Pauline

[Willrow]

Another set of great reports on your adventures Pauline, your one very busy lady but I'd avoid the moths if I were you...cos' then you might just be a bit too busy for the butterflies

Regards,

Bill

"When in doubt...venture out"

[Pauline]

Thank you Bill - you've been posting some great stuff yourself recently (lovely DGF and WA). In fact, there have been so many great posts from folk recently I feel rather embarrassed to offer these paltry images of the more common species - seen today whilst looking for the less common species

[Neil Freeman]

No need to be embarrassed with any of those Pauline, I especially like the Ringlet pairs and the Comma topside The more common species are lovely creatures in their own right and are too often overlooked when the 'stars' of the season are flying.

I only manage to get the less common species when I go on one of my trips or make the most of family hols, like Weymouth last week

All the best,

Neil.

[Pauline]

Thank you so much for your comment Neil. Skippers are a common species which I just love to photograph and I can get quite carried away with them. Such was the case today when I watched a Small Skipper responding to the changing weather conditions. It was just a single butterfly but I found him so captivating I couldn't stop taking photos

[Wurzel]

Great shots of the Skippers and HComma Pauline There's nothing wrong with the bread and butter species especially when you can capture them in different postures

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pauline]

Thank you Wurzel. I hope Bentley was kind to you. A little bit more bread and butter below, taken in windy and sometimes drizzly conditions:

If it's at all possible I like to try to 'colour co-ordinate' my shots and one of the ways I do that is to look for a butterfly on a plant that picks out a colour or shape on the butterfly's wings. I think the images above do that nicely.

I wanted a shot of a butterfly on a dandelion clock (or similar) so I attempted to coax a butterfly onto one, but without success. I had just moved away when I saw one already perched on top of one nearby

The gorgeous Commas were not deterred by the poor weather conditions and were a welcome splash of orange and gold as they zoomed around, settling only briefly, and never allowing an under wing shot:

I'm sure I've been told what this is in the past so I shall look it up and edit the post later.

For some reason I have had to work harder than usual for my shots this season - even the wet conditions of 2012 were a great deal easier. Certainly the numbers of some species on my patch are down, in particular the SWF and White Admiral, but this can't be the only factor Perhaps it is just old age catching up with me

[Pauline]

Could this be the thin edge of the wedge ? Today I was out looking for Puss moth larva (now that is my type of caterpillar) and tonight I have taken these shots of a moth on the window. I am guessing it might be an Angle Shades?

[Padfield]

Hi Pauline,

I think your moth is a mottled beauty, Alcis repandata.

http://www.ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=5655

Guy

[Pauline]

Might have known I'd be wrong - one of the reasons I've so far been reluctant to 'get into' moths. Thank you so much for the ID Guy and the link to that website.

[Neil Freeman]

O Pauline, beware the slippery slope. I found myself looking at moth traps a little while back.....must resist, not enough time as it is

All the best,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Loving the bread and butter Pauline I think that you've gone past the thin end of the wedge - better go and buy those Moth ID books , cracking shots, especially the underside

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[MikeOxon]

A very difficult wedge in my opinion!

I knew it wasn't an Angle Shades but had no idea what it was, so held back for the experts. I believe that there are around 2,500 moth species in Britain and, from skimming a few books, it seems that around 2,400 of them have mottled brown wings, like yours

I did like your backlit shot - very unusual .

Mike

[Pauline]

Thank you all for not making me look totally stupid - I seem to do a real good job of that all by myself . I have read a bit about the mottled beauty and the wide variety of colours so from now on, until I learn another new name, all brown moths will be referred to as Mottled Beauty

You're absolutely right about the moth traps Neil - there would never be enough hours in the day! You are correct too Wurzel as a great moth book has already been suggested to me and is on my birthday list . Thank you for your comment Mike. I think it is the sheer numbers that I find so overwhelming ... but when I am literally tripping over them I can't help but be interested. I have now reminded myself that the yellow and black cat in the last post is a Burnet moth - thanks again Vince.

[Pauline]

I am always up for an outing by the coast so when I heard that Graylings were out at Brown Down it gave me the perfect excuse. According to the local weather forecast, Wednesday was to be the best day of the week, so I downed my paint brush and set off. The weather didn’t live up to expectations – it was probably cooler, cloudier and a great deal windier than the forecast but that hardly seemed to matter as I was greeted by many butterflies on the wing despite the early hour. There were many Small and Essex Skippers, clinging on to the shingle in an effort to avoid being blown to goodness knows where and many, many Small Coppers (but no blue spots!!!).

The terrain here is very different to what I have been used to recently. Instead of magnificent views from hill tops or lush meadows filled with wild flowers, it is somewhat stark and harsh. The shingle under foot makes the going difficult (especially when wearing Sketchers tone-ups) so the work-out was a bonus!

It wasn’t too long before I saw my first Grayling – it was quite a distance from the usual hotspots so took me by surprise. The shingle under foot made it difficult to sneak up on these butterflies who seemed to use it as their own personal alarm system!

