www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Nice view of that helice, Trevor, and the male as well. I was up at Mill Hill but ran out of time to pop down there too. Still, next week is looking pretty good after a major blip tomorrow. Interesting that the Walls have gone for a third brood in Wiltshire as well this year - pretty well unheard of I'd think.

Dave

Art Frames wrote:Trevor,

It must be inspiring to have a list of places where you can go and see such fresh and delightful butterflies and relatively late on too. I just wish Northamptonshire had similar. At the moment its all a bit depressing here. So good to see the sun is shining on someone.

regards

Probably a bit late now, especially with the rain heading in tonight and tomorrow, but I saw reports of a good emergence of clouded Yellows at Sywell Country Park earlier in the week. Would have gone for a look myself if I hadn't been at work.

Great shot of the helice Trevor and more cracking Wall Browns

Cheers,

Neil

Neil Freeman wrote:
Probably a bit late now, especially with the rain heading in tonight and tomorrow, but I saw reports of a good emergence of clouded Yellows at Sywell Country Park earlier in the week. Would have gone for a look myself if I hadn't been at work.

Great shot of the helice Trevor and more cracking Wall Browns

Cheers,

Neil

I have looked at the reports and only wish I had seen them sooner too! But the rain is a temporary blip, I hope. Thanks for alerting me.

Sundays not looking too bad at the moment, I can feel another trip into deepest Sussex brewing...

Cracking stuff Trevor - especially good news about the Walls Star of the show there for me though is the Helice Still not seen or even had a sniff of one of those

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Lovely Butterflies Trevor, nothing being recorded here at present, bet you were pleased with that Helice Goldie

Hummingbird Hawk Moth in the garden of The Bell Inn,
Great Cheverell, Wiltshire, at 11.08 this morning, just outside of my room !

Trevor.

Flipping heck Trevor I'm loving your style - 'butterflies in bed' must be almost as good a 'breakfast in bed'

Have a goodun
Wurzel

Wonderful photos Trevor, what a bonus to have photo opportunities so close.

trevor wrote:Hummingbird Hawk Moth in the garden of The Bell Inn,
Great Cheverell, Wiltshire, at 11.08 this morning, just outside of my room !

Impressive, Trevor. Almost as impressive is that you were armed with your camera at the double to record this notable sighting!

Wurzel wrote:Flipping heck Trevor I'm loving your style - 'butterflies in bed' must be almost as good a 'breakfast in bed'

Have a goodun
Wurzel

Still in bed at 11.08 ...I must be doing something wrong

Great photos of the HBHM Trevor

Cheers,

Neil.

Many thanks Katrina, Wurzel, David & Neil,

Time to set the record straight !.
I have never had breakfast in bed, and at 11.08 I had been up for four hours.
That Hummingbird Hawk Moth took me by complete surprise, given the very low air temperature.
Incredibly I had time to grab my camera, complete with close up lens, and grab about six shots.

Incidentally the plant it was feasting on is Salvia ' Hot Lips '.

Trevor.

trevor wrote: ... in bed, at 11.08 I had been up for four hours next door to ' Hot Lips '.

We can read between the lines. Mop and bucket to room 47 please

Chance would be a fine thing, Peter.

Before leaving Wiltshire for home this morning I spent an hour
in St. Peter's church grounds looking for third brood Wall Browns.
Only two males were seen in near perfect conditions, confirming
that only a very small third brood has occurred there.

Trevor.

A great find trevor - it'll be interesting to see how they fare in the spring and whether the third brood will have a positive impact on their numbers

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Once the heavy mist had cleared this morning I headed over to Mill Hill.
As I negotiated the posts at the car park entrance, a Clouded Yellow flew past.
But the morning belonged to the Red Admiral. About ten, very fresh,
Red Admirals were nectaring on the much visited Hemp Agrimony, including
one ab. Bialbata. The only other visitor, and then only briefly, was a very fresh Comma.

Back at home I had to tread wearily to avoid destroying the many Spiders webs that adorn my garden.

Trevor.

Somehow I missed you today, Trevor - Ben told me you were there: I arrived about 11 and didn't leave till 3. I didn't see that splendid Comma, but I did see the many Admirals and also a welcome newcomer to the hemp agrimony patch...

Dave

I don't know how we missed each other, Dave. Checking my images the last one
was taken at 12.03, but I did not leave until about 1pm.
Hope that wasn't a Wall or Cloudie on the Hemp after I left !!.

I started by walking along the top and then down the steps near the other car park to the bottom of the slope and that sheltered bit. I was up at the hemp agrimony between one and two by the times the photos were taken, and then again at around half three. This explains why we didn't spot each other! Nope, not a Wall or a Cloudie (though a Wall wandered past and briefly sat on a bit of ragwort nearby).

Cheers,

Dave