millerd

[millerd]

On both the last couple of days, after the trips out I had quick walks around my local patch - I try not to neglect it! There was nothing spectacular, but the first local Small Heaths were out.

Commas and Peacocks amazingly hang on in there, and even though it was pretty late in the day, I still saw Brimstones. Inevitably, I came across roosting Orange Tips - a male on Saturday and a female yesterday.

One marked difference between the days was that on Sunday a new round of Speckled Woods had appeared.

There were all three common white species, and a few Holly Blues around their favourite holly tree bedecked with ivy.

Today, I went straight from work a whole quarter of a mile to Bedfont Lakes Country Park. It was very warm and muggy at five o'clock, and I didn't see a great deal in terms of numbers, though there were perhaps a dozen Common Blues and four or five Brown Argus, a couple of Small Heaths, several Brimstones and a Peacock.

By the time I left at half six, the blues were starting to settle down, and as often seems to happen on very warm evenings, they were mostly going from flight to repose without an interim basking phase.

One female luckily was an exception.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Great Blues Dave they're still in on they ground over this way The Small Pearls are building still - 6 were reported yesterday at Bentley

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

That's good to know, Wurzel - hopefully I'll be able to fit in a trip at the weekend - weather and assorted boys willing!

21st May. I wasn't back from work until after six, but I thought I'd have a short local walk. The dreaded mowers had been out, and great swathes of grass had been cut, but the job looked unfinished. However, one field of lush nettles had been razed to the ground as usual. Goodness knows how many caterpillars perish annually here. Along the path edges where the blades had not yet reached, I noticed a series of nibbled nettles. a closer look revealed a few leaves that had been fastened together, some piles of frass, and some discarded caterpillar skins. After a good bit of searching, I eventually found two plants where the stems had been bitten partly through, and the tops folded over. Altogether, discovering that some of the sewn leaves were inhabited, I found four Red Admiral caterpillars and one small spider. The two in the folded over plant tops were quite large, but the other two were small. In view of the precarious nature of their location, with the possibility of imminent strimming, I decided to look after them. This means digging the caterpillar cage out of the loft, but I am confident none will stray from their tents in the very near future. I managed a couple of very poor photos of the largest individual before it carefully closed the gaping vent in its home.

Incidentally, I left the spider behind - it will have a much better chance of surviving after the cut...

Dave

[Wurzel]

Good luck with your charges Dave Small Pearls at Bentley update - 9 yesterday with 15 Pearls

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Oh for a window of decent weather to seek out those SPBF, Wurzel! Tomorrow, maybe...

Today, I managed to see one Small Heath locally, and that was all.

The four Red Admiral larvae are still alive and well - all have constructed new tents, and one is now hanging up prior to pupation. The one below has tripled in size over the last few days after eating the whole of his tent leaf. Literally eating himself out of house and home, you could say. He is now engaged in making a new one.

These caterpillars are very easy to look after, requiring no confinement as they wouldn't dream of wandering off, even being quite happy to stay and pupate in situ. Quite unlike their close relative the Painted Lady which a few years ago I kept in the same way. There were chrysalids in a variety of odd places in the kitchen after that.

Dave

[Neil Freeman]

Great photos of the Red Admiral cats Dave

I still haven't seen a single adult yet, mind you checking back I didn't see one in the past couple of years until well into June.

Cheers,

Neil.

[millerd]

Thanks, Neil. One caterpillar has pupated and another is now hanging up. One of the other two attempted to construct a new tent by moving in on the chrysalis, but thought better of it and has set up home on a different plant now. So all four still going strong.

May 25th. The only decent weather of the weekend, so a trip out was obligatory really. I headed off to Bentley Wood with two out of three boys. However, we stopped en route at the Museum of Army Flying at Middle Wallop, which kept them happy for a couple of hours first. Bentley was very wet and muddy from recent rain, but both Pearls and Small Pearls were flying, and in roughly equal numbers. Some of the PBF were not all that worn, and I managed the underside shot that had eluded me three weeks ago. No similar luck with the SPBF, though!

