Susie

[Wurzel]

Hey leave some Orange-tip action for us Susie

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Susie]

I hope something is left for me to see at the weekend. So far I've missed most of it!

[Susie]

As Neil has found skippers at mill hill I thought I'd try my luck at denbies. Denbies is always a bit behind mill hill and I didnt see anything apart from a female brim and a couple of tatty small tortoiseshells.

I did see a parakeet flying over Capel on the way back, which is the furthest south I've seen one.

[Susie]

What glorious day! I was up just after 4am this morning to drive eldest daughter to furthest Kent as she has a couple of weeks work lambing and watching the spring lambs bounce around in the early morning light was joyful.

A walk round Sumner Ponds in Barns Green with the family didn't turn up much in the way of butterflies as I had hope (although the pup did manage to catch a vole - he released it unharmed) but a later trip around Five Oaks, Barns Green, Itchingfield and the surrounding areas turned up good numbers of orange tips, a few other whites including brimstones, a speckled wood and some peacocks. At home there were orange tips in the garden and holly blues.

I went to the bluebell woods and saw a green veined white and also a peacock that decided to hide behind a wheat stalk and pretend to be a monster

Butterfly challenge

1. Peacock
2. Red admiral
3. Brimstone
4. Small tortoiseshell
5. Comma
6. Small white
7. Orange tip
8. Holly blue
9. Speckled wood
10.Green veined white

[Wurzel]

Lovely Holly Blue shot - but that Peacock isn't fooling anyone

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Susie]

Thanks Wurzel

Another lovely day.

Saw a speckled wood this morning, then more orange tips, small whites and small tortoiseshells this afternoon.

One orange tip male was flying around and then settled as the sun went in. I ran home and got the camera and managed to fire off a couple of shots before the sun came out again. One wing was slightly damaged which gave a better view of the orange but he was still able to fly without difficulty.

[Wurzel]

Lovely shots Susie I'm really struggling with OT's this year, I hope they're not my 2014 nemesis

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Another Holly Blue!! Well done, Susie.

[Susie]

I went to heyshott this afternoon with my daughter and the hound. There wasn't much flying, we only saw green veined whites and brimstones, but this a beautiful site and all the more impressive for the work undertaken over the winter. It was good just to have a wander and enjoy the views. We also bumped into Mark Colvin and it was nice to have a quick catch up. I haven't seen any butterfly friends since last year and it will be nice to spend time with some familiar faces again.

I'll be back in a week or so to try again.

[Susie]

There were a few orange tips flying about in the garden of the Sussex oak this afternoon but by the time I arrived at rewell wood to look for pearls they'd all gone to roost and I lucked out.

[Susie]

Happy Easter everyone

[Neil Freeman]

Happy Easter Susie

Neil.

[Susie]

Thanks Neil, I hope you enjoyed Easter too.

I checked the weather forecast for today for various sites I wanted to visit and cloud and rain was forecast to the south of me so I decided to head north to Denbies as the forecast was predicting sunshine there. As I left the sunshine of home the skies grew darker and the rain began to fall s*ds law for sure! I arrived at Denbies to cool cloudy conditions but at least it wasn't raining. A search of the site produced a peacock and that was it. I was quite disappointed. I thought I'd give it another go and found one dingy skipper. Hurrah! Then the sun came out but still there didn't seem to be much about. I saw a peacock again and a brimstone and that was it. In the area where I had expected to see green hairstreaks there were dozens of crab spiders, all a strong yellow. I hope when the green hairstreaks do arrive these spiders have moved on, but they were very impressive beasties and the biggest I have seen so I had to admire them.

Butterfly challenge

1. Peacock
2. Red admiral
3. Brimstone
4. Small tortoiseshell
5. Comma
6. Small white
7. Orange tip
8. Holly blue
9. Speckled wood
10.Green veined white
11.Dingy skipper

[Susie]

I took the hound to Houghton Forest this afternoon. We saw a speckled wood, some green veined whites and that was about it. We moved on to Rewell Wood and briefly saw a pearl bordered fritillary, long enough to fire off a couple of record shots before it flew into the trees, a peacock, lots of brimstones and a couple of whites.

