www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Great shots of that purple Hairstreak Trevor, but you'll have to wait a week or two to find out why I don't feel the need for any Mr greens....

Superb, Trevor. That second one is particularly enviable.

Many thanks everyone.
If it had been a Camberwell Beauty, much larger, more magnificent and certainly a lot rarer,
I don't think the sense of excitement would have been greater than seeing a displaying Purple Hairstreak
in the camera view finder.

If you are going to eclipse my PH, Bugboy, I can only surmise that you are going to use a drone, or hire a cherry picker.

Anyway here is another image of that PH for me to drool over .

I have been looking for PH in Hungary and at home. But I can only hope to be as lucky as you Trevor - lovely images. Will Doug come and spot for me?

Doug certainly came up trumps yesterday, Peter. He has images of two Purple Hairstreaks
taken no more than 15 mins. apart !. I later found one with some wing damage, which didn't hang around.
Neil Hulme also found a male yesterday, there is a stunning image of it in his diary.

Superb images from Hungary,
Trevor.

This morning I drove over to Birling Gap early, before the forecast rain set in.
The extensive grassland around there is excellent for Marbled Whites.
Quite a few were flying despite the strong breeze and lack of sun. They proved
difficult to approach, but a lovely fresh female allowed some close up shots.
Many Burnet Moths were also present, including one freshly emerged.

Trevor.

Splendid Purple Hairstreak, Trevor. Definite for you there, especially as I missed one last week at Chiddingfold...

Dave

A vital piece of self education took place at East Blean , Kent, on Monday.
Noting what a Purple Hairstreak looks like in flight at a low level, as opposed to high up in an Oak.
If I have seen them in the past, I've probably dismissed them as day flying Moths.
This morning I went over to Abbots wood hoping to find some more low level Purple Hairstreaks.
In all I found two, the first one flew diagonally past me, and I saw exactly where it landed.
Despite a thorough search, it took many seconds to locate it, as this female PH was partially
hidden in Blackthorn thicket, the only shot I could obtain was with the Butterfly partially
obscured by leaves.
The second PH was much more straight forward ,as it flew onto a leaf above my head.
The resulting shots were only possible using maximum zoom.

Trevor.

You're having a real 'Purple Patch' at the moment Trevor

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi Trevor,

Some cracking Purple Hairstreaks recently there you go...a few Mr Greens for you.

Cheers,

Neil.

Many thanks for all your mrgreens Wurzel & Neil,

It would seem that the Purple Hairstreak is having an exceptional year, many people
are posting images of them at a low level, usually a very rare sight.

Despite the cloud and intermittent drizzle, some species responded to the warmth today.
Among those seen today was a very fresh Green Veined White with a buttery yellow underside,
and some Meadow Browns posed for once.
After Abbots wood I drove over to Brighton, for the White Letter Hairstreak. On the way I hit a
monumental rain storm, such was the deluge I nearly pulled over until it passed, but the wipers
just about kept up. On arrival in Brighton a calmer scene welcomed me, but the sun refused
to shine and everything was damp. Just one WLH was seen along with a very fresh Ringlet.

From the looks of things Hairstreaks in general seem to be having a good year Trevor - great shots of the Whitters

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Doug. and myself had a fabulous time today at Chiddingfold forest. More on the Emperors in my next posting.
The day started cloudy with a keen breeze, and a temperature of 16c. Distant blue sky and thinner cloud
gave cause for optimism. As usual, at the early hour of our arrival, things were slow to get going, only the
Ringlets were active.
As the sun warmed, the Silver Washed Fritillaries and White Admirals began to nectar, mainly on Bramble Blossom.
Unusually both allowed close approach. Several Marbled Whites were seen nectaring on Thistle, as were some Large Skippers.
By late morning the place was a hive of Butterfly activity, confirming Chiddingfold to be my favourite Butterfly location.

A fabulous day, with more to come.
Trevor.

You're right about Chiddingfold, Trevor: it can be a wonderful place at any time of year, any time of day. Great shots, but the female SWF especially.

Dave

Many thanks Dave, but the best is yet to come.

SAVING THE BEST TILL LAST !.

Of course the main reason for our visit to Chiddingfold forest was for the Purple Emperor.
Despite a few close flypasts and much treetop action, it became obvious that the grounding
period was coming to a close. Just one male was seen searching for minerals by another party.
The first Emperor today was spotted flying high around various trees, eventually landing in a Sallow,
posing in the classic ' Oak edging ' posture.

After lunchtime it was agreed that the best was over, so we headed for the car.
We had not got very far when an Emperor, flying very fast, flew straight past us.
As we turned around we could see this Butterfly zig- zagging along the ride, and heading
back towards us. After several false landings, and more rapid flying, it landed close by.
We approached the Emperor with extreme caution, as it was clearly restless.
As we took our photo's it became clear that no purple could be seen.
We were in fact looking at my first grounded Empress !

Many thanks to Mark Colvin for the confirmation.

Wonderful shots of the Empress Trevor. I've only ever seen 2 down (both at the Straits) - and one was on a dead deer!!!!!

Congratulations on your empress Trevor

Superb Empress, Trevor

Fantastic stuff Trevor I would have given you a third but I actually saw my yearly Emperor at Bentley today

Have a goodun

Wurzel