www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

The Keepers of the Gate!

Hello Bugboy,
Following your thread with interest. Not much happening down my way at the moment in Marseilles. Keep the photos coming.
Chris

Glad I'm keeping people entertained in these dark months

bugboy wrote:Glad I'm keeping people entertained in these dark months

You sure are. Makes winter easier to bear by being reminded of what's in store in 2015!

Tonights star of my Diary is the little golden gem we call the Small Skipper:

Hi Bugboy,

Enjoying your diary so far. Nice shots of the Purple Hairstreak. Having only ever seen a couple at distant before, I was walking in the Yorkshire Moors in August when I noticed one fly onto the path in front of me. It promptly took off and came to rest on my young daughters hand (pics in my PD). Got to be a once in a lifetime encounter I'm sure.
Good luck with your mission. On the Heath Fritillary front, I have found the best place to be Starvelarks Wood near Southend, with c100 seen in 2012. I returned in 2014 but I think I was a week or two late, as only a handul were seen.

Kind Regards
Kev

This year I got my first pictures of Silver Washed Fritillaries, on Box Hill. It was the middle of the season so they are looking a little worse for wear but I did enjoy watching the small group of males soaring around the sunny glade over a large clump of hemp agrimony for an hour or so. Went back a month later and got a rather battered female in the same place. Return trips in late June 2015 are already in the diary!

Well now we've past the halfway point in winter here's one of the early springtime risers we will see in a couple of months hopefully.

Really enjoying your catch up on the year Bugboy, keep em coming!

Have a goodun (Christmas and New Year that is )

Wurzel

Todays star is the one that got me hooked on butterflies when I caught one as a kid (6 or 7) in the back garden. My parents bought me the Observers guide and I succesfully Identified the Small Tortoiseshell that was stuck in a jam jar in front of me, and so began an obsession:

Also, seasons greetings to you all!

Today I met up with some fellow butterflyers for a Brown Hairstreak egg hunt, it was ultimately unsuccessful but it was good to meet some fellow peeps. The site is apparently ideal for Brown Hairstreaks so there may still be a colony present
This is the thread which lead up to the egg hunt if you haven't already seen it: viewtopic.php?f=43&t=8079

Anyway tonight we have some pics of the Small Heath:

Today I went for an afternoon stroll around a place called Abney Park, an old cemetery which is now maintained as a nature reserve. Despite it being only a 40 minute walk from where I have lived for the past 5 years I only happened across it this summer. It's a very beautiful and surprisingly tranquil place considering it's only a few miles from central London, jam packed with old grave stones and a maze of paths. The main reason for todays visit was to locate some Elm trees as there is apparently a healthy colony of White Letter Hairsteaks here. I found several clumps of large suckers, 25 or 30 feet tall so should be large enough to support the colony. Also had a quick look for eggs but like yesterdays Brown Hairstreak egg hunt I was unsuccessful. This will be a new regular patch next year and hopefully I can tick WL Hairstreak off on my list, speaking of which here is my list! (I'm a bloke and we like to make lists!) If anyones interested here's the website http://www.abneypark.org/

and now for some butterfly pictures, Comma's.

The observers Book of Butterflies. It still holds pride of place on my bookshelf and is the very book that sparked my interest in Butterflies back in the late 70s.
Nice memories.

Regards Kev

bugboy wrote:Today I went for an afternoon stroll around a place called Abney Park, an old cemetery which is now maintained as a nature reserve. Despite it being only a 40 minute walk from where I have lived for the past 5 years I only happened across it this summer. It's a very beautiful and surprisingly tranquil place considering it's only a few miles from central London, jam packed with old grave stones and a maze of paths. The main reason for todays visit was to locate some Elm trees as there is apparently a healthy colony of White Letter Hairsteaks here. I found several clumps of large suckers, 25 or 30 feet tall so should be large enough to support the colony. Also had a quick look for eggs but like yesterdays Brown Hairstreak egg hunt I was unsuccessful. This will be a new regular patch next year and hopefully I can tick WL Hairstreak off on my list, speaking of which here is my list! (I'm a bloke and we like to make lists!)

Hi Bugboy

Just enjoying your diary, it is always good to see a new one and yes what would we do without lists
Like you the Observers Book of British Butterflies was a key foundation of my interest. Mine was a very old battered copy given to me by my nan. All the pages detached themselves many years ago but I can not bear to part with it
Good luck with your White Letter Hairstreaks, like you I have yet to see one at any stage. They are top of the list for 2015

Keep up the good work

I think I shall say goodbye to 2014 withthe Brown Argus, A species I only discovered on my local patch this year:
Watched this pair court and mate, although courtship involved the male briefly chasing the female into the long grass and lasted about 30 seconds!

Absolutely cracking shot of the BAs in cop Have a cracking 2015, looking forward to following your exploits on your mission

Have a goodun (2015)

Wurzel

So 2015 already, Happy new year to you all . Well I have a few Photography goals for this year, relatively easy ones being Grizzled and Dingy Skippers, Heath Fritillaries, Small Bues, Wall, White Letter Hairstreaks and Green Hairstreaks. Easy in that they all have sites close enough to me for it not to be too much hassle to get to. Also on the list White Admirals and Purple Emperors. Further afield I might go for Lulworth Skippers, Marsh Fritillaries and Duke Of Burgundy. If the Brown hairstreaks reappear at my local site they are on that list as well!

Thats quite a long list . Theres always the aim to improve on species I already have so yes I think after reading this I am in for a busy season, lets hope the weather is on my side. bring on 2015!

Although I have been fascinated with butterflies (in fact anything with more that 4 legs or less than 2) since I was a kid, I haven't done much photography in recent years. last summer it was re awakened and I decided to get a picture of every species so I spent quite a few gorgeous (and rather sweaty) days walking around Box Hill in Sussex to get a few I didn't have, and some I haven't even seen before. The last time I saw Adonis Blues was on family holidays in the 80's on the Isle of Wight so I was very happy to get a freshly emerged male and female in August & September who were very obliging to having a camera shoved in their faces!

Lovely images, bugboy. I don't think I've ever had an Adonis Blue on my hand!