PBF

PBF

PBF

SPBF

SPBF

SPBF

I bumped into Lee Hurrell, who was on his way back from deepest Wiltshire and the Marsh Fritillary site I visited last weekend. Still amazing by all accounts - great to see you again, Lee, and catch up. As well as the Fritillaries, we saw three Grizzled Skippers and a few Brimstones, but not a great deal else.

Hopefully the SPBF numbers will increase, but overall there weren't as many as I've seen in previous years.

Dave

[Lee Hurrell]

Hi Dave, it was great to see you again and catch up. You have some lovely pictures from today

I did manage the SPBF underside in the end

I'm only a month behind in my diary...need to crack on!

See you at Fairmile next?

Best wishes,

Lee

[Wurzel]

Missed you again Dave!! Great (Small) Pearls Dave The Small Pearls didn't play ball for me either - lots of topside and very little underside Still I may be able to do a few evening runs to try and catch them out!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

How do we do this, Wurzel? No doubt we'll bump into each other somewhere when least expecting it.

Could be Fairmile, Lee, or possibly Denbies, which is where I went to this evening.

29th May: After three straight days of grey damp gloom, I had itchy feet. The weather maps seemed to suggest that only 25 miles away to the south, there might be some sunshine, so I left work early and headed for the North Downs. The M25 was one big rude word, so it took most of an hour to get to Denbies, but the sun was indeed out when I got there. It was quite breezy as usual, but there were a few things flying. The commonest species was the Adonis Blue, with good numbers of both sexes around, including a mating pair.

Many are looking worn now, with the characteristic concentrated blue look the males have as they age.

However, there were still a few fresh ones, displaying the more usual clear turquoise in the sunshine.

AB female

AB male

In amongst them were also Common Blues, plus Small Heaths and a couple of Dingy Skippers.

I found one of the latter deep in the grass wrapped around a grass stalk in roosting pose.

The M25 was no better on the way back - goodness knows what it will be like if I do the same trip after work in August...

The third of my Red Admirals pupated today, leaving just one still as a caterpillar. This last one was wandering yesterday, looking for suitable leaves in which to construct a new tent - which was completed this morning.

Dave

[Wurzel]

As you say we'll probably bump into somewhere totally unexpected - like the Beer aisle of Tescos! Thanks for the tip off about the Crafty Old Hen.Lovely Adonis shots Dave , I keep checking for them at my local patch but they're still not out, they must be saving themselves for when I need a fix next week on my way back from work

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Ah, but which Tescos, Wurzel?

I spent the weekend in Holmfirth in Yorkshire - the weather wasn't bad at all, with sun on both days, particularly today. Not many chances to go out actively looking for butterflies, so I had to be satisfied with seeing what passed through the garden. This amounted to all three white species, and quite a few rather aged Small Tortoiseshells, but little else. However, the star of the weekend was a lovely new Large Skipper seen on Saturday morning in amongst the herbs - which just happened to be the first one I've seen this year, and quite unexpected.

I also got a shot of a couple of damselflies - very elegantly enamelled in deep red. I'm afraid I really don't know which species they are.

Dave

[Willrow]

Lovely mix of subject matter Dave and some nice images also

Bill

"When in doubt...venture out"

[Wurzel]

Great Large Skipper shot Dave I love this time of year when the golden skippers start to emerge. As for which Tescos - which ever one has the most Crafty Old Hen left just before the offer ends

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Thanks for those kind words, Bill. I have always stuck to your motto, and it has brought many unexpected and rewarding things my way.

Thanks Wurzel - more Large Skippers coming up!

Thursday 5th June. A decent day, but stuck at work until four, when I escaped and set off for my local patch. Before leaving home I found that the first of my four Red Admiral chrysalids had hatched and there was a brand new butterfly patiently waiting to go outside. I took it to a few yards from where I had found it as a caterpillar and settled it onto a piece of sunny hedgerow. It was not ready to fly, but flapped its wings a couple of times before sitting back quietly.

What I had not considered was that it probably hadn't been alone when I'd found (I had rescued another from the same spot, true). As soon as I left my charge, I was buzzed by another very fresh Red Admiral, one which had no doubt been around all day, and which would not leave me alone until I had moved off its territory. Moving on, I encountered a single Speckled Wood, but nothing else until I reached a sheltered corner where there has reliably been a colony of Large Skippers for a few years. Today, I saw six or possibly seven males, some new, one or two which had been out a day or two. The new ones were a glorious golden colour underneath, a rich orange brown above. Delightful butterflies.

