Butterflysaurus rex

[Neil Hulme]

Hi B. rex,
Great Wall close-ups! The first wing detail image reminds me of the carpet in a Sports & Social club I used to frequent in Watford. Happy days.
BWs, Neil

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Hey James. Well done on getting really close to the Wall Browns. Not an easy task!! A fabulous pattern they have on their underwings shown off brilliantly here!

Thanks Bob, that's a great compliment coming from a man who knows quite a bit about this species.

Hi B. rex,
Great Wall close-ups! The first wing detail image reminds me of the carpet in a Sports & Social club I used to frequent in Watford. Happy days.
BWs, Neil

Thank you Neil, All that's missing is a few worn out patches & couple of cigarette burns. It really does look like a carpet doesn't it - well one form the 70s for those of us that can remember back that far.

[David M]

Real different perspective with those close up wing shots, Rex.

Excellent images.

[Wurzel]

Simply stunning images Rex - how did you get the Walls to stay still long enough to get that close - what chemicals did you use to induce that

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Real different perspective with those close up wing shots, Rex.

Excellent images.

Thanks David, it's certainly closest I've ever been able to get to Wall. When I saw that a normal photo would have not been very good at normal distance I thought I'd try my luck with an extreme close up instead.

Simply stunning images Rex - how did you get the Walls to stay still long enough to get that close - what chemicals did you use to induce that

Have a goodun

Wurzel

No drugs or chemicals involved Wurzel, let's just say that they we're both far too preoccupied to worry about me on this occasion I didn't appear to disturb them at all, after spending a while taking some images I left them there still at it

Catch up pt 2 - Pearls and Small Tortoiseshell larva.

Earlier this week I made another quick visit to Abbots Wood to see how the Pearl Bordered Fritillarys were doing. Numbers had definitely increased a bit since my first visit. I hope some more will appear and make it a better year than the last at Abbots for this lovely butterfly. Surprisingly all of the ones I saw there had some signs of ware.

After seeing so many Small Tortoiseshells this spring it's no surprise that I'm seeing more Larval webs than usual, so I decided to try and make the most of the opportunity and try to take some photos. Getting half decent photos of these wriggling larvae is surprisingly difficult. Well I found it a bit difficult anyway.

I spent a couple of minutes watching this STS caterpillar busy cocooning itself inside a nettle leaf.

On this Nettle there were larvae both light and dark in colour and at differing stages of development.

Looking for greener pastures at full s-t-r-e-t-c-h !

Oh for goodness sake, I've dropped me keys!

Hey waiter! I ordered Nettle soup not Lemongrass!!

Enjoying the splendid view form Nettles End.

B'saurus

[Neil Freeman]

Just seen your close ups of the Wall Browns Rex, as other have said, stunning images

Great photos of the ST larvae as well, I'll have to start looking out for them, and Peacocks, myself.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Just seen your close ups of the Wall Browns Rex, as other have said, stunning images

Great photos of the ST larvae as well, I'll have to start looking out for them, and Peacocks, myself.

Cheers,

Neil.

Thanks Neil they do have such a beautiful underwing, it was quite a privilege to see it up close. Mysteriously I can't seem to find a single Peacock web, there's been loads of Peacocks around here too. Maybe I'll start seeing some a bit later on.

Best Wishes

B'saurus

[David M]

Great images again, Rex. You seem to be enjoying a purple patch right now.

[Wurzel]

Great stuff Rex Your Pearl looks slightly more heavily marked then usual The cat shots are great, I especially like the first group shot which looks like they're dropping off the screen

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Great images again, Rex. You seem to be enjoying a purple patch right now.

It's been great fun so far David, I love this time of the year. I keep being caught off guard because so many species are starting off earlier than usual. I saw my first Common blue today! Thank you for the nice comment

Great stuff Rex Your Pearl looks slightly more heavily marked then usual The cat shots are great, I especially like the first group shot which looks like they're dropping off the screen

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Cheers wurzel a lot of the Pearls in Abbots Wood seem to be heavily marked, at least I always seem to see quite a few like that. For some reason I thought photographing Small Tort Larvae would be a bit easier than the adult butterflies, after all they can't fly away. Of course I soon learned how utterly wrong I was

Best wishes

B'saurus

Catch up part 3 - Grizzled Skippers.

Well I'm still a little bit behind on my diary I think I'd better to pull my socks up!

Last week I made a flying visit to a local spot I know that's often good for Grizzled Skippers. Thankfully after seeing small numbers in some of the other areas I visit this one seemed to have a healthier population of Grizzlies.

At one point there were three Grizzlies all sharing this perch together! Of course just before I pressed the button one of them flew off. Still It's rare enough for me to see two sharing the same perch so I can hardly complain.

