www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

She's a beauty

Thanks Susie, i thought she was to, she was also heavily pregnant, which made her even more beautiful.

The black Adder is most interesting because some 10 years ago I disturbed a nest of black Adders just south-west of Chiddingfold, I have never seen them since. I wonder if the colouration is local. I suppose three miles as a snake slithers?

Hi John,

I have seen a lot of Adders in my time, and quite a few in C.W. I also went to boarding school just a few miles south-west of C.W where we had lots of Adders.
We used to catch them to show the younger pupils the difference between an Adder and a Grass-Snake as both were in abundance within the school grounds and the surrounding area. And as i said in my post thats the first black Adder i have seen, so if the colouration is local i would`nt like to hazard a guess, but it is a rare occurrance, and anyone seeing a black Adder is very fortuitous to say the least.

Chiddingfold Wood, 12 May 2012

Sorry but someone had to ask this...

Did your Blackadder have a hapless, halfwit for a companion/menial?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Well it certainly was`nt the fellow behind the camera taking the photo, or was it. Fancy getting that close to an Adder just for a picture.

You have to have a cunning plan to get that close to a black adder.

hideandseek wrote:Well it certainly was`nt the fellow behind the camera taking the photo, or was it. Fancy getting that close to an Adder just for a picture.

Or just no sense.

Chiddingfold Wood, 13 May 2012This shot was taken with the light behind the subject.

Chiddingfold Wood, 13 May 2012

Chiddingfold Wood, 14 May 2012

I had taken the day off work to go and photograph butterflies, which i thought was a big mistake as the weather was really poor. Instead of sitting at home twiddling my thumbs i popped over to Chiddingfold Wood, by the time i got there the rain had started to fall, albeit only lightly. So after an hour or so without finding a single butterfly roosting in the undergrowth i decided to look in the edges of the woods, and after about 20 min. of searching i found this little fellow.So as it turned out, a trip that ended with a smile.

What a lovely picture

hideandseek wrote: by the time i got there the rain had started to fall

That's a superb Wood White photo. I think the soft light has helped a lot - much better than sun for photography, especially of white butterflies!!!

Mike

Hi DMS and Mike,
Thankyou both for your very kind comments on my W.W. photo, i`m glad you both liked it.
Mike your quite right about the weather/light conditions being perfect for photographing white butterflies when its cloudy.

Thanks again to you both,

Nick.

Chiddingfold Wood.19 May 2012

Chiddingfold Wood, 19.May 2012This photo was taken on a gloomy afternoon, but it brought a ray of sunshine to my face.

Chiddingfold Wood, 19 May 2012

Lacewings are a common insect and are easy to recognise by their transparent lace like wings, which are nearly twice as long as the abdomen. There are several British species, which are often divided by colour, into green [14 species] and brown [29 species] forms, and can be found in your gardens and around the British countryside.
They court by tremulation, a low frequency sound produced by vibrating their abdomens. Both sexes will take turns in doing this, this duet is an essential prerequisite for mating. Their larva are consumers of Aphids and insect eggs, which makes them very much garden friendly.I believe this species to be Chrysopa Perla.
A couple of butterflies also seen and photographed today,

Chiddingfold Wood, 19 May 2012, [continued]

I also met Philzoid and his daughter Izabella whilst i was photographing a small green spider, which Izabella was very enthusiastic about, nice to see the younger generation taking an interest in nature. Phil has suggested that i might post a picture for ID, so i will.I believe this to be a Cucumber Spider, Araniella Cucurbitina, which has a red spot just above the spinners to the back of the abdomen, which can only be seen from underneath the spider. The females grow up to 8mm, the males only 5mm. It is mainly found in woodland clearings, scrub and hedgerows between May and September throughout the UK.

What a interesting spider. I agree that it is great to see the littleones taking an interest.

Chiddingfold Wood 20 May 2012

Todays weather forecast was predicted as overcast and cold for the whole day. So i set off in search of any roosting butterflies at Chiddingfold Wood, ie Dingy and grizzled Skippers, but especially Wood Whites. I new the task i had set myself was not going to be easy, but there is no point sitting at home getting under the good wife`s feet. I spent six hours there in a really peaceful setting, laying down at one point with my head on my racksack listening to the Nightingales singing away, their sweet melody sending me into dreamland on more than one occasion, pure bliss. But i did manage to find three Wood Whites and on my way back to the car a Grizzled Skipper. Also earlier in the day i found an unknown spiders egg sac, it was so beautifully made, nature is so majestic.All in all, even though i did`nt see much on this outing, falling asleep to the song of the Nightingale i felt at one with nature. Can you wish for anything more?