Goldie M

[Goldie M]

Thanks for posting Neil, David, Wurzel, it's supposed to be a nice day today but we've had two snow showers already, nothing is sticking now thank goodness, hope fully it clears this afternoon and I'll get out to check if any thing is moving, Goldie

[Goldie M]

Yesterday was a great day and I suppose everyone must have seen the Butterflies

I went to Hall-lee-Brook and finally saw some movement, my first Speckled Wood's of the season, also the Orange Tip males were on the prowl I saw at least nine or ten, the one I finally managed a shot of was feeding off a Dandelion which is not surprising being as the meadow with the May flowers in it was cut

The OT's were very quick and flew off again practically as soon
has they landed which made photography a little on the hard side Plus the Speckies didn't help much chasing them a way before they could land

I couldn't go back today, we went to Fleetwood instead and I got another surprise, we were in the River Wyre CP and has we walked by the side of the River first one Peacock flew down into the dead grasses of the River followed by a another one I couldn't get too close but I got near enough to get some shots which do show the Male with the hairs on his body raised up for the Female, Has I watched them ( the female stayed mostly in the shade and was difficult to see her actions towards the Male) but I know now why they call them Peacocks The Hairs on his body were raised and then he bent towards the Female with his wings fanned out just like a Peacock, has he did this he bowed up and down it was like watching a dance Has he bent he touched the Female's antenna with his own, I was fascinated and although I couldn't see much of the Female her shape was visible. It was the best show I've seen for a while. Goldie
Tomorrow I'm back to HLB and maybe I'll get to Gait Barrow shortly weather permitting. Goldie

[Goldie M]

I got a great surprise today in my own garden, I'd just got back from HLB and was sitting in the Garden when this small White Butterfly flew in landing on my Wallflower, I'd just put the camera back in the house so I rushed in the house to get it, i'd not changed the lens thinking nothing much was flying, although I'd seen more OT's and one Small White also Speckies once again at HLB but what I'd wanted to see was a female OT.

Well you can imagine my surprise when the small white turned out to be a Female OT It's the first OT I've ever seen in my garden and a Female to boot ,so can imagine me running round to try to photo it before it took off. Goldie

[peterc]

Nice Orange Tip, Goldie. Is the flower Verbena Bonariensis? I had a male specimen roosting on such a plant in my back garden last night.

ATB

Peter

[David M]

I planted some Bowles Mauve in March in an attempt to attract passing Orange Tips. No success as of yet, but it's nice to see them using somebody else's wallflowers!

What a lovely surprise.

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Goldie,

Glad to see your seeing Orange-tips up there, I have seen my first ones over the past couple of days too

I tried growing some Bowles Mauve in my garden a couple of years ago but my soil is too really too heavy for it. I am giving it another go this year with a plant in a container and it had both a male and a female Orange-tip stop briefly on it this afternoon

Cheers,

Neil

[trevor]

Hi Goldie,

That's what I call pleasantly annoying, travel for miles in vein to see a species,
then one lands in your garden. lovely photo in the circumstances.

All the best ,
Trevor.

[peterc]

Sorry, Goldie. I should have read your post more closely. The flower does look a little like V. Bonariensis. Good luck for the rest of the season.

ATB

Peter

[Goldie M]

Hi! Peter, it's a great plant the Bowles Mauve, I planted one in the front Garden and one in the back garden, they attract Butterflies all year round from Spring to Autumn

Hi! David, no worries you'll soon have lots of Butterflies, they attract every species, they're an exceptional plant.

Great news Neil, I know you'll get many more BF before long on the plant, I prune my plant right down when it gets leggy and it just seems to get more flowers.

Hi! Trevor, it was a lovely surprise, I just wish I'd been more prepared for it.

I've just read the post's on BC Lanc's web site and it looks like the Pearl Border Frit has arrived at Warton Craig, also the Dingy Skipper, so a visit up there is a must now because I missed them last year, hope fully the Dukes have arrived at Gait Barrow but I've not seen any posts on them yet.

A new site has been opened for Birds and other wild life at Brockholes nr Preston , it looks interesting , I spoke to a women when I was at Mere Sands a week ago and she said OT"S were there already, I don't know what other BF's are there yet though. They've even got a floating Restaurant I think If your traveling up North on the M6 it's at Exit 31 but you do have to pay for parking.

With every one being so interested in the Bowles Mauve I thought I'd include a few shots I took of it last year and this year in the snow in April Goldie

[Goldie M]

This afternoon we went back to Hall-Lee-Brook because the weather forecast was for thunder storms later to day so we didn't want to go too far.
I think the Butterflies know when the weather is going to be bad before it actually arrives because the only BF's we saw were just 2 Male OT's and two large White's even the Speckies were hiding but I did manage to get some shots before we got too hot and returned home, now the sky is very murky and we're waiting for the down pour
I decided to take my other lens which is easier to carry and( Hide )if it rains. The two White's I mentioned were Male and Female and we watched has the Male chased the Female who didn't want to mate and hid under a leaf to the left of him this confused the Male who flew round the top of a Dandelion, couldn't find her, so undecided as to her where about's was he that he thought he'd take some nectar without landing on the Dandelion, while his back was turned off she flew It really is enjoyable watching their antics.
I've added a photo of the Blue Bells down by the Stream in HLB, also my Back Garden.Goldie

[trevor]

HI Goldie,
I notice that the Bluebells in your garden are of the Spanish variety.
Although pretty, they will hybridise with our native species.
Garden centres are responsible for their spread in cultivation and often
market them as English Bluebells.
I got caught like that once,and when I saw the flowers the following
spring I dug them up and put them in the green waste bin.

