Neil Freeman

[Pete Eeles]

I think these are the best images I've ever seen of Large Heath, and nfreem has coupled that with capturing some extremely beautifully marked specimens too.

Indeed. I feel distinctly polydama, if not scotica - not many forums you can say that on without getting sympathy / arrested

I think I need to get out more

Cheers,

- Pete

[Neil Freeman]

Many thanks Pete

Not sure if I should be worried that I understand what you mean

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

Don't worry, Neil. Nobody to my knowledge has ever posted images of scotica so you needn't feel ashamed.

[Neil Freeman]

Wednesday 11th July

Yet another day of heavy showers with some sun in between, feeling quite warm when it was actually out.

I arrived home from work this afternoon and looking down the garden through the kitchen window I noticed a Red Admiral flying around the wild bit at the far end.
The sun was out at this time and so I went out and watched him for a while as he kept taking off, flying round for a bit and coming back to the same patch of nettles to bask.

The sun didn't last for long and soon another 'orrible big black cloud came over and he took off again and disappeared next door, but not before I managed to take a couple of shots of him.

Red Admiral - back garden 11.07.2012

A nice few minutes before I had to go back in and carry on with the domestic duties

Bye for now,

Neil F.

[Pauline]

Just had to tell you Neil that I recently heards a group of UK butts members discussing photos and yours were given as an example of very good photos indeed. I couldn't agree more.

[Neil Freeman]

Blimey!

Thanks Pauline, what can I say!!!

There are a good number of people on here, including yourself, that post beautiful photos.
To be counted amongst that number makes me very proud and happy and I really do appreciate it

Cheers,

Neil.

[Neil Freeman]

Saturday 14th July – Warwickshire BC Open Day.

Today was the Warwickshire BC open day at Ryton Wood and Meadows just south of Coventry and Chris and myself went along.

We arrived just before 11.00am and drove along the track into the meadow to the arranged meeting place, noting the pools of water along the track, something that I had never seen before on any previous visit.

The weather was a bit dull and cloudy to start with but by midday had brightened up nicely with some nice spells of sun.

The ground condition in the meadows and woods were extremely wet and muddy with a lot of people commenting that they had never seen so much standing water here before.

Nevertherless, butterflies were in abundance with hordes of Ringlets in the woods and nearly as many Meadow Browns in the meadows, where else

I saw firsts for the year of six species

Marbled Whites – at least two dozen, maybe more, in two main concentrations in the meadows.
Small Skippers – around half a dozen in both meadows and woods.
Gatekeepers – Five seen at various points along the rides in the woods.
White Admiral – two seen but too flighty for photos.
Silver-washed Fritillary – three males and one female seen.
Purple Hairstreak – one seen coming out of one Oak tree and flying over us towards another.

We also saw a dozen or so Large Skippers, a couple of Red Admirals, a comma, one tatty male Brimstone and a fresh male Common Blue in the meadows plus numbers of both Six-spot and Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet Moths and Silver-Y moths.

I believe a few other species were seen by others during the day including Small Heath and at least one Green-veined White.

Mid morning under cloudy skies - note the wellies

Setting off on first walk showing water on track.

Some Ringlets first, just because I like them

Ringlet - RWM 14.07.2012

Ringlet - RWM 14.07.2012

Ringlet male - RWM 14.07.2012

Ringlet female - RWM 14.07.2012

And now the rest,

Marbled White - RWM 14.07.2012

Marbled White - RWM 14.07.2012

Gatekeeper male - Ryton Wood 14.07.2007

Gatekeeper and little friend

Comma - Ryton Wood 14.07.2012

Small Skipper - RWM 14.07.2012

The SWFs below spent some time together with much vibration of wings at each other but in the end it cam to nothing and they went their seperate ways.

Silver-washed Fritillary male - Ryton Wood 14.07.2012

Silver-washed Fritillary female - Ryton wood 14.07.2012

Silver-washed Fritillary courting couple

SWFs vibrating wings at each other.

