Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie The Grayling shots aren't too bad, you should be able to get the last one

November Butterfly! 14-11-2014

I had been hoping for a November butterfly this year as I was going to try and see a butterfly in every month of the year (what with Bob and a Red Admiral in January and another Small Tort in Feb). But things weren’t looking good as I’d missed the boat during the first couple of days of the month before the weather deteriorated – it was like a switch had been flicked, October ended with record highs and then in November the rain had been turned on and the heating off! In the end I’d given up all hope and so had even stopped carrying my camera to work.
So imagine my mixed feeling of joy and annoyance when on Children in Need day a Red Admiral stopped to bask on the Stocks which were to be used for Sponge the Teacher. In desperation I used the camera on my iPod touch to get a record shot but it wasn’t up to the standard that I can get with my usual set up.

iPod

Luckily the Science Department has a little digital camera which we use on trips etc so I cranked that up to Macro and tried a few with that. Again, not brilliant but slightly better than the iPod. The thing that was most annoying was that the view from the viewfinder didn’t correspond with the actual framing of the shot. I‘d have to make the usual approach, zoom in and check the image through the viewfinder and then move the camera down slightly to get the butterfly in frame. It was all a bit hit or miss and the focus wasn’t great as to get the butterfly in shot I had to guess where to hold the camera and it didn’t actually focus on the butterfly.

Later on a second Red Admiral (wing damage) landed in the neighbouring pine tree and here it remained whilst I was able to try out yet another different camera – a Canon Powershot belonging to the ICT department. This at least produced an image which corresponded with what was on the viewing screen/viewfinder but it still wasn’t as crisp as I can get with my Nikon.

"Science" camera

School Canon

In the end I gave up ruing the fact that I’d left my camera at home and since then it make the journey to work with me every day. Mind you my November butterflies didn’t end there with a Small Tortoiseshell on Thursday 20th November again at work. This time I did have my camera, but it was in my lab and I couldn’t leave the main hall and go back and get it. Then there was a Red Admiral on 28th Nov in the train station while I was buying my ticket for the Social Mind you fourth time lucky and hopefully that will be in December!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

HI Wurzel,

Glad you liked my Wood White shots. As you missed the Purple Emperor and Wood White this year maybe a trip
to Botany Bay in 2015 would be worthwhile. I know it's about 100 miles from you, but could be worth the trip.
Good luck with the Dec/Jan Red Admirals.
Best Wishes ,TREVOR

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trev I might have to make that trip - but I've Heaths to get next year

Every year there are one or two posts that slip through the net - either because I've been to other different places or have seen something new for the season so the post with 'old stuff' gets put t one side. So here are some of my 'Lost Posts' the first of which is actually from 2013

Identifying Cats?

I was having a bit of a sort through some old files and I came across some shots of various unidentified cats probably all Moths. All of them were taken back in 2010 when I was just starting out and so I can be fairly confident that they’re from Martin Down as that was the main site that I visited back then. Any help would be gratefully received.
First up was a multitude in a web from the 17th April. The smaller shrubs along the path were diggled in these webs.

Next from a return visit a few days later on the 20th. Are these the same species as they both have the dorsal orange spots? I’m not sure as they appear much bigger and can they have gained that much mass in a few days?

Number three is from the 6th June and was merely labelled as ‘eh?’.

Finally from 13th August a large caterpillar which looks like an inverted Cinnabar, black with orange stripes and not the other way around.

They’re not great shots but if I can get them identified and in my Moth collection that would be great for the sake of completeness. Cheers in advance.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Nick Broomer]

Hi Wurzel,

how are you and your family, i hope you all are well.

no. 1 and 2 look like Brown-tail, at different stages of it`s life-cycle, and no. 4 could be a Fox moth larva.

All the best, Nick.

[bugboy]

Agree with the Brown Tail and Fox Moth ID's, number 3 is The Satellite, Eupsilia transversa

[Wurzel]

Cheers for the IDs Nick My clan are all well, growing fast and what with the addition of Teddy the cat and our woodburner this could be the cosiest Chrimble in chez Wurzel yet I hope you and yours are all well too
Cheers for the IDs as well Bugboy - The Satellite is a new one for me

Lost Post Number 2 - A Quick Visit to the Park 30-05-2014

As part of the itinerary of my sister’s visit from Oz we were supposed to be heading to either Stourhead or Mottisfont today. However yesterday for my older daughter’s birthday treat we’d all visited Splashdown and after a day of riding the flumes we were all in a pretty fragile state. I personally had gotten up and had a stretch and was quite worried when almost every one of my vertebrae clicked, it sounded like a skeletal zip! So instead we were having a quiet day at my Mum’s at Sixpenny Handley.

