www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Nice to see your favourites of 2014. Super images, the Mountain Ringlet and Portland Silver-studded Blue dazzle. I used to go on holiday at Weymouth -Bowlease Cove as a boy, I never met the Lulworth Skipper there. I knew it occurs not far away at Burning Cliff, although on my visit a few years ago to that locality in July, I failed to see it, although a few were flying at Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove.

Peter.

Thanks for the great comments Wurzel, Goldie, David and Peter

Twos Company...

Going through my photos from this year it seems that I have again managed to take a few with 2 different species in one shot that I find interesting.

The first of these was a Comma and Peacock soaking up the spring sun back in April,
In fact Peacocks seemed to get in on the double act with some regularity as these shots show, taken in my garden of a couple of different pairs on the same day...
...and this one from around Solihull,
and again from Snitterfield Bushes near Stratford-upon-Avon...
...as was this Comma and SWF,
Other double acts taken during the season include the confused male Orange Tip below that spent some time hassling the female Green-veined White until she managed to make her escape,
The male Small Skipper and female Lulworth skipper below were seen at Lulworth Cove by the path up to Bindon Hill on the far side of the cove where there were loads of both species in early July, particularly far more Lulworth Skippers than up on the hill itself.
From a bit later up on Bindon Hill itself were this Marbled White and Small Heath settling down for the evening,
Back in Dorset in early September I took the following shot of a male Adonis Blue and female Brown Argus on Ballard Down,
None of these are particularly great photos in themselves but I find them interesting in that they capture moments in time during my season and as such remind me of the great days that I have had

Bye for now,

Neil

They're great shots, Neil. I particularly like the Orange Tip and GVW - there's such a lot going on and it shows off how colourful the spring female GVW is as well.

Dave

Nice idea. Interesting captures Peter.

I like this, Neil. I may go through my archives to find something similar, though none will beat Pete Eeles' Chequered Skipper/Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary double act.

Thanks again for the comments Dave, Peter and David

Two of a kind.

Another selection of photos from this season, with a similar theme of two butterflies in one shot but this time with both being the same species.

Pearl-bordered Fritillaries apparently had a good year in the Wyre Forest although when I went there in early May weather was a bit cloudy and drizzly. Even so I managed to see half a dozen or so and I believe that numbers built over the following few weeks.
Small Tortoiseshells started off well locally with good numbers coming out of hibernation and then later in the summer they appeared at most places that I went to although nowhere in quite the same numbers as in 2013.
Peacocks were another species that were around in very good numbers after coming out of hibernation in spring and again with loads around later in the summer.
Reds Admirals had a much better year this year after a poor showing in 2013 with increasing numbers as the season progressed.
During my week in Dorset in early July Marbled whites were everywhere, including this pair on Bindon Hill at Lulworth.
And finally, a couple of Purple Hairstreaks, both female I believe, from Bernwood Meadows when I stopped off there on my way back from Aston Rowant in late July.
Bye for now,

Neil.

Quite an achievement to get two Purple Hairstreaks into the viewfinder at the same time!

Respect!

HI Neil,
Posting so many shots of 'duets' might seem a little bit flash for some, but I have a name for the sort of person
who posts a shot of TWO Purple Hairstreaks in one image,it is of course unprintable here!.
Seriously though, very well done!.
TREVOR.

Fantastic series of shots Neil culminating in that amazing shot of 2 Purps Also is one of the Bowleaze Small Torts and aberrant as the usual yellow seems to have been replaced with white?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Love your Purple Hair Streaks Neil, all your photo's look great Goldie

Thanks for the comments David, Trevor, Wurzel and Goldie.

The Purple Hairstreaks were from a stop off at Bernwood Meadows on my way back from Aston Rowant as reported in this diary on page 56 and during which I was entertained by up to a dozen PHs performing, mostly between 8 to 10 feet above my head. The variable angle screen on my FZ150 was invaluable in getting the shots.

More photos in the previous report...if that isn't being too flash Trevor

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=5424&start=1100

Hi Wurzel, I see what you mean about the almost white markings on that Small Tortoiseshell. Your comment has prompted me to look back at my Small Tort photos from this season and it appears that there is a surprising amount of variation in this species, more than I for one was previously aware of. It seems that the yellow and black markings can both vary quite a bit as can the degree of orange/red in the ground colour and also the size of the blue crescents at the wing margins. I am not sure how much of the variation in colour is down to wear and fading and how much is genuine differences.

This has given me an excuse to post a series of Small Tortoiseshell photos that show some of this variety.

Small Tortoiseshells 2014

Following a good re-appearance of hibernators in the spring which I saw in good numbers around most of my local spots I continued to see Small Tortoiseshells almost continuously throughout the season with fresh summer examples appearing whilst there were still some ex-hibernators hanging on.