I also saw the female Meadow Brown below which looks very pale. I can't make my mind up whether she is faded or an unusally pale individual.

Meadow Brown pale female - Ryton Wood 14.07.2012

A great day in good company with loads of butterflies

Bye for now,

Neil F.

[David M]

Great Comma shot, Neil. It look as though it's just about to launch itself at an intruder.

[Nick Broomer]

I know i am a bit behind, [been very busy]there are some lovely photos you`re posting, your Large Heath photos are the best i`ve seen along with your sons.The Silver-Studded Blue pictures are also the best i have seen, brilliant.

All the best, Nick.

[millerd]

It looks even wetter and muddier than last weekend, Neil! But you saw more than I did, which is terrific, and you got some great photos. I would like to have come along, but it was the "wrong" Saturday for my regular trips to the area, unfortunately.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cracking shots Neil And the Hedge Browns are emerging!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Debbie]

Neil,
As always a delight to see your lovely pictures.
Debbie

[Neil Freeman]

Thank you all for your very kind comments

Although I keep this diary primarily for my own reasons, it give me great pleasure to know that others enjoy it as well

Yes Wurzel, the Hedge Browns are out...time to start checking those spots
They were always Hedge Browns in my youth and in a way I will always prefer that name.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Neil Freeman]

Sunday 15th July

I popped out this afternoon for an hour with my wife and daughter to Babbs Mill / Kingfisher Country Park. Having heard Chris and myself describe it, my wife was keen to go and have a look as she also had never been here.
My wife is slowly getting more mobile now and can manage to walk a fair distance with the assistance of a delta frame which is a massive improvement from a few months ago when a even a short trip like this would have meant using a wheelchair.

Whilst the women bimbled along the main path through the site, I checked out the adjacent meadows and in particular went up a bit of a hill into an area where Chris had been a few days ago and seen 5 Small Tortoiseshells.

Babbs Mill / Kingfisher Country Park

Babbs Mill / Kingfisher Country Park

Whilst the weather was not as sunny as when Chris visited, it was still pleasantly warm with mixed sun and cloud for the half an hour or so that I was in this area and during this time I saw 3 Small Torts, only one faded specimen of which stopped for a photo.
I also saw 2 Small Heaths and a mating pair of Green-veined Whites hiding in the brambles as well as the now usual Ringlets and Meadow Browns.

Small Tortoiseshell - Babbs Mill 15.07.2012

Green-veined White mating pair - Babbs Mill 15.07.2012

There were also what I took at the time to be half a dozen or so Small Skippers but looking through my photos at home later I am 95% certain that at least one of them is an Essex going by the thinner, straighter sex brand on the forewing.

Essex Skipper I believe

This one is a Small Skipper

I was also surprised to see a Marbled White fly past me and over a huge patch of brambles where I could not follow, I did not know that there any of these at this site.

A nice hour at a site where I really must spend more time and have a proper look around.

Bye for now,

Neil F.

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Neil,

Some more great shots and I'm really glad to see you are getting to grips with your new camera. I do however think your Essex is a Small; the sex brand is too big and the antennae are not right for Essex.

Good hunting.

Kind regards. Mark

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Mark, thanks for the comments.

I am going to go out on a bit of a limb and say that I am still reasonably sure that the first skipper is an Essex.
Unfortunatly that first photo, which is cropped and resized to post on here, is not that clear around the sex brand, especially as there is a fold in the wing along the vein.
On the original it appears that the brand stops just short of the vein beneath it which is what made me think it is Essex. On male Small Skippers the brand is not only longer but clearly crosses the vein.

Here is another crop marked with an arrow to show where I mean.

position of sex brand finishing above the wing vein

I know that Essex Skippers are found close to this site so next time I go back I will be going for the head on shots

Cheers,

Neil.

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Neil,

Thanks for your comments.