In the past I have waxed lyrical about the camouflage abilities of this butterfly. I shall not go there again except to say ‘how many butterflies can you spot in this shot?’

It is not easy to get a decent shot of Grayling as this is a more typical pose:

I was on my knees watching the butterflies when I heard the staccato of gunshot fire. This is MOD land but there was no red flag flying. However, I was a little disturbed to look up and see about a dozen guys with guns prowling round the bushes. The gunshots got louder and were accompanied by shouts and what sounded like explosives, smoke filling the air. I was not the only one startled as a family of Green Woodpeckers took to the wing in fright. It was a relief to realise that they were just cadets on a training exercise (hopefully!).

It was time to leave and I was on my way back when I spotted a couple of PH in the small Oak next to me. I stopped to watch for a while and managed a couple of record shots. Given that I had already taken many photos of my reared PH I was more relaxed about the sightings than I might otherwise have been.

As I returned along the shingle I couldn’t resist a photo of this Black-headed Gull on his seaweed tower.

Recalling Bill’s great shots of the Chough I tried to get some detail into this photo but just succeeded in bleaching the gravel.

It is disappointing that my local colony of Grayling is now very small and unreliable but seeing them at this venue more than makes up for it. Great morning, great views and great butterflies.

[Willrow]

Pauline your Small Skipper shots are absolute portraits its possible to get such wonderful shots when you take care and time, I'm already looking at skippers in a different light (if you get my drift )...

Lovely set of recent reports allied to your usual fine photo-taking...a real joy

Bill

"When in doubt...venture out"

[Wurzel]

Great Grayling shots Pauline I'm still in catch up mode over here so it'll probably be a week or two until I get to see Graylings

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Mike Robinson]

I think Black-Headed Gulls to be among our most elegant birds.

Some very interesting Commentaries and Pictures.

[Pauline]

I really appreciate that Bill - thank you. I have to confess I actually like a couple of those shots myself .

Good luck with the Graylings Wurzel - always a difficult one for a decent shot but I'm sure you'll get one (you usually do!). Thank you for the compliment.

Thank you too Mike. This bird was so confident and it was almost like he was posing for me ... so how could I refuse

Well, I have learned another moth . I am coming across all sorts of things whilst looking for a Puss Moth cat. Yesterday, I was searching Sallow and Willow in my local park, carefully turning over half eaten leaves to check for cats, when I almost put my thumb on a bird dropping . Well, at least that's what I thought it was until closer inspection revealed a cat! I had no idea what it was so decided to take it home to identify it (and photograph it of course ).

I spent about an hour on Google - I had no idea how many thousands of moths have cats that look like bird droppings . I shall never again pass a bird dropping without checking more closely. Anyway, a couple of hours later I went outside to check on it and was faced with a completely different larva . What a lovely caterpillar:

The ID which I eventually managed to find is the Alder Moth - has a larva 'which resembles a bird dropping and when mature is highly distinctive being black and yellow with a number of club-like hairs'.

[MikeOxon]

Fascinating cat! I have loads of moth photos that I take while out in the field and then stick in a folder labelled "day flying moths". You are making me feel that I must sit down with a field guide and work out what they all are

Mike

[Pauline]

It certainly is Mike. I am enjoying looking after it and hoping to get some better shots but don't want to disturb it too much. It seems to be eating well after its moult so that is good. Visiting my local park was an eye-opener as there was a board at the entrance informing that water voles and kingfishers (amongst others) could be found there. A return visit is definitely on the cards even tho' surprisingly I saw few butterflies.

Yesterday I visited another community park near Eastleigh and here the butterflies were varied and many. It was a very well managed area, catering for the whole community. In one area there was a playground for younger members and a purpose built skateboarding area entertained a few teenagers, whilst many areas had been left uncut and were rampant with wild flowers and insects. Bird and bat boxes had been erected and an area set aside for reptiles. Well done to the council! It was here that I continued my search for Puss Moth cats and with the help of a friend we soon found 4 (Well, Andy found 3 and I found one!). I was totally gobsmacked at my first sighting. Even when pointed out to me I couldn't see it. I had been looking for something the size of a WA cat and this beast was massive!!!! What an impressive insect. It was really windy and even with the help of a clamp to try to hold the branches still these shots do not do justice to this creature:

The earlier stages of this cat appear to be equally interesting but I it would seem that I shall have to wait until next year to record them. However, we did find a tiny, tiny cat which is assumed to be a Sallow Kitten.

Whilst searching we discovered a nest of Buff-tipped moth cats - a moth I have long admired but didn't know its name or what the cats looked like:

I also spotted several Ladybird larva:

As a bonus, just as we were on our way back, Andy spotted another great caterpillar, which I am reliably informed is an Eye Hawk moth (if I remember rightly!):

Naturally, I couldn't ignore the butterflies as there were many grand specimens so I shall conclude with this unblemished beauty: