs but felt very uneasy as the males had disappeared and I couldn't see where they were. I just felt too stressed to enjoy my surroundings and when a family came by intent on a picnic I followed them out feeling angry that I felt forced to leave and relieved to find my car in one piece. Managed a few shots:

Couldn't resist stopping on the way to take a photo of these.

and the Green Hairstreak which was egg-laying:

Lots of fresh Dukes:

[Pauline]

Now this is more like it. Today I had another beautiful female PH emerge. I make no apologies for the number of photos as this is my personal record. I make no apologies for the quality of the shots either as it was a case of grab the camera and with shaking hands trying to record an event which I shall probably never see again:

This beautiful creature looked like she was wearing a midnight blue velvet cloak which she eventually wrapped around herself.

[Paul Wetton]

Fantastic Pauline and nothing wrong with the photos.

Well done

[David M]

Truly magnificent, Pauline. The transformation is remarkable. Interesting too to note the slate blue 'sheen' on parts of the underside in the last image. I assume that fades off after a short while?

[Pauline]

I value your comments Paul -thank you.

Hairstreaks captivate me David; when fresh the colours are spectacular but do tend to fade. I was lucky enough last year to see a newly emerged WLH in the wild and it just shimmered gold in the morning sun. Thank you for your comment and observations.

I wonder if anyone can answer a few questions:

1. The previous shot of a caterpillar which I could not identify, having looked at Pete's photos on this site I am fairly sure it is a Speckled Wood. However, it appeared to be feeding on Honeysuckle and there is no mention of this as being the food plant of Speckled Wood so I wonder whether it is in fact something else?

2. Likewise, I have been trying to find out what the little golden package is on the silken thread. It looks a bit like an egg but whose egg? Or perhaps it is something completely different?

3. Can anyone identify this which appeared on the Blackthorn where I am rearing the Black Hairstreaks. At first I thought it was one of the cats turning into a pupa but it hasn't changed for some days now:

4. The last PH whose emergence I recorded I assumed was a female because of the vividness of the colours. However, is it actually a male?

Any suggestions would be welcome.

[MikeOxon]

Another wonderful series of photos, Pauline, and what a fantastic experience for you.

I've never seen such a freshly emerged specimen but I associate that overall purple with a male. The female only has small purple areas on a mainly brown wing.

Mike

[Pauline]

Thank you so much Mike (and thank you for the pm). It has certainly been an amazing experience and I have learned such a lot but as I won't be rushing into doing it again .............. just too much of a worry and tbh I'll be glad/relieved when it is all over. However, until that time comes I shall continue to record the photos I have managed to get. At the moment I seem to be having a PH emerge on a daily basis and the photos are a bit tricky as I haven't yet put any of the creatures in the fridge or used any other methods to calm them down. Perhaps I should as I'm always worried they will take off and end up behind a radiator or in a parrot's beak A few more shots of recent butterflies:

[Pauline]

[Maximus]

Lovely photos of your Purple Hairstreaks Pauline and the catching the emerging male was brilliant

[Pauline]

Thank you Mike. It won't be long before your ones start to emerge . So far I have only had 5 males emerge (and a poor deformed female)

Most of my Black Hairstreak cats have now pupated and I have been trying to catch the process with my camera as it is quite fascinating. The problem is that it invariably occurs late in the evening which makes photography (for me anyway) quite difficult. The cat chooses a place where it remains motionless for 2-3 days before the pupation process starts and once signs of the change become visible it progresses quickly and is all over within about an hour. I have tried to take a few shots which I hope to improve upon if opportunity allows.

[David M]

Where have you been getting these cats from, Pauline? You seem to have acquired a job-lot!

[Pauline]

Try to keep up David, I've already explained all that stuff In summary, having been alerted by Mark to the 'management' at Noar Hill I was able to collect 12 discarded BH eggs which all hatched, but due to a slug problem only 3 remain. Likewise, Mike reported that Oaks had been felled by the Forestry Commission at the Straits and I was able to rescue a handful of PH eggs. At the same time I noticed the storms had brought down a small Oak at the bottom of my lane and a similar number of eggs came from that Oak. I wasn't surprised to find them there as I have a colony in the Oaks in my garden. The BH eggs were a lot easier to find than the PH eggs, the latter being more of a grey colour and frequently coated in mud and on average took me about 30 minutes to find each egg over 3 visits. Anyway, only 10 of these hatched and somewhere along the line I 'lost' 2 of them. Friends thought I was having such a good time with these eggs that they bought me some more - 12 Black Hairstreak, and that will be the end of it although I intend to make the most of the experience

Yesterday a brief walk in the forest in cloudy and quite windy conditions turned up 5 species of butterfly including this GVW and the smallest OT I have ever seen.

Stopping to examine each honeysuckle closely I was surprised at the number of weird and wonderful creatures I encountered, most of which I have never seen before. A few of these below: