October 2009 Sightings

[Ian Pratt]

Painted Ladies

A Small patch of flowering ivy had 12 PLs on it on the 12th October and 14 on the 14th. These sightings were at Butterfly Conservation's Magdalen Hill Down Reserve at Winchester Hampshire. O that they would start spending the winter with us as the Red admiral started doing a few years back!

Can't wait till the 31st when you see 31!!

[Perseus]

Thanks Guy
Like you, I tend to agree with current wisdom; so until we are presented with evidence otherwise I think we should accept that we are unlikely to get over-wintering Painted Ladies, nice though that would be!
An event like this year does put these theories to the test however, so it will be interesting to see if there is a big spike in early Spring next year. If the butterflies don't survive, any possibility of their eggs/larvae/pupae surviving, I wonder?

Local February sightings of Painted Ladies in Shoreham were all though to be fresh immigrants.

[Perseus]

Hello,

23 October 2009
With the first mushrooms after the rain and an autumnal feel under a cloudy sky, I was already looking for the last butterfly of the year, and one was not found until the very last Ivy bush next to the Pixie Path bordering on Mill Hill Road before the bridge over the A27. It was a good condition Red Admiral.

In 2008 the last date for butterflies other than Red Admirals was 16 November 2008.

http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2008.html

Adur Butterflies
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterflies.htm

Adur Butterfly Flight Times
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterflies1X2007.htm

Mill Hill Reports 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/MillHill2009.html

Mill Hill and its Butterflies
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/MillHill2009Article.htm


First Adur Butterfly Dates 2003 to 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/ButterfliesFFT.htm

Adur Butterfly & Large Moth List
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Butterfly-list2009.html

Cheers

Andy Horton
glaucus@hotmail.com
Adur Valley Nature Notes
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2009.html
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Adur2008.html
Adur Valley Nature Notes: October 2009
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Oct2009.html

[geniculata]

hi all,

its tipping it down here in the forest, but yesterday it was good and at shirley holms found 1 peacock, 1 red admiral, 1 speckled wood, 4 painted lady and two small copper. all were pretty fresh exept for the speckled wood. all were nectaring on verbena.

gary

[Mikhail]

Some sun in the afternoon yesterday. Still plenty of Red Admirals, Painted Ladies, Clouded Yellows, fewer whites, a male Common Blue and a few Speckled Woods on Bournemouth cliffs and nearby cliff-top habitats. That's a lovely Small Copper, Gary. Haven't seen one as fresh as that recently.

Misha

[Zonda]

What a bumper year for an interested amateur to start butterflying. I cannot believe that there are still Painted Ladies in my garden. Tried out my new 105mm micro Nikkor, and was pleased with the increased quality over the Sigma. The shot below has had no post camera sharpening at all. It's a straight jpg rendition. Red Admiral appeared as well, both in good condition.

Painted Lady 002 (att).jpg (167.14 KiB) Viewed 357 times

[Ian Pratt]

What a bumper year for an interested amateur to start butterflying. I cannot believe that there are still Painted Ladies in my garden. Tried out my new 105mm micro Nikkor, and was pleased with the increased quality over the Sigma. The shot below has had no post camera sharpening at all. It's a straight jpg rendition. Red Admiral appeared as well, both in good condition.

Painted Lady 002 (att).jpg

Which Sigma lens did you have; was it the 105 or 150 macro? Ian

[Zonda]

I still have it,,,the 105mm. I see Pete's not put the clock back.

[NickB]

At least 4 Red Admirals around in the cemetery today, plus one fresh Painted Lady...
(..I have used the Micro Nikkor 105mm and the Tamron 90mm. I say "used" the 105mm - I gave my fiancee the choice of the 105mm or the 90mm; she chose the 105mm as the sharpest. I think I agree...so not surprised when Zonda says there is a difference compared to the Sigma 105mm...)

Both with Micro Nikkor f4 200mm

[Susie]

Plenty of painted ladies still flying here with an average of four at a time on the vebena bonariensis.

[Jack Harrison]

No moth trapping tonight as they are likely to be confused after the clock change.

Jack

[Jack Harrison]

Susie:

Plenty of painted ladies still flying here with an average of four at a time on the vebena bonariensis.

A couple of weeks ago I posted this picture

and asked for the i/d of the plant. No response to that post and now I presume it must be vebena bonariensis. Can anyone confirm?

Jack

[Susie]

Sorry, Jack, I obviously missed your post. Yes, I am pretty near certain that is vebena bonariensis.

There are a couple of similar vebenas I grow, and the flowers look nearly the same but the plants are much shorter, such as vebena rigida, but yours is most likely to be bonariensis if it is a tall plant.

[Zonda]

Nick,,
that 200mm micro Nikkor is obviously a great lens, do you think if i used the 1.4 teleconverter with my 105mm micro Nikkor that it would give me something similar. Not quite as long obviously, but might help with the more nervous Leps. Probably forsake a bit of quality tho eh? Cant afford a 200mm, because i've been and bought a Sigma 150-500mm for birds.

[Jack Harrison]

Susie said:

...vebena rigida...

Ah yes, another name for vebena viagra. Silly me.

Jack

[Susie]

I think you lot need bromide, not viagra. This is vebena rigida http://www.findmeplants.co.uk/plant-ver ... -0534.aspx

[NickB]

Nick,,
.. do you think if i used the 1.4 teleconverter with my 105mm micro Nikkor that it would give me something similar.

Yes - a Kenco Pro1.4TC will do OK...I use one all the time with my Tamron 90mm (and on the 200mm) . Sacrifice a little contrast and images can be slightly softer but not noticeably so....
N

[Gruditch]

Hi Zonda, sorry to muck up your plan, but I'm pretty sure that the Sigma 105 Macro, will not take a converter, not a Sigma one at least.

Regards Gruditch

[Jack Harrison]

Susie

Yes, vebena bonariensis is the one I saw being used as nectaring plant on a recent visit to Worthing. I have looked it up and it says propagation by seed (indeed it self-seeds apparently). Do you have any seeds you can let me have? If you are able to help, sned Private Message please (unable to contact you by PM)

Many thanks.

Jack

[Zonda]

The Grud said:

Hi Zonda, sorry to muck up your plan, but I'm pretty sure that the Sigma 105 Macro, will not take a converter, not a Sigma one at least.

I've kicked that out, and have now got a 105mm micro nikkor Gary, and this is the lens we are on about. Gosh its hard work here.