Butterflysaurus rex

[Hoggers]

Hi B'saurus, I really enjoyed the Common Blue photographs. Great Stuff! The photos really bring home just how much I've missed this gorgeous butterfly! I can't wait to see them again.

Best Wishes,

Hoggers.

[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, I still have not managed to locate any Peacock Larvae! There are plenty of Peakock's about so it's a mystery to me, all I can finding are Small Tort's everywhere!

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

Cheers David, it's been a while since I last posted so I'm sure you're enjoying the Common Blues by now. The numbers down this way are still growing steadily

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

I'll bet you've caught up by now Wurzel I've still not seen a Brown Argus or Small Heath! I must be looking in the wrong places

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 ....

Great stuff Phil Still now Brown Argus or Small Heath for me yet I have been looking honest I have After a slow start it's good to see the Grizzlie numbers climb steadily in these parts.

Hi B'saurus, I really enjoyed the Common Blue photographs. Great Stuff! The photos really bring home just how much I've missed this gorgeous butterfly! I can't wait to see them again.

Best Wishes,

Hoggers.

You should come down here for a visit Hoggers! Common Blues are starting to live up to their name. I hope it will continue and we see a bumper year for this species



Catching up AGAIN!

Thanks to being extremely busy I've been forced to neglect my PD so I'm playing catch up once more - I suspect this will become a common theme for me this year.

Over the last week I've mostly been staying local with the exception of a evening visit to Mill Hill over in the next county. Rather than post my photos in order of location I decided to separate them into species instead. Just because it looks less random

Earlier on this week I went out with the intention of photographing some Dingy Skippers. When I arrived at the spot where I'd seen decent numbers of Dingyies before that spell of wet cool and windy weather I could not locate a single specimen! A lot of the Grizzled Skippers had also disappeared I guess the bad weather had taken it's toll. All was not lost - I found a couple fresh Grizzled Skippers that posed very nicely for me.

One evening earlier this week I popped over to Mill Hill to see my first Adonis Blues of the year. Some were already looking worn but there were still a few fresh ones about. I had hoped to spot my first Brown Argus of the year but I didn't manage to locate one there. The mission continues................................

Over the past couple of days I've been concentrating on the local Common Blues. There are a couple of colonies quite close to home and as of yesterday the numbers are still climbing.

On the way home I stopped to take a photo of a local Buttercup meadow, it's lovely to see the fields glowing with intense yellow in the late afternoon sun.

B'saurus

[Wurzel]

Cracking Grizzlies shots and the Adonis is lush - still not seen one of those yet this year they're being very slow emerging here Mind you that means I'll just have to make a few more stop-offs

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Cracking Grizzlies shots and the Adonis is lush - still not seen one of those yet this year they're being very slow emerging here Mind you that means I'll just have to make a few more stop-offs

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I've not seen many Adonis down this way yet Wurzel, unsurprisingly Mill Hill had the most but locally I've only seen 2, although I've yet to check a number of places where I usually find some. A pity the weather is taking a turn for the worst, but only until the weekend if the Met office have got it right.


Another 2 firsts for 2014!

Late yesterday afternoon I managed to pop out to see if I could finally locate some Brown Argus. The weather was glorious and the Butterflies were thoroughly enjoying themselves, the number of common Blues were still on the rise and I also saw some fresh Wall Browns too.

It would seem that for me finding some Brown Argus is a lot like waiting for buses...............

After thoroughly enjoying the antics of my first Brown Argus of the year I was delighted to see my second first for this season a very fresh Small Blue.

As I approached home now rather late for dinner the sun was getting low in the sky and I stopped to watch some Small Whites getting ready to roost.

Only a few yards away I spotted a few Roosting Common Blues and I couldn't resist stopping for just one last shot.

When I eventually returned home my dinner was ruined and I had deservedly lost many a hard earned brownie point form my better half.