After lunch the girls were getting restless so we took them up to the local park. The weather had improved over the course of the morning and now there were the occasional breaks of sun amongst the cloud. In between watching my wife nearly brain herself on the “zip slide”, my sister come flying off the normal slide so fast that she landed in a neighbouring field and pushing my younger daughter seeming forever on the swings I stole off for five minutes.

The local football pitch has finally been leveled, cutting it down into the chalk in the process creating banks down one wing and behind one goal. These were covered in wildflowers and so I reasoned that any butterflies would ultimately end up there. So I wandered along behind the goal but it was only when I got the corner flag that butterflies appeared – a Green-Veined White. Slightly further on was a Large White. I chose to go for the Large first which turned out to be the right decision as it was quickly gone whilst the Green-veined settled for the remaining 4 minutes of my park time out.

It was still there when I was called back to swing duty.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

HI Wurzel,

Sounds like a mini break to Canterbury then !. But do take a Sat.Nav ,Canterbury's one way system/ring road
is even worse than Salisbury's to a stanger .
All the best,
TREVOR.

[Goldie M]

Nice to see the White and Green Veined White Wurzal they remind me of Spring
I'm off to Canterbury for Christmas can't wait ( Hot Chocolate with cream or Marsh Mellows in down town) a visit to the cathedral for carols ,best though is to be with family like you Goldie

[Paul Harfield]

Hi Wurzel

I like the sound of your local football pitch, if only ours were surrounded by wildflowers At the moment of course ours are surrounded by mud and I seem to be regularly roped in as linesman Roll on summer

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor for the info I'll fire up the SatNav and might even get an update then
Cheers Goldie I'll be supping on a bucket of Hot Chocolate on Xmas Eve myself - most of it will end up on my beard though Have a great Xmas.
Cheers Paule I hear that, only a couple of months to go now though and things will be starting to kick off.

Hampshire Marshies

This falls under the ‘I didn’t want to post as I didn’t want to give the game away’ category...

Back in early June I took a trip across the border into Hampshire to look for a few Marshies. I’d already seen bucket loads at my Marshie site and so I was hoping to add a few more from out of county. Plus I‘d seen them here for first time last year and so I wanted to check up on them. Eventually I found them away from the areas they’d preferred last year but then this is a big site so they have the option to range in source of nectar. Just like last year they seemed to like travelling in groups and so once I’d found one another couple were quickly found as well.

Being the start of June they were all pretty greasy winged and the first individual I found had chunks missing from its hind wings but I wasn’t concerned about the state of their dress, I was just glad that they were still here. In fact as I saw at least four together this late in the season for them it must have meant that there were more around at the start of their emergence so they seem to be on the up here after a few dodgy years.
As they were a bit careworn I tried to focus more on attitude than on wing markings and hopefully the first shot shows their inquisitive nature.

I also noticed that sometimes when nectaring they seem to have a little check first, uncoiling the proboscis to take on nectar, recoiling the proboscis to sample the flavour and then if it’s good getting their head down in the trough!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Glad to see they were still there, Wurzel. If this is where I'm guessing it is, I've seen one or two most years, but never in any numbers.

Dave

[Maximus]

Lovely clear shots of the Green-veined Whites on the Oxeye Daisies, Wurzel also great to see Hampshire still has some Marshies

Have a brilliant Christmas and a great 2015.

Mike

[Neil Freeman]

I really must try and see more Marsh Fritillaries in 2015, only seen them once so far, in North Devon a couple of years back.

Hope you have a great Christmas and New Year Wurzel.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave It is indeed the same site but mum's the word
Cheers Mike Below is a not so sharp image - but the best my iPod can manage Have a great Xmas
Cheers Neil I hope you and yours have a great Xmas too I know a cracking Marshie site if you want to try for them next year

After a Red Admiral on the 20th I was hoping for another today but no joy Instead I made do with some Xmas cheer at home. Santa will be enjoying some 'Poper Job' this evening, I hope it keeps him going

Have a goodun, A Great Christmas and and a brill New Year!

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

This was one of those posts that got lost after a manic weekend. Over the weekend I made trips to Five Rivers (first Small Skippers, Marbled Whites and Ringlets of the year), Slop Bog (first Silver Studded Blues), Lulworth Cove (first Lulworth Skippers) and Martin Down (first Dark Green Frits)! So The Devenish got put on the back burner – until now.

