www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Thanks Dave he certainly looked fresh.
Thanks Trevor, I am sure you saw the report of about five dukes when it was sunnier so you should go and fill your boots. They weren’t that hard to find when the sun came out but a fair bit of waiting for that

Paul, there was a third bigger lizard on the next post so a bit of a lizard congregation

If the weather behaves I might call in at Kithurst on my way to Halnaker on Saturday.

Brilliant Grizzlie shot Katrina, I love the chequering on their fringes - they've been a bit slow off the mark this year

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Nice work with the Duke and the Grizzlie, Katrina.

Two for my radar when I get back from Spain!

Thanks Trevor, I am sure you saw the report of about five dukes when it was sunnier so you should go and fill your boots. They weren’t that hard to find when the sun came out but a fair bit of waiting fo
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I really did fill my boots this morning. Fantastic.

I have had 3 trips to Rowland Wood on Wed, Sat and Sunday but not got the shot I wanted with a clear background for various reasons.
It was a pleasure to bump into Gary and John on Wed, Trevor on Saturday and Neil , Jonathan , Paul and others this evening.

Very nice, Katrina! May wouldn't seem the same without seeing Pearl Bordered Fritillaries against a setting of last year's bracken.

May not be the shot you wanted Katrina but they're still cracking

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks David and Wurzel!

This afternoon I went to Abbots Wood arriving at about 2.30 and leaving after 5.30
Surprisingly I only saw one PBF which was along the path not in a usual site . Had I known it was the only one I would have spent more than 15 seconds trying to find it after it flew behind a mound.
I found a Small Copper (my first of the year), Small Heath, 2 GHs and a tiger beetle at the triangle. I managed to take a shot of a GH looking very brown.
I narrowly decided to go on to Mill Hill having read a report by John who had taken photos between 7 and 8 albeit in better weather. Generally I have taken photos earlier in the evening but I suppose they are some weeks later than usual
I arrived there at 6.40 and the sun had disappeared just before I got there so initially it didn't look promising .
Everything was already at roost so no open wing shots but I managed to get some closed wing, I found about 3 Common Blues, 3 Grizzled Skipper, 4 Small Heaths but no Dingys. Unusual to find more Small Heaths than anything else there- maybe a reflection of habitat change or maybe I am reading too much into it. Still a relaxing evening.
As others have commented though the first car park at Mill Hill has largely been taken over by an old Big Lemon Bus and camper vans etc which seem to have been perma parked there for weeks if not months so only one or two spaces left.

Well done getting GH on bluebell.
But the mrgreens are reserved for the ' roosting ' shots , top notch.
I'm off to Wilts soon, hope to get similar shots at Tilshead.

Thanks Trevor, good luck in Wiltshire.
Out of interest how many PBFs did you see when you went to Abbots Wood and saw the mating pair.
Hard to know if they are late, having a bad year or conditions weren’t right.

I should have said thanks to John as well as I wouldn’t have gone to Mill Hill thinking it too late unless I had read his post.

Same GH photo more cropped

An extra for the cropped GH shot.
We only saw one other PBF While watching the mating pair, so three in total.

Thanks Trevor ,
Contemplating wether to try again or move on to another butterfly

A lovely set of evening butterflies Katrina When I went to Bentley Wood for Pearls they all disappeared off to bed at around 5:30 so perhaps at Abbot's Wood they like an early night

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel. I don’t think ut was an early night for them as I was there from 2.30 and I read someone who went in the morning didn’t see any. It is a large wood though so they could have congregated elsewhere.

Sometimes butterflying is like looking for a needle in a haystack

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Another trip to Mill Hill this evening. It was a pleasure to bump into John.
There were a lot of Small Heaths , some Common Blues, Some Dingy and Grizzles Skippers, my first Adonis Blue of the year (2 o 3), a Peacock and some lacewings
Thanks to John for sharing the grizzled skipper. The star of the show tonight for me were 2 Dingy Skippers I found on the way out.

Bonus photo cropped