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Re: April 2011
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 11:13 pm
by celery
Hi I was thinking of going to Ketton Quarry this Sunday, (17th). The weather looks fair. A bit of a drive from Wetherby, but I still need Grizzled Skipper - have you been back, or do you know if they are flying yet or indeed at any other sites in the area?
Hi Lawts, I haven't been back to Ketton Quarry... last Sunday (10th) I was at Cotham Old Station and today (Sat 16th) at Asfordby Hill, Holwell Reserves and Langar Wildflower Farm - all sites where Grizzleds are seen regularly in the East Midlands... but NO LUCK whatsoever. No Dingys or Green Hairstreaks either... just Brimstone, Peacock, Large White, Small White, Small Tort, Orange Tip, Holly Blue and Speckled Wood.
Tomorrow... I'm going for a long walk instead...
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
Hope you have better luck, cheers, celery
Re: April 2011
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 1:21 am
by Jack Harrison
Susie commented:
It's amazing .... she still manages to get her point across
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
How would she show (feign) that she has a headache?
Jack
Re: April 2011
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 4:34 pm
by NickB
Went looking for Grizzlies with Jack today at Woodwalton Marsh; despite the right conditions, we did not see one...
Did see some OT boys to go with Zonda's girls....
Also went to the Engine Bank nr Mepal to see if any Walls were around, with the same result.....
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
Re: April 2011
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 5:08 pm
by Zonda
Re: April 2011
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 5:32 pm
by Piers
RESULT - good man..!
Great pics too.
![Cool 8)](./images/smilies/icon_cool.gif)
Re: April 2011
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 6:33 pm
by Lee Hurrell
Zonda wrote: here's my first lifer of the season. Caught flitting about the Dorset heathland this morning.
Hooray! At last. Nice one Zonda, lovely shots.
Cheers
Lee
Re: April 2011
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 8:00 pm
by Padfield
Brilliant!
I didn't even mention green hairstreak in my last diary post, out of sensitivity to your predicament, Zonda! Now I will feel free to use the G word again.
Guy
Re: April 2011
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 8:04 pm
by Neil Hulme
Congratulations on your Green
![Mr. Green :mrgreen:](./images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif)
Hairstreak Zonda. I hereby declare 29th April a national holiday, in celebration of this long awaited and happy event.
Neil
Re: April 2011
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 8:25 pm
by Michaeljf
Hi all,
I'm not quite back into full Butterfly-photographing yet, but I did go up to Prestbury Hill (near Cheltenham) today (Sunday 17th April) – hopefully to see some Green Hairstreaks but also to check out if any Duke of Burgundys were about. There was plenty of Cowslips in the Bill Smylie reserve, but no sign of DoB’s. I did bump into one of the local transect recorders and he confirmed that they are later at Prestbury Hill than elsewhere in the county because of the height of the site, so I should try the last two weeks in May. Anyway, I did see plenty of Speckled Browns, some Peacocks, some Green-Veined Whites and a Brimstone but missed the Green Hairstreaks, though the spotter saw three – and by the time I had learned of the ‘right spot’ to visit the weather had clouded over a bit. Bird-wise it was very nice there though – plenty of Warblers, Chaffinches, a Linnet, several Pipits / Larks, several Buzzards, a Weasel (very quick), some Rabbits and a lizard. There’s supposed to be several Wheatears there but I didn’t fancy a longer walk over the How Hill way.
I returned home slightly worse for ware, but nipped out to try and get some good pics of the local Orange Tips (some improvement but not quite succeeding) and also photographed a caterpillar web which I presume are gregarious Lackey Moth larvae? Good news on the butterfly front in my patch in South Wales (near Cardiff) is that I have seen plenty of Speckled Woods, Small Tortoiseshells, Peacocks, Orange-Tips, Green Veined-Whites, Commas and a few Brimstones. And yesterday I saw a Holly Blue in my garden. I’m hoping that’s what’s been eating my Holly Bush (it’s certainly got a lot of holes in it after winter).
Michael
![IMG_8035 edit small.JPG (138.65 KiB) Viewed 463 times Peacock, South Wales](./files/thumb_10035_139f1f0ca028c541f225aeed0b330847)
- Peacock, South Wales
![IMG_8123 edit small.JPG (71.42 KiB) Viewed 463 times Orange Tip resting under cloudy weather](./files/thumb_10035_f837e01c0b812e88cbfabbf70ed668cb)
- Orange Tip resting under cloudy weather
![IMG_8379 edit small.JPG (117.95 KiB) Viewed 463 times Cowslips at Prestbury Hill](./files/thumb_10035_8c1db521b5b9922e16c6bc5bbdd6ba3d)
- Cowslips at Prestbury Hill
![IMG_8406 edit small.JPG (58.91 KiB) Viewed 463 times Pipit or Lark? Anyway, I got relatively close](./files/thumb_10035_7d5a9a1c6753b7c6d21b2c90c4262104)
- Pipit or Lark? Anyway, I got relatively close
![IMG_8416 edit small.JPG (102.32 KiB) Viewed 463 times Caterpillar Web (Lackeys?), South Wales](./files/thumb_10035_6c187240f20adfe0b0f57c04043c0aca)
- Caterpillar Web (Lackeys?), South Wales
![IMG_8424 edit small.JPG (76.34 KiB) Viewed 463 times Orange Tip on Cuckoo-Spit, S Wales](./files/thumb_10035_c4cb37873b3851c09806676c253fd009)
- Orange Tip on Cuckoo-Spit, S Wales
![IMG_8433 edit small.JPG (72.96 KiB) Viewed 463 times Green-Veined White on Cuckoo-Spit, S Wales](./files/thumb_10035_9cc12e9209bd2a38ed9f179a2e607112)
- Green-Veined White on Cuckoo-Spit, S Wales
Re: April 2011
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 8:55 pm
by Trev Sawyer
Hi Michael,
Your caterpillars are Buff Tip moth larvae.