As I’m sure you are aware, it is not always easy to gain correct scientific determination from a picture, particularly when key diagnostic features are either obscured or not shown. If, as your latest image suggests, the sex brand ends at the arrow then Essex it may well be and I would agree that the brand does appear rather thin and parallel with the leading edge of the forewing. I appreciate what you say about the fold in the wing, but to me there appears to be an angled extension of the androconia beyond the fold of the vein, in which case it would suggest Small? I don’t feel enough of the underside of either antennae can be seen to allow accurate confirmation by this means.

I expect I'm wrong and I’m glad we are not trying to sort out European Pyrgus.

Good hunting.

Kind regards. Mark

[David M]

At risk of being over-ruled by those more experienced, I too would venture to say that my first impressions (and subsequent) are that this is Small, rather than Essex, Skipper.

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks for the responses guys,

My first impression was Small, then Essex, now I am not sure....

.... I appreciate what you say about the fold in the wing, but to me there appears to be an angled extension of the androconia beyond the fold of the vein, in which case it would suggest Small?.....

I was seeing this as the curve of the vein itself with the androconia stopping just above it but it may well be the angle of the wing and the folds that make it look that way to me

Whatever it is, and I am happy for it to be either as I know there are good populations of both locally , I will be back to check out this site, hopefully soon.

Cheers,

Neil

[Neil Freeman]

Wednesday 18th July

Today was the only day that Chris had available this week due to his shifts at work and so I had booked a day off as well so that we could go out for the day. Chris particularly wanted to get some more Marbled White photos if possible and was also keen to try and see White Admirals. We had seen a couple of WA at Ryton Wood last weekend but only fleeting glimpses as they flitted past us.

The weather forecast did not look promising but nevertheless we set out, fully equiped with wellies and brollies , for Snitterfield Bushes and Oversley Wood, two sites within 15 minutes drive of each other near to Stratford-upon Avon.

Arriving at Snitterfield at around 10.00am, the initial heavy rain lightened into a light drizzle and so we went through the woods to a meadow where I knew that Marbled Whites could be found. We soon found a number of individuals roosting and took some photos of them in the rain, in fact some of them were even starting to fly in the drizzle.

Chris taking photos in the rain

Marbled White - Snitterfield Bushes 18.07.2012

The weather was coming in from the west and as Oversley Wood is a bit further west than Snitterfield we decided to move onto there figuring that if the weather cleared, it would do so at Oversley first.

We got to Oversley at around Midday and set off round the wood in a steady light drizzle. Even in these conditions the place was alive with Ringlets and we were amazed at how they would continue flying, even during some heavy spells of rain that sent us scuttling under trees for shelter.

Ringlet female - Oversley Wood 18.
07.2012

We also saw large Numbers of Meadow Browns, a couple of Marbled Whites, and a single Green-veined White.

Green-veined White - Oversley Wood 18.07.2012

The rain eventually cleared for a bit and for 30 minutes or so we were in the right place at the right time as half a dozen or so Silver-washed Fritillaries came out to play in the sun . There was also a brief visit from a White Admiral but again no photos as it did not stick around.

Silver-washed Fritillary - Oversley Wood 18.07.2012

Watching the sky, we decided to head back to the car before the next load of rain arrived and we just made it back before the heavens opened again. There was some promising blue sky heading our way and so we headed back to Snitterfied on our way home for a second look.

We arrived back at about the same time as the blue sky and looking in the woods we found a few more SWFs and a Comma .

Silver-washed Fritillary - Snitterfield Bushes 18.07.2012

Comma - Snitterfield Bushes 18.07.2012

Going back through to the meadow where the Marbled Whites were, the place was alive with dozens of them as well as Meadow Browns all over the place. We stayed around here for another hour or so until it clouded over again and they all began to roost up again.

Marbled white - Snitterfield Bushes 18.07.2012

Marbled White - Snitterfield Bushes 18.07.2012

Marbled White - Snitterfield Bushes 18.07.2012

A bit of a strange day considering we spent a good part of it sheltering from some heavy rain but one which also proved that if you are out in it you can still find a lot of butterflies in the brief spells in between

Bye for now.

Neil F.