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Interesting butterfly behaviour, I wonder if everyone notices the same.... communual roosting of cardamines ??
i-phone shot at about 5pm this afternoon, on Quamash in the garden, one mid air!..... Still no local rubi

Very interesting observation. I have seen two on the same flower head a few times, and three or four in the same general area, but not so many so close together.

Dave

That's a great shot Kip! Goldie

I've not seen that number of OT's in one place like that before Kip It's quite a shot Could it be that they've all been attracted to the scent of a female?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I love images like this, Kip! Quite a few people on here have been investigating roosting butterflies and I have seen enough to try the same tactic myself.

I did look for a female as I suspected the same Wurzel, but none to be seen, of course, she may well have been well hidden! Generally at this time of year, these butterflies and napi, and evidently brassicae favour white Narcissi on which to roost, often in twos, so why Cammasia in this case, though several have roosted on the latter recently, maybe it is the scent of the plant (????? )
I do like napi....
Little else to photograph here I'm afraid, you Southerners are fortunate by comparison!

Five species in the garden today, as much as I could expect up here. (Peacock, Small Tort, Speckled Wood, Orange Tip and Green-veined White. This Lady settled by her own volition in a rather photogenic way on my Spiraea....

At last, after several fruitless visits through April, the rubi are now out in Swaledale, about seven seen, some at a nearby but previously barren site. Not only that, but a single phlaeas also showed up....
This is our local context....

Kip wrote:Interesting butterfly behaviour, I wonder if everyone notices the same.... communual roosting of cardamines ??
i-phone shot at about 5pm this afternoon, on Quamash in the garden, one mid air!.....
IMG_2860.JPG

Still no local rubi

Not sure how I missed this! Very interesting, Paul! I've not come across anything like this before, myself.

Cheers,

- Pete

Glad it sparked some interest
Every year the males seem to roost on white Narcissi, often in twos, occasionally in threes but i've never watched four interacting so closely.... the final result was three roosting at the same spot. Other white flowers don't seem as attractive, that is, until Garlic Mustard flowers, as it is doing now. That appears to be a napi and cardamines magnet, more than the Cuckoo Flowers..
Although napi similarly chooses white Narcissi, as soon as my variegated Dogwood comes into leaf, and the Apple blossoms, they prefer the latter roosts.

Pete Eeles wrote:

Kip wrote:Interesting butterfly behaviour, I wonder if everyone notices the same.... communual roosting of cardamines ??
i-phone shot at about 5pm this afternoon, on Quamash in the garden, one mid air!.....
IMG_2860.JPG

Still no local rubi

Not sure how I missed this! Very interesting, Paul! I've not come across anything like this before, myself.

Cheers,

- Pete

a few weeks ago on one of my visits to Aldbury Nowers Nature Reserve a friend and I were watching Orange-tips going to roost at the end of the day. I watched one male flap around another male on some Bramble and then settle a few leaves away. When we moved in to take a few pictures we accidentally disturbed the new one who flew off only to return about 30 seconds later and do exactly the same thing. If I could put words in the mouths of them it looked as though the second one was saying " Oh you think it's safe to sleep here, I'll join you then". It did look to be very deliberate behaviour.

I've noticed this too from time to time, especially last year in the garden, an area of Cow Parsley that caught the evening sun was particularly favoured by male Orange Tips (shown in the photos below, there was another just out of shot alongside the 6 circled) with at least 3 each night for a week (max 7). What was particularly remarkable was that peak day counts in the garden were generally never higher than 3 males, they seemed to be seeking out this patch.
Cheers,

Will

So it seems they do tend to roost together in small numbers, thanks for the input. I saw four napi settling down in the sun bathed Horse Chestnut in the garden this evening.

The sun finally came out at home today, after a miserably cold dull few days under the east coast harr... time to venture back into the Dale, back to rubi country, and not to be disappointed, eight seen in all....
Also four phlaeas...
and the seemingly customary Ring Ouzels at this time of year, ( so customary lousy photo) with Wheatears and Stonechats as well.... rather blissful, as not a soul else was around.

Now that is a proper Hairstreak, Kip! Most of the ones I see have a few half-hearted spots, but yours has an almost continuous white line. I wouldn't be surprised if this is a named form.

Dave

Glad you appreciated her...She was rather gorgeous - I see everything from almost spotless, to this, at this site... a very variable butterfly... I would love to see a real aberration up there, but nothing yet

That is quite the most amazingly marked Green Hairstreak I've ever seen, Kip!!

We get a few that are 'joined up' here in south Wales, but never any like that.

Tremendous find.

Agree about that Green Hairstreak. It is probably the most extreme ab. punctata I've seen and there's quite a few photo's of that ab on this very website!

Several people on here have found Green Hairstreaks with a complete arc of white spots, this year.
But yours is extreme, and a very enviable find.

Brilliant stuff !
Trevor.

Thank you for your very pleasing comments all

Today I could plan due to the fine weather... time to see if the Yorkshire lucina and euphrosyne colonies had emerged. My first venue was in shade when I arrived at half eight this morning, but as the sun crept round it became apparent the Dukes were indeed active, although I suspect not peaking yet..
A further few miles bought me to my second venue, as both these species do not fly together anywhere I know of here ( I stand to be corrected), and after a barren first half hour, a few PBFs did show themselves...
A rather enjoyable day and what we all think about through those dark winter months

Apologies for belated comment but I have only just seen your stunning Hairstreak. Gorgeous! What a great find and lovely image.