B'saurus

[Neil Hulme]

Those first two BA shots are great James. You need to buy a dog, so Claire will have somewhere to put your dinner when you're late next time. Here speaks a man of experience!
BWs, Neil (a.k.a. Mr Late)

[William]

Those first two BA shots are great James.

Seconded - a magnificent sequence

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Those first two BA shots are great James. You need to buy a dog, so Claire will have somewhere to put your dinner when you're late next time. Here speaks a man of experience!
BWs, Neil (a.k.a. Mr Late)

Thanks Neil Seeing as I was already 'in the dog house' she fed it to me! All rubbery it was - with a nice dollop of indigestion for pudding. Do you use the same lame excuses as me with Hannah? Like "better late than never dear"....... no that one doesn't work for me either.

Those first two BA shots are great James.

Seconded - a magnificent sequence

Thanks very much William coming from two great photographers "that's you and Neil" in case you were wondering - I'm feeling rather flattered.

Best Wishes

B'saurus

[David M]

Some sublime images there, Rex.

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Some sublime images there, Rex.

Thanks David, it was lovely out there yesterday afternoon, loads of fascinating butterfly behaviour going on. So fascinating in fact it made me late for dinner.

[David M]

Some sublime images there, Rex.

Thanks David, it was lovely out there yesterday afternoon, loads of fascinating butterfly behaviour going on. So fascinating in fact it made me late for dinner.

I know exactly what you mean, Rex, so much so that I avoid making commitments on weekends between May and September because the likelihood is that I'll renege on them.

Thankfully, I don't have a wife so I can usually indulge myself without feeling guilty, though that can still have its disadvantages - I failed one of my two accountancy exams last June because I was too busy studying butterflies rather than Accountancy Law.

Not too much damage done. I passed my resit in December which, of course, is a much more convivial time for a butterfly enthusiast.

[Wurzel]

Fantastic BA which act just like their namesake (he of the "I ain't goin on no plane Hannibal")
Over the few years I've been butterflying there have been an amazing number of "Tractors" on the roads What I do now is pull in when half way home and phone to say I'm just leaving That way I'm always early and therefore in the good books
There are plenty of more tricks but I'll PM them in case my wife has a read...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Lee Hurrell]

Under promise and over deliver. Works every time

Love the brown argus shots, Rex.

Best wishes,

Lee

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Some sublime images there, Rex.

Thanks David, it was lovely out there yesterday afternoon, loads of fascinating butterfly behaviour going on. So fascinating in fact it made me late for dinner.

I know exactly what you mean, Rex, so much so that I avoid making commitments on weekends between May and September because the likelihood is that I'll renege on them.

Thankfully, I don't have a wife so I can usually indulge myself without feeling guilty, though that can still have its disadvantages - I failed one of my two accountancy exams last June because I was too busy studying butterflies rather than Accountancy Law.

Not too much damage done. I passed my resit in December which, of course, is a much more convivial time for a butterfly enthusiast.

Congratulations on passing your exams David It's so easy to get totally and utterly carried away when out Butterflying isn't it.

Fantastic BA which act just like their namesake (he of the "I ain't goin on no plane Hannibal")
Over the few years I've been butterflying there have been an amazing number of "Tractors" on the roads What I do now is pull in when half way home and phone to say I'm just leaving That way I'm always early and therefore in the good books
There are plenty of more tricks but I'll PM them in case my wife has a read...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

"I love it when a plan comes together" Well on this occasion my only plan was to try and find some Brown Argus, I did much better than I expected for a change
I'm looking forward to that PM

Under promise and over deliver. Works every time

Love the brown argus shots, Rex.

Best wishes,

Lee

Cheers Lee I must try and remember to get it the right way round

Many thanks

B'saurus

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Return of the rex: 3rd Brood Wall

Thanks to the arrival of my wonderful baby daughter in July my season & my postings on UKB were 'rather abruptly' cut short this summer. Somehow I managed to get out locally for a few brief excursions but for many reasons I missed out on most of the action from July onwards.

