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Hi Trevor, looking forward to hearing more about France as I might have been on that one! Sounds like you were not best pleased with the trip, but I'll let you give us a few more instalments. Nice large wall, and mud puddling skippers. I'm amazed there wasn't some dung in the picture too!

Congrats on the hairstreaks too.

HI Peter,
Draughty, misty and drizzly mountains took up almost the equivalent of a day ( two sites ).
and with only seven days in which to see Butterflies, this was time wasted.
We did visit some fantastic areas, and the hotel was top notch, as was their cuisine ( better than last year )
and that was good.
Hope you enjoy the forthcoming Scarce Coppers, when I've sorted through the memory cards.

All the best,
Trevor.

In a visit of just under four hours, I managed to photograph an incredible 18 male
Brown Hairstreaks at the Knepp Estate today, in late morning/early afternoon .
All were nectaring on Creeping Thistle, some later flew onto foliage and opened up a little.
The main reason for my visit was to try for an open wing male, in this I was only partially successful.
Part way through my visit I met Dave Cook and Rolf Farrell, they both had seen plenty of male BHS activity.
Other species seen were plenty of Hedge Browns, Meadow Browns, several Commas and two near death
White letter Hairstreaks.

Trevor.

Going to Bookham tomorrow to hopefully join in with the party

Many thanks Paul, I hope I can return some of those mrgreens after your Bookham trip.

More from me, Trevor. Great shots of those Brown Hairstreaks. Saturday looks distinctly iffy weatherwise, so I may have to look on Sunday...

Dave

Many thanks, Dave. Hope you have success in finding some Brown Hairstreaks.

The SCARCE COPPER. 8th July 2017.
On the first day of our visit to the French Pyrenees we stopped by an ancient stone bridge
with a very fast flowing stream running beneath. My attention was soon drawn to a very bright,
small Butterfly on the other side of the road.
Closer inspection revealed that there was a small colony of very fresh, bright orange, Scarce Coppers,
busy nectaring on Astrantia, a form of which can be found in English gardens.
Indeed in other locations where Astrantia was growing, Scarce Coppers wouldn't be far away.
Anyone seeing the male Scarce Copper for the first time could be forgiven for not realising it was
a member of the Copper family ( unless the underside was seen ). But the female has all the
characteristics of the Copper family.
It would be true to say that the male does for orange what the Adonis does for blue, with a sheen of
yellowy bronze, whereas the Adonis can deliver an ' electric blue ' sheen.

I hope you enjoy the images of this stunning little Butterfly.
Trevor.

Excellent pictures Trevor. It is a delightful butterfly and it looks like you were seeing them in perfect condition. Did you see them alongside Large Coppers? I totally agree about the colour - but it is amazing that they can also disappear! It is another one of those butterflies which lift my emotions. keep them coming. I am enjoying your trip...

Scarce Coppers Brostreaks Hopefully they'll start emerging over this way soon Absolutely cracking shots

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I'm very pleased that you enjoyed the Scarce Coppers, Peter & Wurzel.
As for the male Brown Hairstreaks, before last Monday ( 17th ) I had never Knowingly seen one,
but by the end of the week I had seen twenty two.
Checking the Sussex BC sightings page last night, it looks as though we may be in for another extended season.
Clouded Yellows are being reported in increasing numbers, and a female Long Tailed Blue was photographed
in a Hassocks garden, on a Pea plant.

This fantastic year continues to surprise.
Trevor.

trevor wrote: This fantastic year continues to surprise.
Trevor.

It must be lovely down in the South.. Would you like some of our cold or rain?

Hi Trevor. Just catching up on posts I missed while I was away - I have been on data roaming for much of the last couple of weeks.

The Pyrenees are like the Alps, in that they are fantastic when the sun shines but can turn very bleak and write off days and days of butterflying when they choose. I think you were lucky to get 5 out of 7 days' worth of sun. The last time I camped in the Spanish Pyrenees it rained torrentially and continuously, so I ended up taking day trips by bus down to the foothills in Arragón - serendipitously discovering the furry blue/anomalous blue site I visited again the week before last. Every cloud has a silver lining (providing you're independent, and not tied to someone else's agenda)...

Your pictures of scarce copper capture perfecly the fiery satin sheen of the species. I'd be interested to see more of what you saw - and to know your diagnosis of the Pyrgus skippers puddling with the marbled skippers and turquoise blue.

Guy

Seems like Scarce Coppers have had a good year in France, Trevor. Like you, I saw significant numbers, to the point where we re-named them ‘Plentiful Copper’. You never get tired of them though; they truly are beautiful insects.

Hi Trevor,

Some great male Brown Hairstreak images, I particularly like the first one with the two tone green and beige background

Those male Scarce Coppers are stunning insects, I must admit that that is one butterfly that might tempt me over the channel one day.

Cheers,

Neil.

Neil Freeman wrote:Those male Scarce Coppers are stunning insects, I must admit that that is one butterfly that might tempt me over the channel one day.

Make it soon, Neil. You won't regret it!

Many thanks Guy, David, Peter & Neil.

The Scarce Copper was one of the real highlights of the holiday, nothing could prepare one
for the sheer brilliance of the orange on the male. Unfortunately my camera did not capture
the bright sheen that could be seen with the naked eye. That was something else !.

There is more to come, Guy, maybe I'll save some for the quiet Winter months.

Wishing you all well,
Trevor.

It occurred to me last evening that I had neglected the 2nd brood Wall Brown.
I didn't fancy the long slog up to Windover hill, so High and Over was chosen. My first Wall sighting
was by one of the wooden seats, which overlooks the very scenic valley, but this male was too busy
seeing off anything with wings that went near it.
When I reached the well known ( to those seeking Wall Browns ) steps, there were seven males on
the steps, both basking and using the bare earth as a launch pad for squabbles.
In all about twenty males were seen, and two females, which were too far away for my camera.

In one of the nearby meadows my first Chalkhill Blues of the season were found, including a mating pair.
This area was also home to many Common Blues, and a couple more Wall Browns.

Trevor.

I know those steps, Trevor - a guaranteed Wall Brown haunt. By the look of those individuals, they must be well into the second brood, so a third brood there looks very much on the cards.

Dave

In a corner of the yard, opposite my little workshop, at Halnaker is a small
immature Buddleia bush. Every time I went over to the main building it was obvious
that this bush was proving attractive to several species, and all were in pristine condition.
Fortunately my camera was in the car, and despite the wind some shots were obtained.
Species seen on the flower spikes were Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Large White and
a Painted Lady. A few of the visitors chose to bask on the stony surface of the yard after
visiting the Buddleia.

When I am at home I usually leave my patio door open slightly so the Cat can come and go at will.
But late last night a surprise visitor came in. A large flying creature crashed into my table lamp, my
first thought was that a Bat had flown in, such was the sound of the collision.
I was completely surprised to discover that it was in fact a huge Moth , It spent some minutes
flying erratically around the room, eventually settling on a piece of wood. It was now possible to identify
my visitor, an Oak Eggar Moth. The sheer size of this Moth took me by complete surprise.