I was then distracted by what appeared to be a ghost of a butterfly - in fact I thought initially it was some kind of moth. It fluttered as feebly as the weakest Wood White, but obviously wasn't that in this location. It settled and opened its wings completely: a very old and tired female Orange Tip.

Progressing into the open grassy areas, I disturbed a few Small Heaths and lots of day-flying moths.

I also put up a much larger beast which turned out to be my first Meadow Brown of the year. The sun was in and every time the butterfly went to ground it burrowed into the bottom of the grassy tussocks.

A couple of bursts of sun energised a male Common Blue for a while, and a brilliant new Small Tortoiseshell led me along the path for a couple of hundred metres, but never allowed me closer than about 20.

I tried to get a few photos of some of the moths, but largely failed. I identified Cinnabar, Burnet Companion and Yellow Shell (I did get a shot of this attractive insect), but then came across one considerably larger individual, shiny pale green, which I did not know at all.

Returning home, I spotted "my" Red Admiral exactly where I had left it. However as I approached, the sun came out and the butterfly flexed its wings and took off to settle high up in some ivy. I may well go and look for it early tomorrow morning.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Aother great report Dave, more 'great Skippers' indeed and the Red Admiral underside is cracking I reckon that your Green moth is a Light Emerald as the hind wings are scalloped and the second white line runs smoothly across both fore and hind wings

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Willrow]

Good selection of subject matter Dave all nicely supported with lovely photo's

Bill

"When in doubt...venture out"

[millerd]

Thanks for the moth I/D, Wurzel - what a delicate looking creature it was. And yes, Red Admiral undersides are an amazing display of subtle colouring and no doubt very effective camouflage. This one was of course straight out of the wrapper.

And thanks again, Bill - another trip out with no particular expectations brought all kinds of interest.

I did pop out very briefly on Friday morning to see if the Red Admiral was still around. I did indeed see one, but even at eight in the morning the sunshine had made it hyperactive, so it was a brief glimpse only. I did see a single Speckled Wood as well, probably the one that had eluded the camera on Thursday.

Saturday 7th June. I drove up to Rugby accompanied by the leading edge of the rain. Once there, it overtook and rained for three solid hours. The boys and I took refuge in the Leicester Space Centre, and then as the weather cleared, had a trip on the nearby Great Central Railway. With the sun out on the return trip back down the line, we spotted considerable numbers of Cinnabar moths along the lineside, plus a few whites and at least two Peacocks. Now the weather had improved so much, I knew that on the drive back home from Rugby we would be able to stop in a convenient layby on the Southam bypass to look for Small Blues. The cutting was much lusher than in some years, quite soggy underfoot in places, and the kidney vetch was luxuriant and widespread.

Between the layby and the roundabout at the top of the hill, we saw perhaps as many as ten Small Blues, all looking somewhat careworn (and who wouldn't within a few metres of the traffic?). I imagine that earlier in the season, the count might have been quite a few more.

Elliot drew my attention to a couple of Common Blues, one sitting on one of the vetch flowers, and also a male Brimstone patrolling the hedge at the top of the cutting.

Finally, I came upon a single orchid in amongst the grasses - not sure which one this is.

An unlikely spot for a bit of butterfly interest, but very reliable for Small Blues over the last few years.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Great report Dave, I'd be interested in where that lay-by is - I might have to PM you if it's sensitive . I forgot to mention that I thought that your Meadow Brown looked a bit unusual - paler especially on the trailing edge? I recognise the Orchid from last year - it's the Gnome Orchid, previously the Bee but that was boring so I renamed it

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Dave,

Nice photos from Southam, good to see the Kidney Vetch and Small Blues doing well along there

Glad to see you made the most of your day up here despite the horrible weather in the morning.

Wurzel, the site is not sensitive, it is on the A423 Southam Bypass in Warwickshire. It is one of a number of sites that are being managed and seeded with Kidney Vetch by Warks BC to help the Small Blue in the area.

Cheers,

Neil.