www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hi! David , looks like you were right about the weather being cooler, much better for seeing the Butterflies opening their wings. Goldie

Yesterday was a lovely day and with the promise of rain in the next few days we decided this was the day to go
We decided on Southport because of the Dunes and the easier option for us travel wise, we are still suffering from bites obtained at Gait Barrow
We arrived first at Banks just on the out skirts of SP, where we have our favourite Fish&Chip shop Taking our Fish and Chips we went to Marsh Side which over looks the Sea to eat them, usually we take a walk along the Marsh afterwards to look for Wall's but nothing was spotted there so we moved on down Marine Drive to the Dunes.
First thing we saw after parking the car was flashes of Blue and we spent the next hour looking a round at the Common Blue,
I've never seen so many small female CB's , I thought at first they were Northern Brown Argus, I'm still not convinced there's not one in there some where
I was looking mainly for Grayling having seen them there before but it wasn't to be so we moved on to the next Dunes, here we found some Meadow Brown , Small Heath, more Common Blues, not has small as before and more Males this time.
We decided to go up some of the Dunes has I knew the Graylings liked the tops of Sandy Dunes, this time we were lucky and I found one but what a dance it gave me I slid down quite a few times before I finally got shots but once again the shots were not too good Still i was happy I'd got some thing and I'd seen the Grayling.
I also saw two Wall BF there but they took off before I could get any shot's , some you win, some you lose, Goldie

Sounds like the Grayling did their usual party piece Goldie Thye do like to make you work for your shots

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi Goldie,

Just caught up with your visit to Gait Barrows, I know what you mean about how dried up it looked. You did much better than I did when I popped in there on the previous Tuesday when it was quite cool and cloudy.

Cheers,

Neil.

Sounds like you had a lovely sunny day with lots of interest, Goldie - it poured down nearly all day in London yesterday (and a fair bit of today as well). Some good shots there too - well done with those Graylings especially.

Cheers,

Dave

Thanks for your post Wurzel, I was slipping and sliding thank goodness my Husband was there to catch me

Hi! Neil, the weather was great but too hot at GB, some times it pays to be in a group( lots of eyes) Most of the Butterflies we saw were near the Duke site and we were surprised to see that WLHS down on the flower.

Hi! Dave, It was good to finally get a shot of the Grayling, I'd chased it from the bottom of a Sand Dune to the top
The weather's been up and down here since but in-between the showers the Whites have been out, sadly no Small Torts yet and no in flux like last year of Red Admirals in the Garden.

I did decide to post a couple of shots of Whites from the Garden taken between the Showers, they've had a fantastic year so far coming into the garden every few seconds since I got home, I'm afraid my Boules Mauve has really suffered in the heat and I've had to prune it down but the Whites have still found the odd flower Now they're revisiting the Lavender Goldie

Hi Goldie, I was planning to go to Gait Barrows but in the end couldn't make it - it would have been nice to meet you at last! As you say, at least you know where to look next year for the Brostreaks and the eggs.
Those pics of the Common Blues in your previous post are lovely - and well done to catch the Grayling!

Goldie - I am in catch-up mode. I had to step back quite a long way in your diary to do this and found you had got a WL hairstreak pic better than any I was able to get this year. And, right at the end of the last page, a pic of a white and you can see its markings through the wing. Love it.

Lovely couple of white shots Goldie The female Brostreaks are appearing so if you can head out, there's still life in the ole season yet

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi! Janet, it would have been great to finally meet you You didn't really miss much at GB , two BH's were seen not by me I'm afraid, just one man saw one on a flower, when we all rushed back it had gone Another was seen flying passed, I saw this out of the corner of my eye, not clearly, just a shape. The eggs prove they're there I suppose but I'll wait another year I think before going again .
I've been on the Lanc's Butterfly WS and somebody saw one up there at the week-end if your interested.

HI! ernie, your too kind The Whites are the only thing popping in and out of the Garden at present, I think they look great when they land on Lavender.

Hi! Wurzel, I know I should pop back to GB living so near the Lakes but nothing would drag my Husband back there You should see the bites he got UGH! It's the first time we've ever been bitten at GB but they certainly went to town this time At least I know where the Bros Streaks are now egg wise, so may be I'll get him back there next year Goldie

Opps Forget I said anything

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Sad to hear about the biting insects, Goldie. If it's any consolation, my forearms look like they've been hit by snipers since my visit to Spain! One of the pitfalls of butterflying, sadly.

At least you're immune in your own garden, and it's good to see you still have regular visitors.

Seems ages since I logged in but nothing much to report, the weather's been very wet and chilly, yesterday' wasn't too bad but a cold wind so we've not been out looking for the last few days. I did get a surpise one day when I looked out into the front garden and saw this Small White clinging to the Boules Mauve waiting for the rain to stop
The Butterflies never cease to surprise me, they're so delicate, yet so tough.

The wet weather's given the bite marks time to cool down Wurzel and David

David hope your's are much better Goldie

The weather here has been awful lately, we needed the rain but it's gone from one extreme to the other, I managed to get a few shots on Monday and Tuesday in between the showers of yet another White and to my a surprise a Red Admiral, I thought "great" there actually arriving here, then we were back into the rain again
Today's not too bad so hope fully some thing will pop into the Garden Goldie

Cracking in flight shot of the White Goldie Also really like the imperious way the Red Admiral is looking down on us mere mortals

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hello Goldie, the weather has been awful where I am too. I take my dogs on a lengthy walk every day but between the rain and chilly wind that has appeared I haven't seen very much activity at all!

I do love a garden visitor and much like yourself have only had the odd White lately. I haven't had a single Admiral visit me this year and actually have seen far fewer out than I normally would.

Hopefully the weather improves for us soon

Hi! Wurzel, many thanks, I agree with you about the Admiral, I've always thought they'd suited the name Emperor better

Hi! Old Wolf, I think the Admiral's have suffered a lot this Summer, when I visited the South this year I saw them but always they flew into the bushes or tree's to keep out of the Sun, this one is only the third one I've seen in My Garden this year which is very unusual. Let's hope the weather takes a turn for the better like it did yesterday, back in it today though.

Well yesterday I decided to go once more to Hall-Lee-Brook, I'd seen all the lovely shots of the Small Copper's in peoples posts and I thought " you never know" I'm so glad I did, has we walked a round looking at the three fields two of which had been cut with just one being left uncut and without any flowers in it apart from a few Buttercups I was about to return home when Jim pointed to a small thistle in the field which had been cut before we went on holiday and there to my delight was a Small Copper

Talk about jump for joy! I'd looked all year for this little Butterfly so I was in a rush to take a shot of it but approached it very gingerly in case it flew a way It didn't and was clinging to the flower in even though blown about by the wind.
What can I say! It's made my year! Goldie

It's quite odd how Hoggers is reporting a dearth of Small Coppers at his local site in Dungeness, whereas many of us are seeing plenty of them elsewhere (myself included).

That's a lovely Copper, Goldie, complete with blue spots too.

Dave

Yes, that’s a cracker, Goldie!

Mission accomplished I'd say.

Great shots Goldie