www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Trevor kindly showed me round the cuckoo trail today in mixed weather. It was wonderful to see the large selection of spring butterflies including Holly Blues, Speckled Woods, Small and Green-veined Whites and thanks to Trevors spotting an orange-tip - thank you Trevor!

Great shots, especially the first one.
I'm pleased you didn't go home empty handed, and got what you came for.

Thanks for an enjoyable day.

Lovely Hollies and Orange Tips, Katrina - the very best of the early spring butterflies. Trevor has a good little spot there - you were privileged to get the VIP tour by the look of it!

Cheers,

Dave

Joyous stuff, Katrina.

I love this time of year when the Whites and Orange Tips arrive to join the adult hibernators.

Thanks Trevor , Dave and David. It certainly is a good time of year.

Trevor kindly invited me back so I could see the Cuckoo trail on a sunnier day. We saw OTs male and female, Speckled Woods, Small White, GVW, Large White, Red Admirals, Brimstone, Hollies and a Comma. My target was open winged OT which I got.
I was keen to try for an early GH so Trevor kindly showed me Horseshoe Plantation but we were too early with no butterflies seen there. We didn't linger and went back where we found an obliging OT.

Thank you again Trevor.

Cracking set of images Katrina, love the Holly Blues although my favourite has to be 'Host and the star...' The Cuckoo Trail certainly has one of those names that suggest great things and certainly seems to live up to the hype

Have a goodun

Wurzel

You really exploited that last OT to the max! Lovely shots.
Hope to see you at other sites as the season progresses, thanks for a great day.

Wurzel wrote: ↑Sat Apr 13, 2024 6:31 pm Cracking set of images Katrina, love the Holly Blues although my favourite has to be 'Host and the star...' The Cuckoo Trail certainly has one of those names that suggest great things and certainly seems to live up to the hype

Thanks Wurzel fabulous place but no Cuckoo flower (at least where we were)
I think, but with no certainty, it was on three-cornered leek.

Bonus photo of female OT from yesterday
Interaction shot very blurry but I like the way the female looks like a flower

Don't fret about that last image, Katrina. I'm impressed by how the others all posed so well for you!

That's a wonderful shot of the female OT. Is that the same one in my shot ?
You obtained a better angle too. Great wing detail.

Worth the trip !

Hi Trevor , suspect same butterfly as yours but not sure.

Yesterday I went to Abbots Wood to see the bluebells.
It was mainly grey with an occasional sunny spell.
Only one Peacock seen in terms of butterflies but plenty of speckled yellow moths.
The floral display was spectacular with bluebells, wood-sorrel and yellow archangel seen. Plenty of loud bird song too.

Beautiful shot of Abbots Wood. I could almost hear the Nightingales !

Thanks Trevor - I think I did hear the nightingales. I can almost also hear the squelching of mud

I went to Kithurst this morning after seeing reports that the Dukes were out. Mainly cloudy with occasional patches of sun
I saw 2 or 3 Dukes, one Grizzled Skipper and one Brimstone.
Thank to the gentleman who pointed out the lizards

That's a lovely dusky fresh Duke, Katrina, and I love the two lizards apparently plotting something...

Cheers,

Dave

A for finding the Dukes and the Grizzlie, and another for the superb shots.
A third as I haven't seen either species yet.

Yes, you definitely interrupted those lizards in some form of plotting. Perhaps the conspiracy theorists are correct and we are ruled by Lizard People!