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It is brilliant to find Large Tortoiseshells flying with the other hibernators in our garden, Dave. I thought there was a possibility of this happening, but that it might have been a bit of a long shot, but it turned out that it wasn't as my next post will show The Camberwell Beauty might be a bit ambitious, but i've got Wurzel's influence to manifest me one

A real pleasure, David, and something I didn't really expect to happen. I've seen your Commas and other hibernators, you've seen good numbers this year. Its already looking to be a much better spring this year, lets hope the rest of the season is equally as good. Hope you get to see a LT on one of your trips in the summer.


I was walking around our garden with my camera yesterday, when I spotted a blue butterfly in flight. I followed it until it landed in the meadow area and revealed itself to be a male Holly Blue, the first of the year for me. I only managed a record shot as it was obscured by grass stems, before it was disturbed by a bee and flew off and out of sight, but not before revealing how fresh it was.
As it was a lovely warm early spring day we decided to eat our lunch outside. As I was getting the chairs out I spotted another Holly Blue fluttering around near the hedge. I made my way over and watched it settle on a leaf and wondered if it was the same butterfly I had seen earlier. Those thoughts were quickly dispelled as the butterfly slowly opened its wings to reveal a beautiful female Holly Blue. Seeing how fresh she was meant that she had probably not long emerged.


As we were finishing our lunch a large dark butterfly glided over our heads and headed for the same hedge where the Holly Blue had been. As we made our way over the butterfly settled on a bay leaf and opened its wings, and there to our amazement was a Large Tortoiseshell sunning itself in the shelter of the hedge. I had my camera with me so quickly took some shots, it was jumpy to start with but soon settled down. It spent ten minutes there allowing us superb views of its splendor, sometimes wings open and sometimes wings shut. Cathy was able to edge closer and get some shots on her mobile it was that easy going. After ten minutes it suddenly took flight soaring high before disappearing from our view.


Checking the photos later it was a different individual to the one I had seen a few days earlier.

What can one say but WOW!, and beautiful shots this time too.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of my LT sighting, but I was not able to get close.

Great stuff Mike ! ,

Trevor.

Ooooph, that's a good looking butterfly... and the Large Tortoiseshell is non to shabby either

Eagerly awaiting the first Holly Blues here - and you go and show that lovely French female... and another rather splendid Large Tortoiseshell too, just casually popping into your garden.

Dave

Cracking shots Mike That Holly Blue is fresh out of the box and the LT is none too shabby either As for the Camberwell...I'll see what I can come up wth

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Yes, Trevor, the first LT landed in a really awkward place, making shots difficult. This time there was no such problem and he posed for ten minutes Hope you find a more docile LT this year.

Cheers, bugboy, not too shabby for sure, having them find you sure beats tramping around soggy North Stoke

Sorry about the Holly Blue, Dave, hope you catch up with one soon Having Large Tortoiseshells and Swallowtails visit your garden is one of the good parts of living in France

Thanks, Wurzel, I have a good feeling about the Camberwell



Today the first Speckled Woods of the season appeared in our garden, nice dusky individuals too.


And a Peacock on one of the few nectar sources available.

Lovely to see the Specklies again Maximus Those ones look a lot like ours with perhaps a hint more orange in the creamy panels

Have a goodun

Wurzel

That Large Tortoiseshell is a beauty, Mike. Mind you, the female Holly Blue is fresh as a daisy too.

Thanks, Wurzel and David.


Some from the weekend, with a couple of firsts for the year.


Several Commas also seen. Although it was sunny butterflies spent much of their time immobile, due to the cold north easterly breeze.

That might be it for a while looking at this weeks weather forecast!

Aside from the Large Tortoiseshell, Mike (another while I'm here...), things look pretty well on a par with us back in Southern England, including the weather - which seems to be headed downhill rapidly. That's a nice orange Speckled Wood, and a great Orange Tip too. Looking at the white one, the size of the black markings showing through make it more like a Large than a Small - to me at any rate!

Cheers,

Dave

Thanks, Dave, for the extra mr green for the LT. I agree with you about the state of things so far, and the weather here, are definitely much the same as in the southern UK.
Thanks also for pointing out that should have said 'my first LARGE white of the year'

Mike.

ore lovely photos Maximus, I especially like the Brimstone - I love it when they get backlit like that Looks like winter is resurfacing over here, I hope you're faring better weather wise over there

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Great to know you've had Orange Tips over there, Mike. They've been strangely reluctant to emerge over here, with precious few sightings from any part of the country. With a few days of colder weather to come, it might be several days yet before they get going in earnest.

Thanks, Wurzel, glad you liked the backlit Brimstone It was back to winter here too

Up to this point we'd only seen the two male Orange-tips, David, so very similar to things in the UK.


After seeing a couple of male Orange-tips in late March, at the beginning of April the weather turned. We had night frosts with a minimum temperature on one night of minus six and a snow blizzard the next day. Needless to say, no butterflies were seen during this period, and the cold killed the peach and apricot blossom which had bloomed earlier due to the warm couple of weeks in March. Things began to improve butterfly wise after 10th April, and the run up to the Easter weekend saw much improved weather, with male Orange-tips, and other butterflies beginning to appear more regularly.


We also had a Swallowtail flying along our choisya hedge on Easter monday, but not settling.

Fantastic shots Maximus That second OT has really heavily marked wing-tips - like someones blocked the colour in with a marker rather than a piece of charcoal like the others

Have a goodun

Wurzel

That's a particularly striking male Orange Tip in your second image, Mike. Nice variety of other species too, especially the female Holly Blue.

I hope you derived as much satisfaction with your pristine female Holly Blue
as I did with mine Mike. Also your Speckled Woods look like the ' French version ',
though the one's I saw in the Cevennes were even darker.

Stay well,
Trevor.

That OT's wing tips did appear to be quite dark, Wurzel, which drew my attention to it.

OT's do have some variation, David, that one did stand out from the crowd. The female Holly Blue was probably the most obliging i've yet encountered.

I certainly did, Trevor, yours was a real stunner too. The second brood Speckled Woods here do seem to be darker than those of the first brood, particularly the females.



21st April


Today I spotted our first Map (Araschnia levana) butterfly of the year. Looks like a female so will be checking the netteles for eggs.

Lovely shots of the Map, Mike - I have only seen the 2nd brood although I did photograph one egg-laying. Quite envious of your Large Tortoiseshell too - great image Looking forward to seeing what else you post.

A definite for the Map, Mike. Every year I hope they'll have a go at colonising southern England...

Cheers,

Dave