Thanks Wurzel
The Last Couple Of Weeks On My Local Patch
The football season is upon us and for me that means very restricted butterfly time
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
With both my boys training on Saturdays and with matches at various times on Sundays there is not a lot of time left at the weekend. However, I have managed to catch up with my local patch. My local footpath although not overrun with butterflies can provide enough entertainment to keep me sane and it is all within a few minutes walk from my house. I have to grab the opportunity when it arises. Thankfully after a spell of cooler weather it has now warmed up again.
Thursday 28.8.2014 - I spotted a large and interesting larva devouring on of my potted Sallows
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
It is a very good stick mimick. I think it is a Peppered Moth larva. It was around for a couple of weeks The last time I saw it was the 6.9.2014 after which I assume it has gone to pupate somewhere.
![P1020387 - Copy.JPG (310 KiB) Viewed 1119 times Peppered Moth larva in the Garden](./files/thumb_11661_57057a13da7960ce44dc6d9d9c52696c)
- Peppered Moth larva in the Garden
Sunday 31.8.2014 - Today I was treated to some late afternoon sunshine. Speckled Wood are always reliable along this stretch of path and I can almost guarantee where abouts they will appear, there were several today
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
The large clump of Buddliea at the end of the path is almost finished for this year and all the remaining flowers are high up but I counted 4 Red admirals today including one with deformed wings. Small White and Green Veined White were also there to keep the Red Admirals company. I regularly see Small Coppers here on the Bramble (which has also finished flowering this year) but only in small numbers, 2 or 3 if I am lucky. There is no Sorrel here so up until now I have not been able to find the nucleus of this Small Copper population. Today I checked out an area across the road that I do not visit that often. This is a short section of farm track that is currently bounded on both sides with Corn fields. As I came into the sunny section of track I spotted a single Ragwort plant covered in flowers together with a fresh looking Small Copper
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
As it opened its wings I was delighted to see it had blue spots
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
I spent quite a while here observing/photographing this individual. There is lots of Sorrel here but I did not see another Small Copper.
![P1020460 - Copy.JPG (312.81 KiB) Viewed 1119 times Small Copper](./files/thumb_11661_4e756b594c4489720d181e8cfcbd7c64)
- Small Copper
Wednesday 3.9.2014 - With an hour or so spare late afternoon I could not resist checking to see what was happening on the Small Copper front and also to see what else was going on along the way. Several Speckled Wood, three Red Admirals high up on the Buddleia again, and today the appearance of a couple of Commas, something I have seen very few of this year. As I approached the Small Copper spot there it was, the same one as before almost as if it had been there since sunday. Despite a search, as previously, I found no others.
![P1020510 - Copy.JPG (336.98 KiB) Viewed 1119 times Speckled Wood](./files/thumb_11661_cca4efb0ea787d9bd043146639d284ff)
- Speckled Wood
![P1020511 - Copy.JPG (381.2 KiB) Viewed 1119 times Red Admiral high up](./files/thumb_11661_4f6722a4153c2e74eef2152c62fcca24)
- Red Admiral high up
![P1020546 - Copy.JPG (289.31 KiB) Viewed 1119 times Comma](./files/thumb_11661_e78d69d2f0ab5127bcb6d0d3b11f21b7)
- Comma
![P1020521 - Copy.JPG (319.98 KiB) Viewed 1119 times Small Copper](./files/thumb_11661_cc2fc6a8fac776d299572ba4e487d4f4)
- Small Copper
Sunday 7.9.2014 - My most recent visit was slightly later and provided an aged female Gatekeeper, speckled Wood of course and just a couple of Red Admirals at the Buddleia clump. Moving on to check on the Small Copper spot again I found just the one but this time a different individual without blue spots. Being slightly later the Ragwort was in the shade and the Small Copper was found catching the sun further up the track on a leaf of corn. I will keep checking this location to see if the action hots up a bit. There is plenty of Sorrel here. I walked back along a different track which is always good for Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock larvae earlier in the year. I searched the Nettles quite carefully and spotted one Peacock larval web with larvae in their 2nd or 3rd Instar. This must be a second brood which I imagine is fairly unusual
![P1020571 - Copy.JPG (292.6 KiB) Viewed 1119 times Female Gatekeeper](./files/thumb_11661_77f0234d250f442dd7a4208dd1c6577f)
- Female Gatekeeper
![P1020578 - Copy.JPG (324.99 KiB) Viewed 1119 times Small Copper](./files/thumb_11661_016d7cf631d7fa56b096cfea91566b5d)
- Small Copper
![P1020582 - Copy.JPG (360.28 KiB) Viewed 1119 times 2nd brood Peacock larvae](./files/thumb_11661_74a89e340137c5d6d9a40aca3b81b198)
- 2nd brood Peacock larvae