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Wonderful Autumn selection, Dave. Never seen a Holly Blue this late.
Just recently I've had to pinch myself as a reminder that it is in fact October.

All the best,
Trevor.

Nothing here like that Dave, every Butterfly seems to have disappeared now, I love your Holly Blue on the the Berries, fantastic, Goldie

Really quite envious of your shots Dave - I just haven't been able to get out during this part of the season Still good news about the Holly Blue, I thought that you had some trade secret, whereas I just need to wait even linger than I do already

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks, Trevor. There really have been a lot of Red Admirals this month, and the Holly Blues have been the icing on the cake. I do envy you your Clouded Yellows, though...

Thanks, Goldie - I really like the Holly Blue on the Holly berries, too. I think I might try it as a Christmas Card if the image quality is enough.

Thanks Wurzel - it is tricky getting out at this time of year, because the afternoons are so short. After work is impossible, so dashing out for an odd hour at weekends is all there is. Luckily all the last set of photos were taken only a few hundred metres from home.

I was in Yorkshire over the last few days - a half-term visit to my sister. Distinctly cooler up there, and the sun was a bit hazy when it appeared, though it didn't rain. Nasturtiums were still rampant in the garden, but there were no longer any caterpillars. However, the porch had a sprinkling of Large White chrysalids, and about an equal number of clusters of yellow cocoons of the common parasite. They appeared to have hatched. It wasn't until this morning (25th) that the weather improved a bit. After a very chilly night, the sun was strong and a sheltered patch of ivy warmed up quite a bit. A Red Admiral appeared and spent several hours there (at least until we set off for home). It spent some time basking on various shrubs in between nectaring and soaring about in the sun. Very briefly, it was joined by a Small Tortoiseshell - a very late date for these in my experience. Dave

Monday 31st October: Interestingly, the last two Hallowe'ens have been beautiful sunny days, and I remember 2014 especially for being really warm and surprisingly full of butterflies. Today was not quite as warm as that year, but there was lots of sunshine. I managed to escape the office at around two, and headed soon after onto my local patch, which I haven't had a look at for a fortnight. The ivy is well on the way to going over now, but I was quite surprised that I didn't see a single Red Admiral. Walking along the path between the River Colne and Hithermoor Lake, I disturbed a Speckled Wood from the ground. It was a pale wraith of a butterfly, and fluttered shakily up into a willow where it basked beyond camera range. As I gazed up at it, another butterfly crossed my field of view - a Holly Blue, which continued even higher at the tops of the willows and ash trees. Two butterflies, two species and no photos. A mixed return so far. Further on, there is a very late-flowering buddleia, rather inaccessibly placed by the roadside. Happily nectaring here was a Comma. After a couple of distant shots, it moved to bask on some bare branches, but another long shot was still all I came away with.
With the sun fast going down (what a nuisance the clock change is when you are tied to office hours!), I headed back along the road as a few sunlit ivy clumps might be worth a look. (At this point, Wurzel, you should probably look away as you can probably guess what's coming...) I crossed the road to look at a promising patch and there sure enough was a Holly Blue. It was initially in the shade, and its behaviour quickly gave away the fact that it was a female. It appeared to be laying on the ivy - it had managed to find a few remaining flower buds. A passing white van then disturbed it, but it returned to a sunnier spot and opened up. It basked a great deal, before once again disappearing into the foliage presumably to seek out another spot for an egg. When the weather is warmer, such basking interludes are quite infrequent, but today, the late afternoon autumn sun required much longer warm-ups, and wider opening of the wings. I have to say that if this is the last butterfly encounter I have this year, I very happy with it! Dave

Amazing Hallowe'en sighting, Dave. I know there's been a third brood in some parts but to see one ovipositing on the cusp of November is remarkable. Weak sun is perfect for these butterflies to open their wings and this one's really obliged.

Nice to pick up a couple of other species as well with the Comma and Speckled Wood.

We should have swapped locations today, as I have seen the odd Clouded Yellow recently,
but that Holly Blue, at this time of year, is remarkable !. Open wing too .
Wish I had been there !.

All the best,
Trevor.

