Maximus

[Maximus]

Thanks, Trevor, I think Lady Luck smiled on us big time I'd imagine that the Dukes will be out at your local site any time now

Cheers,

Mike.


Today at last, I managed to get a photo of the Holly Blue we have seen a couple of times in our garden recently. There was only time for one shot before the butterfly did a vanishing act

[Maximus]

Our reared Large White finally emerged yesterday afternoon, a beautiful female.

As she emerged late in the day we're keeping her inside overnight and will release her in the morning.

[Wurzel]

Cracking sequence showing the Large White emergence Mike Also nice Holly Blue I had a a few run-ins with them today

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Glad you got your Holly Blue Maximus Goldie

[Maximus]

Cheers, Wurzel there's always run-ins when Holly Blues are involved

Thanks, Goldie


A couple of shots of our reared Large White which we released in our garden. She stayed on the Cuckoo Flower for several hours before taking flight when she had warmed up sufficiently.

[Paul Harfield]

HI Mike

Just catching up with your diary. Your Duke aberation and the Orange Tip with the extra spots are real beauties I also like your mating Beeflies something I have not seen before.

[Maximus]

We made a last minute decision to take a drive down to Butser Hill today. We usually visit this site at around this date hoping to see our first Grizzled and Dingy Skippers of the year. Weather conditions were good, plenty of sunshine with a bearable North Easterly breeze. As we walked up to Rake an assortment of butterflies were seen. Comma, Peacocks, Brimstones, Small Tortoiseshells, Orange-tips and a Male Holly Blue. A Roe Deer watched us from high on the hillside, bluebells lined the path and Blackcaps sung from hawthorn thickets, it was a lovely spring morning. Passing through the gate we almost immediatly spotted several Grizzled Skippers taking nourishment from a dog turd. A little further up the path there were plenty of Grizzled Skippers which we managed some photos of, along with several Dingy Skippers.

Continuing up through the site Grizzled Skippers were by far the most common species with only a few Dingy Skippers seen. We saw four Duke of Burgundy but only managed a record shot of one female.

We also saw a single Green Hairstreak further up the slope, our first of the year, and managed a couple of photos.

During our visit a Cuckoo was constantly calling from the hillside, our first of 2015, very nice that they're back again! We spent several hours walking the site and later managed to get some roosting shots when the sun was obscured by light cloud.

A fantastic day out in stunning surroundings, with many beautiful butterflies seen, exactly what it's all about

[trevor]

HI Mike,

You certainly had a busy and fruitful day!. I wonder if the number of species you saw in one day
is record for this year so far. Hoping for a day like that myself today.

Best wishes,
TREVOR.

[kevling]

Mike,

Lovely photos and report from Butser Hill. It is a site that I am considering visiting this year (for the very species you have already seen). Living in Suffolk, I did'nt want to make the trip until I knew the Dukes were in abundance. Hoepfully weekend of 2nd-5th May shoudl be about right, weather permitting.

I especially love the underside shot of the Grizzled Skipper. Nice shot.

Regards Kev

[Pauline]

Mike, I have been very remiss about commenting on your diary tho' I have been keeping a close eye on it. You photos (and finds) so far this year have been fantastic. They were good last year but you have definitely upped your game. Lots of the shots you have posted were one's I wished I could have taken. Very envious. Well done.

[Goldie M]

Mike love the last 4 photos I've not seen this Skipper yet but hope fully will in the future, what a day out you had Goldie

[Wurzel]

Fantastic shots Mike especially the stained glass Grizzlie

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Maximus]

Hi Trevor, It was a very enjoyable day Hope you had a good one too.

Thanks Kev, your planned trip to Butser to see those species, should be bang on

Thank you Pauline, you're very kind

Thanks Goldie, I hope you get to see this lovely Skipper very soon

Cheers Wurzel, I know you like the stained glass shots


Yesterday we got the first sighting of the Purple Hairstreak larva we are rearing. The larva hatched several days ago and was one of three eggs we found during the winter on wind blown Oak twigs. The other two eggs have not hatched, not sure why!

Two day old Purple Hairstreak larva

[trevor]

HI Mike,

Well done with the Purple Hairstreak Larvae . Hopefully it will give you the rare opportunity to see one
of the most elusive of our Butterflies close up. There is even a colony in an Oak at the bottom of my
garden , but i've never seen any at low level.

Best wishes,
TREVOR.

[Maximus]

Thanks Trevor, you're very lucky to have the colony (of PH) at the bottom of your garden Perhaps you'll get lucky this year at low level.


Our single Purple Hairstreak larva has now undergone its first moult.

moulting

eating the moulted skin

second instar

[trevor]

HI Mike,
Thanks for the reply. The PBF's are well worth going to see , hopefully numbers will build this year
as last year was pretty dismal. I'm sure I can bore every one stiff with Pearl images for the next
few weeks!.

All the best ,
TREVOR.

[Maximus]

CheersTrevor, i'll try to see some soon


Today I saw the first butterfly in our garden that I've seen for a few days. I watched a female Orange-tip investigating our Garlic Mustard before ovipositing a single egg on the underside of a flower bloom. I managed a photo in spite of the strong breeze.

[Goldie M]

Great photo Mike , you were lucky to spot it, you can keep your eye on it now Goldie

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Mike, some great reports and photos posted recently

Cheers,

Neil

[Maximus]

Thanks Neil, I will post on your PD shortly


Heavenly Heyshott


Had a break in the more mundane chores in life this week and managed a pleasant trip, for the first time, to the Heyshott Escarpment. Wow, what a fabulous place this is, we were blown away Although it was a last minute decision due to the threatening clouds and possibility of rain yesterday, we took the plunge and left late morning for the site. We'd only been there for about 20 minutes before we saw our first Duke of the day in one of the pits near the top of the escarpment. It was fairly cloudy, which made the photography more challenging, but by lunchtime the weak sunshine brought the Dukes out of hiding and gave us the chance of some better shots of them.

Duke

Dutchess

Mating Pair

Duke