www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

30-04-2022 Can someone please identify this caterpillar, not the most exciting critter.
One Holly Blue passed though the garden.

UKB people posting seem to be doing much better than the meagre sightings here in my part of Somerset but at least it has been made for by a visiting Hoopoe and my first Wood Sandpiper.

https://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com/p12 ... #h37bababb

Thanks for comments Otep and Paul ,much appreciated !
Very envious of your superb Small Tort AB; Otep ...............great find that ! and Paul ,top quality images as usual ,nice one !!
Regards Allan.W.

Otep wrote: ↑Sun May 01, 2022 4:48 pm Awesome photos Paul. I am very about the adders. I really, really want to see a snake in the wild. One would think that I would stumble across one given my many butterfly adventures - but it has never happened.

Cheers Otep (an thanks David and Allan).

Otep, its a bit late in the year to see Adders now, because most have shed/sloughed their hibernation skin, an either mated, or dispersed to hunt for prey. The best time to sight an Adder is late Feb, through March/April. The vegetation is low through those months, the snakes are generally more cooler/docile, therefore much easier to locate.

I never handle Adders, i never try to move them, i photograph them exactly as i find them in the wild. Always show caution when getting close to an Adder. Ive been observing adders for well over a decade now, so i have some understanding, when it comes to how these beautiful creatures might react.
Several images from this year/season. No images have been cropped. Cheers Paul.

Male adult, post slough. Female adult, pre slough. Juvenile female, early stages of sloughing her skin. Difficult to age (small in size) approx 2 to 3 years perhaps?

Testudo Man wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 12:35 pm Otep, its a bit late in the year to see Adders now, because most have shed/sloughed their hibernation skin, an either mated, or dispersed to hunt for prey. The best time to sight an Adder is late Feb, through March/April. The vegetation is low through those months, the snakes are generally more cooler/docile, therefore much easier to locate. I never handle Adders, i never try to move them, i photograph them exactly as i find them in the wild. Always show caution when getting close to an Adder. Ive been observing adders for well over a decade now, so i have some understanding, when it comes to how these beautiful creatures might react. Several images from this year/season. No images have been cropped. Cheers Paul.

Adder learning banked. Thank you Paul. I hope that I haven't missed the boat for another year.

Allan.W. wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 8:05 pm Very envious of your superb Small Tort AB; Otep ...............great find that ! Regards Allan.W.

Thank you Allan.

Pearls at the Wyre Forest, Bewdley, Worcestershire on 30 April 2022. A lovely time was spent watching them flying about, perpetual motion in the sunshine.

Nice find with the mating pair Otep - I've only seen that once before. Certainly keeping me interested with your posts

Otep wrote: ↑Wed May 04, 2022 7:34 pmPearls at the Wyre Forest, Bewdley, Worcestershire on 30 April 2022. A lovely time was spent watching them flying about, perpetual motion in the sunshine.

Good for you, Otep.

That mating pair must have been great to see.

Pauline wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 1:09 pm Nice find with the mating pair Otep - I've only seen that once before. Certainly keeping me interested with your posts

David M wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2022 7:37 pm Good for you, Otep. That mating pair must have been great to see.

Thank you Pauline and David. My introduction to PBF was in 2021 (my second season). I went to Ewyas Harold near Hereford. I was a little underwhelmed. They were all a bit tatty and looking very sorry for themselves. I knew no different. However, seeing the bright, pristine edition was quite an experience. They were confined to one small area of old railway embankment. I was stood watching them for a couple of hours. What I was watching attracted a few passers by. One man asked me if I had lost my dog.

Three photos from my trip to Llanymynech Rocks at the end of April.