Reading about the good emergence of 3rd brood Wall in Sussex I was keen to pop out and have a look at one of my local hotspots to see if I could find any. Initially things didn't look too promising, but eventually I managed to find around 4 Wall Browns. At least one of them was still in pretty decent shape so I tried to get in close enough for a photo.

Getting my camera within range of Wall Browns using a 100mm Macro lens is definitely not a task for the easily frustrated! Or even perhaps for the extremely patient. Thankfully I'm simply an eternal optimist and on very rare occasions "and with a lot of luck" I just manage to wing it.

For some reason all of the Wall's I saw there were males, hopefully they were able to pass on their genes to a passing female or two so I can be easily evaded and totally outwitted by their offspring next year.

Just before I left for home I observed this individual go to roost in one of the cracks in an old flint wall, I've seen Wall Browns go to roost there before. However they are so well camouflaged they simply disappear and are usually impossible to spot. On this occasion a Wall landed close enough for me to see exactly where it went. I then managed to creep along the wall and get a few shot's of it going to bed just as the light was failing.

Sadly I suspect that will be my last butterfly photographing trip of 2014. If I get the chance I might be able post a few of my "post fatherhood" photos before the year comes to an end.

B'saurus

[trevor]

HI,B.Saurus,
Good to hear from you! I expect the baby is cramping your style for now.but i am sure she is worth it!.
Hope to see you next year.
TREVOR

[Butterflysaurus rex]

HI,B.Saurus,
Good to hear from you! I expect the baby is cramping your style for now.but i am sure she is worth it!.
Hope to see you next year.
TREVOR

Ah she's just wonderful Trevor, and more than worth it it was really good to get out and see some Wall Browns to finish off the season. I'm looking forward to my first daddy daughter butterfly trip when she's old enough.

See you next year.

Best wishes

B'saurus

[Neil Hulme]

Hi B. rex,

Good to have you back. I hope things have calmed down now for all three of you! By next season it'll be a doddle.

One of the things I've noticed recently, after pursuing third brood Wall on several occasions during the immediate pre-roost period, is the different locations which seem to be chosen by male and females butterflies. Your male broadly fits the pattern, and I'll be paying close attention in future to see how widely the trend I've noticed can be applied elsewhere (beyond the Mill Hill site).

The most typical roosting site for males seems to be just under the overhang of eroded hollows, scrapes and burrows, where grass stems and rootlets dangle over the edge. This breaks up their outline and makes them even less obvious, once they've closed their wings down tight and they're clinging to the bare earth. I've also seen them retire to cavities in the vertical face of the steps on the main Mill Hill slope, between the boards and scree.

On the other hand, almost every female I've watched goes to roost by squeezing herself into a protective clump of thicker grass, particularly Tor Grass.

BWs, Neil

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Hi Neil,

Thank you very much indeed, things have finally settled down for us now 'thank heavens' and I'm really looking forward to next season.

It was fascinating watching the roosting behaviour of the exclusively male Wall. I don't believe I've ever seen a female go to roost before I've only ever seen them basking in the late evening sunshine. It never occurred to me that their chosen roosting sites might be different. The underside of a wall's wing is a rival for the Grayling wrt to blending in with their surroundings. on a few occasions I've seen Wall flying with Grayling and sparring with each other. Maybe they are arguing over who has the best camouflage!

Your recent Wall photos were simply terrific, it's so rewarding when you get a decent photo of a Wall and yours were excellent. They are virtually unapproachable and can have you pulling your hair out with frustration. No other butterfly has made me swear at myself for missing a good shot more than this one. At least I'm not the only one eh

All the best

B'saurus

P.S It's lovely seeing so many fresh Red Admirals around at the moment too.

[Wurzel]

Fantastic shots Rex and great to see you back on the forums Have you invested in a Mountain Buggy or some form of rucsac/sling yet ready for next season?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Hulme]

Hi B. rex,
You can't go wrong with one of these! 45 degree slopes no problem, but don't tell Claire! Lady Muck loved going out in this.
BWs, Neil