Impressive stuff with those Holly Blues although I fear her youngsters may perish long before they reach the hibernation stage

Cracking stuff Dave but you warning needed to come earlier in the post An egglaying Holly Blue this late is certainly a notable sighting.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thank you all for the kind comments. very much appreciated.

Hallowe'en (and its balmy late afternoon sunshine) seems a world away now, with much scraping of ice from the car yesterday morning followed by a grey day of rain. The Holly Blue was exceptional, and a brilliant end to the season here.

The edition of Butterfly that came through the letterbox today had results of the summer's Big Butterfly Count, which showed a big decrease in Holly Blue numbers (48%). I would say that did not reflect the picture in my small part of the world, with the decrease here much smaller - something I would have ascribed to the regular fluctuations caused by its known parasite. We'll see what happens in 2017.

Dave

millerd wrote:Hallowe'en (and its balmy late afternoon sunshine) seems a world away now, with much scraping of ice from the car yesterday morning followed by a grey day of rain.

Doesn't it just! Only a week and a half since but it seems like an eternity. Still, these frosts might not be a bad thing. We've had precious few during the last 3 winters so with any luck we'll get a decent cold snap this time round which might help all butterflies (not just Holly Blues) to recover from what has been a disastrous 2016.

Sunday 13th November: I had spent the weekend in Taunton for a school reunion, and set off for home today around 1100. The sun was shining and the car was convinced the temperature was up to around 13 degrees. On an impulse I made a major detour down to the coast, aiming for Southbourne, near Bournemouth. (Apologies for passing Salisbury with telling you, Wurzel! This really was an last-minute decision... )

I arrived not long after one o'clock, and found that there were quite a few people down there - even children playing on the beach - and some quite warm sunshine to enjoy. The undercliff still sported good numbers of flowers, mostly pale purple sea asters, but others as well. I wandered along a good way in the Boscombe direction and then back again, searching in vain for a Clouded Yellow. However, I managed to track down first a Small Tortoiseshell (which was too far away up the slope to photograph) and then a Red Admiral - which wasn't (though at the limit of the zoom so not really very sharp).

Ah well, not quite what I'd hoped for, but a result nonetheless. Dave

Lovely scenery and nice you found a Butterfly Dave, your doing well down there, it's much different up here.
Goldie

No worries Dave Sorry that you didn't connect with your target but any butterflies in November are welcome ones

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks, Goldie - I think the season must be over locally for me now - it was minus 6 here yesterday morning and minus 4 today. That Sunday by the seaside seems more than 18 days ago...

Thanks, Wurzel. As we discussed at the Social, you should pop down to Southbourne at some future point - really not far from Salisbury down the A338. Worth it for late season fliers if nothing else, with added ice-cream if required for bribes.

Dave

Actually, Wurzel, pop down now - a Clouded Yellow was seen there on 30th November...

Dave

Unfortunately I missed the opportunity - I got as far as the Waldorf Winter Fayre at Ringwood - maybe an early trip in February - it would be great to get a Cloudy as my first butterfly of the year

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Sunday 11th December: Enjoying a bit of a lie-in on a lovely sunny morning, I was forced from my bed by the unexpected appearance of a Small Tortoiseshell fluttering around the room and then making for the window behind my head. The camera wasn't far away and I managed this shot, unfortunately almost straight into the sun. The butterfly was very energetic, and with it actually not particularly cold outside, I decided its best chances were if I released it as soon as I could. It calmed down while being transported and I managed another shot just before it flew off into the open air. Goodness knows where it had hidden, or why it had not been woken on any earlier sunny days.

At the end of the day there was a vivid orange sunset and a rising nearly full moon, both of which I had a go at capturing on camera. I was actually out there waiting to try and snap a departing aeroplane on which a friend was travelling (as part of the record of her forthcoming holiday), but the plane was delayed by half an hour and it too dark by then to get anything other than a blur. The impressive sky while waiting was a bonus. Dave

I've had the odd Butterfly visit me in the garden, but never in bed !.
Lovely sunset and Moon shot too.

Best wishes,
Trevor.

You say 'unfortunately straight into the sun' but I reckon 'fortunately' as it produced a cracking stained glass shot Dave The only butterflies I've seen recently are in my imagination Oh well only 3-4 months to go.

Have a goodun

Wurzel