Trev
Re: April 2011
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 9:11 pm
by Michaeljf
Hi Trev,
we get Buff-Tips round here, and I am familiar with the caterpillars. That was my first thought when I saw the communal web, but I would say that normally at this stage the Buff-Tip caterpillars would have longer white hairs. I've also never seen Buff-Tip caterpillars out this early in the season?
Michael
Re: April 2011
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 9:18 pm
by Pete Eeles
The larvae look more like Lackey than Buff-tip to me, not least because of the communal web which isn't, I believe, that prominent a feature with Buff-tip.
Cheers,
- Pete
Re: April 2011
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 9:34 pm
by Michaeljf
Here's a closer picture of todays caterpillars, plus an older shot of young Buff-Tips. Notice the white hairs on the buff-tips, browner hairs on todays caterpillars, plus the clearly-defined linear look of todays larvae. The Buff-tips are more broken. The large picture below may be clearer than the other one I posted from earlier today. I can see why anyone would say Buff-Tip, but I'm pretty sure they're not
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
And yes, although Buff-Tips make a lot of mess and are gregarious I don't think they produce a communal web - certainly not in that sort of format - as was mentioned by Pete
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
.
![131_3167 small.JPG (77.35 KiB) Viewed 828 times Buff tips from a few years back.](./files/thumb_10035_191ca506e710581447a6192a329d27c6)
- Buff tips from a few years back.
![IMG_8418 edit crop small.JPG (128.78 KiB) Viewed 828 times Todays caterpillars, closer shot..not buff tips, hopefully!](./files/thumb_10035_5e92fe61575984198fb26444a8d90c48)
- Todays caterpillars, closer shot..not buff tips, hopefully!
Re: April 2011
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 9:53 pm
by Trev Sawyer
Apologies... I stand corrected. They
would be way too early for Buff Tips (didn't think of that
![Embarassed :oops:](./images/smilies/icon_redface.gif)
)
I am used to seeing Lackey moth larvae when larger as they have
blue sides and a blue
head with a "smiley face" at the front. In your photos, the head and sides are black.
Trev
Re: April 2011
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 10:53 pm
by Lawts
Tried Ketton Quarries today - great habitat. I had two fleeting glimpses of what was most likely a Grizzled Skipper - the first the typical zigzag and then I disappear flight. I guess it's still early, despite my burnt head!
Would appreciate any updates from members as numbers of GS grow at this site in the next couple of weeks - plan to be back.
Steve.
Re: April 2011
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 6:33 am
by Michaeljf
Hi Trev,
no worries - and the caterpillars are still very small, so maybe they'll look more like Lackey caterpillars in a week or so. I'll see if I can photograph one in a couple of weeks, presuming I can find em. p.s. Sorry Zonda - I've knocked your lovely Green Hairstreak shots off to the previous page!
Michael
Re: April 2011
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:38 am
by Trev Sawyer
Yep, it appears that Lackey moth larvae
do get the blue sides and head in later instars, so that would explain it. The colours were right for Buff Tip, but the stripes go the wrong way - That'll teach me to look a bit harder next time
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
.
Trev
Re: April 2011
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 2:45 pm
by Zonda
Michael:
Sorry Zonda - I've knocked your lovely Green Hairstreak shots off to the previous page!
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Michael
No sweat,,, onwards and upwards.
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Re: April 2011
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 4:06 pm
by Dave McCormick
17 years of living here, a knowing the butterfly life well and the numbers and find a new one for an area I have monitored for past 10 years (A long river bank with ancient oaks and ash trees near an ancient oak and beech woodland), saw 2 small heath there which was quite a good find as although they are still widespread in Northern Ireland, in many sites they are declining. Also saw 14 small tortoiseshell, 8 Orange-tip (2 male, 6 female) and 4 Peacocks. Wasn't out long due to still not being 100% well but good for the time I was out. 15C and sunny. Small heaths were moving too fast to chase with with my chest still being a little sore. Can't wait to be fit again and get out there.
Re: April 2011
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 5:48 pm
by Piers
Sorry to hear that you have experienced poor health of late Dave, I hope that you return to full steam soon.
Felix.