Maximus

[Neil Freeman]

Great report and photos of the Glanville Fritillaries Mike

I am heading down there next Monday(Bank holiday) and stopping in Ventnor until the Thursday so I am obviously hoping to see some Glanvilles which would be a first for me.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Maximus]

Thanks Pauline, it would be great to see a Glanville at Wrecclesham again

Cheers Neil, Staying in Ventnor you'll be just a short walk from Wheelers Bay, where we saw the Glanvilles. Hopefully more will now have emerged for you to enjoy


...Isle of Wight Continued

Following our success in finding the Glanville Fritillaries, the next morning we decided to head up onto Bonchurch Down to see what we could find. It was sunny as we entered the down and walked along the path on the hillside. The first butterflies we saw were lovely Brown Argus posing nicely in the grass and on flowers.

We saw a couple of Wall Browns, but they did not stop for any photos. As we walked further along the down we began to see some fresh Adonis Blues, mainly males but also a couple of females...

...and a mating pair

We also saw a few Common Blues and our first Small Heath of 2014.

Apart from getting caught in a thunderstorm and getting soaked through, we spent a great day on the down. We saw at least fifty Adonis and thirty Brown Argus all of which were very fresh looking.
Although we did'nt know it then, the Isle of Wight had yet more to offer us...

[Lee Hurrell]

I am really enjoying this report, Mike...what can be next!?

Best wishes,

Lee

[Paul Harfield]

Hi Mike

Your female Adonis is beautiful Very fresh

[Maximus]

Thanks Lee, glad you're enjoying it this is the last instalment.



...Isle of Wight continued

For our last day on the island we decided to head to West Wight and Compton Bay. Although we looked for Glanvilles along the cliff tops we found none, it's amazing how much more of the cliff has subsided during the winter storms, which will probably provide ideal conditions for the Glanvilles food plant. It also appears that the Glanvilles emerge later here than in the more sheltered areas of the island. We found a nice sheltered spot under Afton Down which began to reveal a wealth of butterflies to us. First were the Green Hairstreaks which were particually numerous..

It soon became apparent that this area also held a colony of Small Blue, once again all very fresh in appearance.

We also found both Dingy and Grizzled Skippers, with the Dingy far outnumbering the Grizzled.

[Maximus]

An omission from my Isle of Wight posting yesterday which I'll now correct, is this rather handsome Western Green Lizard (Bilineata viridis) seen in Wheelers Bay while looking for Glanvilles. These are an introduction possibly dating from 1841, but there is no verification for this date.

[Wurzel]

Cracking reports and shots Mike I'm especially envious of the Adonis Blues as I've still to see them this year - we seem to be well behind over this way, unless I've blinked and missed them

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Wow! That's one hell of an exotic looking lizard for these fair Isles!

[Padfield]

I'm no expert on lizards, but isn't that a wall lizard, Podarcis muralis? It certainly doesn't resemble any male or female green lizard I've ever seen.


(Western green lizard, this May, in Switzerland)

Guy

EDIT: I had a look online and found this, which might be of interest: http://www.surrey-arg.org.uk/SARG/02000 ... te=Ventnor. It suggests 'there are reports of the colony spreading as far east as Wheeler's Bay'. So probably worth sending in the sighting.

[Maximus]

Yes Guy you're correct, it's a Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis) and not a Western Green lizard I made a wrong ID based on information, obviously incorrect, from another website.

[False Apollo]

Hi There Maximus,
Of interest at Southbourne Undercliff we get both Wall Lizard and Green Lizard (although I have not seen a Green Lizard for a few years now). Green Lizards are stunning, and masters of camouflage. It took me ages to see one even when It pointed out. We also have good numbers of Common Lizard. Wall Lizards are most frequently seen though.

Regards
Mike

[Neil Freeman]

Great reports and photo from the IOW Mike

I am really looking forward to going down there next week now, just keeping my fingers crossed for the weather.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Butterflysaurus rex]

A highly enjoyable report from the IOW Mike! Some great photos and yes indeed what a handsome Wall Lizard that is. I'm a bit of a fan of Lizards on the quiet.

All the best

B'saurus

[Maximus]

Cheers Wurzel, I'm sure that they will begin to emerge in Wilts soon

It's a beautiful Wall Lizard David, very exotic looking and the first time I have ever seen one.

Thanks Guy for the correct ID.

Hi Mike, that's interesting that you have seen both lizards at Southbourne. I believe that both Wall Lizard and Green Lizard were introduced to the Isle of Wight, I'm not sure if the Green is still present however.


Cheers Neil, I'm sure you'll have a great time and see plenty of Glanvilles





Monday 19th May


Today at an early hour we headed into deepest Dorset hoping to find some Marsh Fritillaries. Arriving at our chosen destination in warm sunshine and with a light breeze prevailing, we grabbed our cameras and headed onto the site. Within ten minutes we had seen our first Marsh Fritillaries, and how very fresh they were. The colour variations were striking, with some individuals having white cells while others had much more orange, and some were like tartan.

I managed to capture this female being pursued by an amorous male

..and we also found this mating pair

It was obvious that a fair number had emerged, and we stopped counting at fifty. It was not always easy to get good shots due to their habit of landing among the grass, much of which made taking photographs difficult. Later in the morning I noticed an individual which was strikingly different. It took me quite a while just to get close enough for a record shot, and I reckoned that any other photos would be a bonus. In the past I have found that aberrant butterflies can be very difficult to approach and can also disappear in the blink of an eye, so I took my time and didn't rush things. I was exceptionally lucky to get really close, and although the butterfly was down amongst the grass most of the time, I managed to get some reasonable photos.

It took flight but I managed to follow it until it settled on a cowslip.

Underside shot

Suddenly without warning it took flight again and I lost sight of it for good, and despite repeated searching of the area I could not locate it. We did get a brief glimpse of another aberrant Marsh Fritillary, but once again it was obscured by grass and we were only able to get one photo.

At this point we retired to the car for refreshment. When we returned to the site the sun was obscured by cloud, and it was clear that the Marsh Fritillaries had gone to ground, probably deep in the grass. But luckily for us they were replaced by some magnificant Duke of Burgundy..

..and we even saw an ovipositing female.

We enjoyed a great day out

[Pauline]

Great report and photos Mike - gorgeous ab. well spotted.

[William]

Superb stuff Maximus - particularly the ovipositing Duke and that stunning aberrant

[Wurzel]

That aberrant is an absolute stunner I was looking through my photos and thought some were a little darker but nothing anywhere near as spectacular as that Mike

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Maximus]

Thanks Pauline

Thank you William

Thanks Wurzel

[Maximus]

Thanks B'saurus, sorry I missed you out I can imagine how big a fan of lizards you are



I found another shot of the Marsh Fritillary ab. we saw last Monday with its wing raised showing its markings more clearly. Looking online at the NHM Cockayne collection, it would appear that the closest match to ours is ab. atricolor which just has a touch more brown in the middle of the forewing.

[ABerryman]

What a fantastic looking aberration and top shots as well!