Hope you are enjoying the weather,
Trevor.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Trevor I didn't buy the Blue Bells from a garden centre, I was walking my dog in the Woods( she's dead now) when she started messing about chasing a Squirrel, she managed to dig a few BB up in the chase so I just brought the bulbs home and planted them, I didn't know about Spanish BB but if they are I'll still keep them because they remind me of her, I don't think they'll do much harm in my garden . I noticed the OT when it flew in never went near them. Thank's for telling me, I'll keep them in trim, there mostly in the back garden the ones in the side garden I'll dig out. Goldie

[Wurzel]

Glad the OTs have reached you Goldie and as an extra special bonus you got a garden tick If you could send some Specklies down that would be much appreciated - there has been a real dearth of them in Wiltshire

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, I expect you've got your Speckie photos by now, I've been too busy out and about lately so sorry I've not answered your post before.

On Sunday the weather was fantastic, I decided to have a rest day (planning on going to Gait Barrow on Monday) It's an age thing now While I was relaxing in the garden I got another visit from a Female OT , so not a totally wasted day. She seemed to have a half moon shape on her wing instead of the usual spot

Monday turned out to be hot but also very windy. We set off for the Lakes and an hour and a bit later arrived at Gait Barrow, we were met with people with very long faces ( the Dukes weren't out yet) some had seen one
which quickly disappeared and wasn't seen again,( Too hot for them I think) also no signs go any Pearl's.

I walked round the site and noticed that the Ferns usually quite tall at this time of year were really very low, too low in fact for much shelter for them what ever the weather. The site hadn't been roped off yet ( next week the Ranger said) also the Primroses were few and far between but still had to open up in most cases so I suppose another week or even two before things do get going there.

Another point was the Blue Flower(Bugle I think it's called ) which the Pearls like had not yet put in an appearance, it's usually growing all a long the paths there, so hope fully next visit I'll see both.

So, when I found the Green Hair Streaks the visit wasn't a total loss, they seemed to be every where , soaring into the sky and competing with one another, my first for 2016 and some seemed greener than others and one a little worn but they made the my day. Goldie

[trevor]

Lovely Green Hairstreak images. I hope the Pearls are going to have a good year in the north.
They are having a much better season down here. And the Dukes are out as well.

[peterc]

Yes, some nice Green Hairstreak images there, Goldie. Some of these could be ab. inferopunctata where there are good white spots on the undersides. Perhaps this aberration is more common in the north where you are.

ATB

Peter

[Goldie M]

Thank you very much for your Kind comments Trevor and Peter, they're much appreciated

Pearls have been seen at Warton Craig Trevor, not in great numbers but at least they've been seen, we called there yesterday but after walking for a couple of hours in the heat at GB thought it best to leave it for another week especially when we were told how windy it was on the top of the Craig so hope fully I'll get to see them yet.

Thanks Peter for informing me about the ab, I'd seen and photographed one before at Gait Barrow, a few years ago unfortunately the photo wasn't good enough to be included in the Species section and I'd forgotten what the ab was called any way so thank's for naming it for me, I don't know if it's more common in the North Peter but like I said I've photograph it more than once, it's a very pretty Hair Streak, Goldie

[millerd]

Lovely Hairstreaks, Goldie. Yours definitely have more white spots than any I've seen down here - in fact you can hardly see any white at all on most of mine. Nice female Orange Tip as well - such a delicate little creature.

Dave

[Goldie M]

Thanks Dave for your comments, they do seem to have a lot of Spots don't they more like an added frill
At Warton Craig yesterday i'd never seen so many Orange Tips both Male and Female, boy were they quick never landing on any thing for more than a second so lovely to watch.
I took these photos of Green Hair Streak's back in 2013, also ab Inferopunctata. Goldie

[MikeOxon]

Hi Goldie. Aberrations are a funny game - I sometimes think one person's aberration is another's 'type' specimen. That chap Tutt did seem to like claiming aberrations and wrote excessively long (and, to my mind, rather boring) books about them all.

I don't think your GH are inferopunctata because that term describes specimens that have white spots on the hindwings only - whereas yours have white on both wings. I think the white 'hairstreak' lines are the 'type' and it is the ones without white that are aberrant - ab.caecus

Having said all that, Northern and, especially, Scottish examples do seem to have better developed white streaks than a lot of the ones I see in the South.

Nice pics, whatever we call them

Mike