Butterfly challenge

1. Peacock
2. Red admiral
3. Brimstone
4. Small tortoiseshell
5. Comma
6. Small white
7. Orange tip
8. Holly blue
9. Speckled wood
10.Green veined white
11.Dingy skipper
12.Pearl Bordered Fritillary

[Susie]

Yesterday morning I went to Heyshott with the hound. Walking up towards the downs there were orange tips, green veined whites and brimstones on the wing and I was delighted to see a red admiral; only my second RA this year.

Pup notified me that there was someone ahead and I was pleased to meet Katrina for the first time before pup and I headed off up the hill. Several dingy skippers were about but it took me a while to see my first duke which was flying ahead of me and off out of my eye line. A peacock came to investigate us. I was fortunate to locate a second Duke which was sitting nicely for a while before too flying off and hunkering down. By now the weather had turned slightly unpleasant so we decided to head home and were pleased that we bumped into Neil on the way back.

Butterfly challenge

1. Peacock
2. Red admiral
3. Brimstone
4. Small tortoiseshell
5. Comma
6. Small white
7. Orange tip
8. Holly blue
9. Speckled wood
10.Green veined white
11.Dingy skipper
12.Pearl Bordered Fritillary
13.Duke of Burgundy

[Katrina]

Beautiful photo Susie!

[Susie]

Thank you, Katrina. I am pleased with it but it's not a patch on your duke on the cowslip

The weather looked a bit dodgy today so I thought I'd go to Botany Bay for wood white. I briefly saw two.

Butterfly challenge

1. Peacock - 11/01/14
2. Red admiral - 05/03/14
3. Brimstone - 05/03/14
4. Small tortoiseshell - 09/03/14
5. Comma - 09/03/14
6. Small white - 01/04/14
7. Orange tip - 01/04/14
8. Holly blue - 09/04/14
9. Speckled wood - 09/04/14
10.Green veined white - 13/04/14
11.Dingy skipper - 21/04/14
12.Pearl Bordered Fritillary - 22/04/14
13.Duke of Burgundy - 24/04/14
14.Wood white - 26/04/14

[Susie]

Think I saw a painted lady flying down cranleigh high street on Thursday.

[Maximus]

Lovely Duke shot from Heyshott Suzie, also glad you got to see the Wood Whites at Chiddingfold in difficult conditions

Mike

[Susie]

Thanks Mike

The weather forecast didn't look too good this afternoon so I thought I'd take the hound to Cissbury Ring and popped my camera in my bag just in case there was a butterfly or two

We had a lovely walk and I was so pleased the weather stayed fair until we got home (torrential rain now!). Billy met his double while out (we don't meet many black retriever crosses) and had a lovely race around with a saluki; with his little spaniel legs he had no chance of keeping up. While out we saw brimstones, orange tips, green veined whites, loads of peacocks, dingy skippers and also grizzled skippers, small coppers and a single wall. Three more to add to my list!

Butterfly challenge

1. Peacock - 11/01/14
2. Red admiral - 05/03/14
3. Brimstone - 05/03/14
4. Small tortoiseshell - 09/03/14
5. Comma - 09/03/14
6. Small white - 01/04/14
7. Orange tip - 01/04/14
8. Holly blue - 09/04/14
9. Speckled wood - 09/04/14
10.Green veined white - 13/04/14
11.Dingy skipper - 21/04/14
12.Pearl Bordered Fritillary - 22/04/14
13.Duke of Burgundy - 24/04/14
14.Wood white - 26/04/14
15.Grizzled skipper - 28/04/14
16.Small copper - 28/04/14
17.Wall brown - 28/04/14