As mentioned above I have been looking back through my shots of this species and notice a fair amount of variation, some of which is undoubtedly age/wear related, but also some in fresher looking examples.

To start with a few 'normal' looking examples from throughout the year which still have slight differences with none of them being identical to each other,
A couple with very pale yellow, almost white markings,
A pale looking individual,
This one in which the yellow markings almost merge into the same shade as the orange ground colour,
And a final one that looks darker with larger black markings on the hindwings,
Having done a bit of reading up over the past couple of nights it appears that there are over 100 named aberrations of this species in the UK along with many more unclassified ones, so this is certainly a species that is far more variable than I realised despite it being one of our most familiar ones.

Bye for now,

Neil.

Fantastic series of Small Tortoiseshell photos. The incredible photo showing two Purple Hairstreak together show a male (top) and female (bottom).

Hi Neil

Just catching up with your diary.
Loving your 'twos' theme I particularly like your Peacock/Speckled Wood combination and the Small Tortoiseshell with Peacock in the background.
I am also envious of your other Small Tortoiseshell shots. Your pic from Langley Hall Park 11/7 is particularly vibrant

Hi Jamie, thanks for the confirmation of the sex of the Purple Hairstreaks , I wasn't too sure myself.

Thanks Jack, the Small Tortoiseshell with the out of focus Peacock in the background is a particular favourite of mine

Cheers,

Neil.

With lots of stuff going on during the run up to Christmas, time has been a bit limited lately but with Jane glued to Emmerdale and double ‘Corrie’ on the tele tonight I have a bit of time to myself and so here is another ‘looking back’ post.

Standing back a bit

Anyone who has read my diary over a period of time will probably have noticed that I will happily post butterfly photos in all sorts of styles depending on the species and circumstances they were taken in, from record shots with grass all over the places to what I sometimes refer to as ‘studio’ type shots with the butterfly isolated against a plain background. My own personal favourites are often those that show the butterfly in some sort of context or manage to capture the character of the species.

This year, in some other members diaries, most notably Williams as well as Guy Padfields, I have seen some photos taken from some distance back from the butterfly and in which the butterfly has been a small subject against a background showing the habitat and which for me capture both the context and character in a way that I particularly like.
With some of these photos in mind I made some attempts during the season to try and capture something similar and whilst not really succeeding to the same degree, I managed some shots that I quite liked. Some of these have already been posted in this diary throughout the season but looking through them again has brought back some great memories so I thought I would post a few here in one place.

The first couple are of the same Glanville Fritillary at Wheelers Bay on the Isle of Wight, taken from slightly different angles,
On the way back from the IOW we had a short stop off in the New Forest where I saw half a dozen or do Pearl-bordered Fritillaries,
Back home the first brood Small Coppers were showing up at my local spots,
Then I was heading North for a few days at Arnside during which I had a trip a bit further up to Irton Fell for my first ever Mountain Ringlets,
Another first for me was Northern Brown Argus, of which I saw plenty of the salmacis race at a number of sites around the Arnside area...
...along with good numbers of Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries,
The end of June saw me back down South again for a weeks family holiday at Bowleaze Cove by Weymouth where Marbled Whites were plentiful in nearly every meadow,
Towards the end of July the second brood Small Coppers were out and about at my local spots,
Early September and I am back in Dorset again for another family holiday during which I saw Adonis Blues at a number of sites, most notably by white Horse Hill at Osmington where I took the shot below of a male basking in the early evening sun just before he closed his wings for the night.
Also seen during this week were a number of Hummingbird Hawk Moths including this one seen on the clumps of valerian growing out of the wall by the stream that flows down through the village at Lulworth Cove,
Not knowing when I will be on here again during the next few days, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Neil.

Really like this latest set of pictures particularly the Glanvilles, single Marbled White and Adonis. They really stand out against the background.

These are the types of images that I derive most pleasure from seeing.

A bit of background 'information' lends real atmosphere and you have captured this very well in those photos you have posted.

Best wishes for the festive period and more of the same in 2015!!

Some great stuff here Neil, I really like your Mountain Ringlet photo and 2 Purple Hairstreaks in one shot! I'd be really happy with just 1 myself.

Merry Christmas to you.

B'saurus

A fantastic set of photos Neil, something I might have a try at next year

Have a goodun (Christmas and New Year that is!)

Wurzel

Great posts, Neil, for all the reasons that have already been mentioned. I think that seeing the recovery of the Small Tortoiseshell, as so aptly demonstrated in your diary, is a real highlight.

Cheers,

- Pete