Freaky Friday 13-06-2014

I was in the groove by this stage of the season. Stopping off on the way to work and then nipping out once the lunchtime revision session was completed before rushing back to stop off at The Devenish on the way home. Today started in a similar fashion with the morning break in my journey but it was at Woodhenge rather than Larkhill. Unfortunately the hoped for Marbled White weren’t emerged yet and so I had to make do with a single Small Tortoiseshell. It had some interesting markings with the markings on the forewing starting as white and then becoming lemon coloured along with a lemon spot showing against the ground orange colour of the forewings. Still after a couple of minutes it was back in the car and onwards to work – so I could get through my morning of lessons and get out at lunch...

...But that didn’t happen as I was saying goodbye to my student teachers with some excellent pizza and cake to follow! Instead I took some more time at the end of the day and arrived at The Devenish slightly later than usual. As I walked through the Orchid Meadow there were the usual suspects and so I didn’t venture up onto the side of the Down and just stayed in this small field. As I hadn’t focused much on Meadow Browns yet I spent some time re-acquainting myself with them whilst taking in the antics of the various other butterflies that were about including a pair of Grizzlies, a Dingy, Large Skippers and a collection of Blues and Browns (4 Adonis, 2 Common, Brown Argus, 2 Small Heath and a Speckled Wood)

I found my fifth Meadow Brown right at the other end of the field where the vegetation is longer and denser, almost scrub like. It was nestled down amongst the vegetation as a pair of Small Tortoiseshells were flapping around and about. Time was passing and so I started to make my back towards the other end of the meadow and the car park beyond.

As I stopped now and again for flies with crazy looking eyes and one of the worn Common Blues I wondered to myself where the second brood Small Coppers were? Just as the thought had been constructed in my mind a tiny orange flower unfolded itself revealing that it was actually the very same butterfly I’d just been imagining. Not only that but it was a blue badger too!

So I arrived home later than usual but slightly happier, especially as I got away with the lateness and unscathed on this auspicious day!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Happy 2015!

I hope this year will be the one which finally sees me seeing a Heath Frit and I wish everyone else every success with their targets for 2015!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Hope you get to see the Heaths, they're on my 2015 list as well. Looking forward to seeing more of your pics as the season goes by!

[David M]

Haddon Hill or Blean Woods, surely?

The good thing about this species is if you visit a site where it is resident, you should see quite a few of them.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Bugboy - I'll dig our my grid references for Lulworths and Marshies for you
Cheers David As you say 'one or the other' - it's just working out which one is easier to get to...

With this Lost Post I got as close as I could to posting it...but then I went to Bentley Wood and Collard Hill...so those sightings took precedence...

20-06-2014 Woodhenge

The day before the Solstice but there were only a few more cars in the car park and a few more “good mornings” as I made my way to the longer grass side of the field. Again the Browns dominated with even more Ringlets and Marbled Whites this morning and now possibly outnumbering the Meadow Browns 2 to 1. The Knapweed has started to show through and it is acting like a magnet for the Marbs. If I wanted to find them this morning I just had to stalk towards the purple plants and there they would be.

Also here this morning were a couple of Small Skippers slightly slowed down by the cooler morning temperatures though they still do the annoying thing of flying towards you and then disappearing as you struggle to turn quick enough to follow them. Eventually they’d decided that they’d given me the run around enough and so I peeled off a few of shots.

After a few more ‘mornings’ to various Travellers exercising their dogs I headed onto work, the Solstice is tomorrow so come Monday only the real stalwarts will still be here and things will be back to normal.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Larkhill 26-06-2014

This became a Lost Post as there was just so much going on at the time and also because it didn’t quite get the shot I was trying for. It was back at the tail end of June and we had a few days of cloudier weather so I was hoping to catch some of the roosting Marbled Whites with the dew still bedecking them. Once on site it became apparent that whilst it as cloudier then usual it was still just as warm and hence the dew was long gone.

I then started hunting round for individuals that were in a particular pose. Over the years I’ve noticed that Marbled Whites will climb the grass stems pirate fashion in the early morning as they seek out the sun to warm up. Then when they’ve reached an appropriate height they sometimes hold their wings open as they start to bask. I was hoping to witness this again and get some shots of the finale of the action as it should be possible to get a of both under wings at once whilst the grass stem it clutches at highlights the mid line.

I walked the path watching Marbled Whites fluttering by and luckily one or two individuals did start climbing the grasses, foot over foot but I couldn’t find them with just a single central stem.

One stem too many

Almost...

Best I could get

Still it was fun trying for a particular shot rather than the usual ‘see what’s about’ approach and there’s always next year .

Have a goodun

Wurzel