B'saurus

[Wurzel]

Two out of Three ain't bad Rex Dreamscape like Grizzlie shots - lush Rex I've managed to get Dingie, Small Copper, Duke and Pearls so far this weekend but I expect you'll have picked up Brown Argus and Small Heath as well by now

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Two out of Three ain't bad Rex Dreamscape like Grizzlie shots - lush Rex I've managed to get Dingie, Small Copper, Duke and Pearls so far this weekend but I expect you'll have picked up Brown Argus and Small Heath as well by now

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Looks like you had a fantastic weekend Wurzel I'm looking forward to seeing your photos I've not managed to see a Brown Argus of Small Heath yet but...........................



Heavenly Heyshott - Dukes aplenty!

On Saturday I finally managed to make my long awaited journey to Heyshott hoping see some Duke of Burgundies. And have a look at a place I've been wanting to see for quite a long time. I arrived a little later in the day than I had hoped, thankfully the Dukes were not hard to find, they were already very active thanks to some warm sunshine. What a place this is, the hard work by Neil Hulme, Mark Colvin and all of the other volunteers has seriously paid off. It must be hugely satisfying to see the Dukes and skippers flourish there thanks to such careful management.

Almost as soon as I arrived I bumped into Mark Colvin and he very kindly gave me a guided tour of the site. I really enjoyed having a have chat with Mark as he showed me around, he pointed out the freshly cleared areas as well as the best places to find some Dukes. The extensive areas now opened up for the butterflies have revealed some stunning vistas, I'm glad I remembered to bring my wide angle lens along with me. Here are a few shots that I took of this lovely place:

View looking up the scarp.

View towards the West.

Of course I didn't only visit Heyshott Escarpment for the wonderful views, I was also hopeing to see and photograph my first Duke's of the year. numbers were looking very healthy indeed and most of the Dukes looked fresh.

During my amble around I only saw 5 Grizzled Skippers, however the Dingy Skippers were so numerous I didn't even try to keep a count, fresh ones were still
emerging. I saved this brand new and floppy winged individual form the unwelcome attentions of a spider. Sorry to have stolen your dinner Mr spider but I got there first.

An unexpected bonus came in the form of some very shiny and fresh looking Green Hairstreaks.

And the biggest surprise of the day, a bright and fresh Pearl Bordered Fritillary came out of nowhere! - That sent a male Duke on the attack. The PBF didn't hang around long enough for a photo but I was thrilled to see one there. I know that this species has only just begun to return to this site after a long absence.

Towards the end of my time there I was pleased to see a couple of familiar faces pop up, we joined forces for a few final photos before it was time to leave - cheers Arthur and Richard
a very nice end to a brilliant day.

B'saurus

[Mark Colvin]

Hi James,

It was really good to meet you too and I was pleased I could show you around one of my favourite sites in Sussex.

Well down with the Pearl ...

Good hunting.

Kindest regards. Mark

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Thank you Mark, as you can probably tell form my report above it is now one of my favourite sites too I had a fantastic time in great company. Hopefully we'll meet again before too long out there somewhere.

I'm hoping more Pearls will be flying at Heyshott over the coming weeks.

Best Regards

B'saurus

[Wurzel]

Excellent reports and photos Rex - the close up Duke is stunning I sneaked out again today for some Duke action and now I'm all out of Brownie points bu it was worth it. Hopefully I'll be able to gain some more before the Marshies start flying in earnest if you're interested let us know.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Excellent reports and photos Rex - the close up Duke is stunning I sneaked out again today for some Duke action and now I'm all out of Brownie points bu it was worth it. Hopefully I'll be able to gain some more before the Marshies start flying in earnest if you're interested let us know.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel sneaking out for some Dukes is worth loosing a few Brownie points for I'll send you a PM about the Marshies.



Common Blues

After sighting my first Common Blue of the year on Sunday I decided to have a quick look around to see if I could find some more. I didn't see many - just three in total but it's still early days and I only had an hour to find some. I was pleased to observe some courtship activity and take a sequence of photos. It didn't lead to a coupling this time so I'll have to wait for that photo of a mating pair.

It was very windy out there today but I knew of a couple of local sheltered spots where I usually see some Common Blues every year. As you might expect the butterflies were very active during the warmest part of the day. But seeing as I had an hour to kill I tried my best to get a few half decent shots.

It was also gratifying to see the numbers of both Grizzled and Dingy Skippers have increased a little since my last visit.

B'saurus

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Rex, cracking reports and photo in your last few posts, love the backlit grizzlies especially

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

Common Blues look to be out in earnest in those parts, Rex. I trust by next weekend south Wales will be welcoming them too!

[Wurzel]

Great shots of the Common Blues Rex I'm reading your diary with interest as it gives me a heds up of what to look for the following week as that's what we seem to be behind by here in Wiltshire.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Philzoid]

Just catching up on your diary Rex. What can I say about those Wall close up x100 ... and those stained glass grizzlies

I've managed to get Dingie, Small Copper, Duke and Pearls so far this weekend but I expect you'll have picked up Brown Argus and Small Heath as well by now

Have a goodun

Wurzel


Looks like you had a fantastic weekend Wurzel I'm looking forward to seeing your photos I've not managed to see a Brown Argus of Small Heath yet but...........................

I have

can't be long now Wurzel ....