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Poor little Blue! I watched a female Silver-spotted Blue laying eggs but try as I might, I could not find them, they were either so tiny or very well concealed. I'm still not sure which is the Red Admiral egg on the nettle flower - as you say, well camoufkaged!
Janet

Great set of shots Pauline especially the double Brimstone not something I've seen before

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Nice Brimstone shots, Pauline. Regarding your comments about local elms - we DO have a few here and there, but the problem is that the WLHs seem reluctant to leave the upper reaches of the trees round these parts. This is why I'm always very envious of those who can get up close and personal with this fascinating species.

Hi Janet, just like the Common Blue eggs, SSB eggs are tiny and can be very difficult to locate. Sometimes I even carry a hand lens with me! As for the Red Admiral eggs which were not laid on the leaf, I have circled the egg so that it is more obvious:
Thanks Wurzel - there were loads of them but I do like that shot

Thank you too David. I can understand that it must be very frustrating if you know they are there and they just won't come down A tall ladder or a chain saw perhaps??

Today in very blustery conditions which were not conducive to photography I was pleased to see 2 male SSS even if they were down in the grass - possibly the first recorded in Hampshire.
There was plenty of other butterfly activity including what I assume is a second brood Dingy Skipper:
I watched a couple of female DGF, both egg-laying:
....and several Common Blue engaged in the same activity:
A single Small Copper and several Brown Argus were also noted.

Wow! A second brood Dingy! I've only ever seen that on one occasion.

Hi! Pauline, just catching up on some posts, love the Brimstone shots also the SS Skipper ones, I looked for them yesterday but no luck, been very busy here, hope your feeling better now, let me know Goldie

Come to think of it David, I don't think I've EVER seen one! Wow! I have been keeping my eyes open for 2nd brood Dukes but I'll be surprised if that happens given the extent of the predation of eggs and larva this year

Thank you Goldie. I'll email you soon but it has been a bit manic here

I would have liked to have spent a bit more time on the moth trap this morning but there just wasn't any to spare given unforeseen circumstances. Amongst all the moths I noticed Black Arches, Bright-line Brown-eye, Brimstone, various Footman (or should that be Footmen!). An old favourite, the Poplar Hawk-moth was present and what I believe is a Yellow-tail (as opposed to Brown-tail). I think one of the others was a Pebble Prominent - but I've been caught out with that before as I think there is another similar one which escapes me right now. A pretty little thing I have identified as LOZOTAENIODES FORMOSANA caught my attention but the star today was the Pine Hawk-moth - another splendid specimen which I have never before encountered:

Hi Pauline

Your moths, Yellow-tail and Lesser Swallow Prominent. Similar to Swallow Prominent (not a Pebble Prominent).

Cheers

Maurice

Hi Pauline,

I love the Pine Hawk...one I have yet to see

I could be wrong but I think your micro is Rhyacionia buoliana or possibly the very similar R. pinicolana rather than L. formosana...very similar but I have had formosana and it has a slightly different 'look' to it.

All the best,

Neil.

Hi Pauline

I agree with Neil in so much that it isn't R. formosana. Having had a closer look at the micro I think that it is R. pinicolana, but I'm not an expert on these micros.

Cheers

Maurice

Some very nice sightings there, Pauline - especially the 2nd brood Dingy! I trust you'll send these into the appropriate BC branch; I suspect that, over the long term, there's a trend toward an increasing number of 2nd broods for usually-univoltine species! Can't wait for the White Admiral 2nd brood

Cheers,

- Pete

Cheers Pete! I tend to agree

Thank you Maurice and Neil for help with ID's. Yesterday was a difficult day and with so little sleep I could hardly string a sentence together, let alone ID moths

With the weather being as it is (chucking it down here with some thunder!! ) it seems a good opportunity for an update on the Puss Moth so below are a selection of shots from the many which I took whilst recording their development through the various stages:
Perhaps even more interesting to me was to observe the start of the pupation process. The colour of the larva darkened extremely quickly over a couple of hours and it started to search the various bits of bark I had provided looking for a place to pupate, exploring each nook and cranny. I watched as it chewed the wood to create its protective casing but at that point I had to leave it for an hour. When I returned it was a case of job done. It had abandoned the earlier attempt and had created an almost invisible casing, unfortunately spanning 2 separate bits of wood:

Pauline wrote:Hi Janet, just like the Common Blue eggs, SSB eggs are tiny and can be very difficult to locate. Sometimes I even carry a hand lens with me! As for the Red Admiral eggs which were not laid on the leaf, I have circled the egg so that it is more obvious:

P2080780bd.jpg

Hi Pauline, sorry for the delay, I've just seen your reply - thanks for showing me where to look. Seems an odd place to lay the egg if the flower will be finished before the egg hatches - she must have been in a rush!

What a transformation! The varying colours are quite remarkable in that sequence, Pauline. Nature at its best.

A fantastic sequence of shots Pauline and a second brood Dingy as well - I'll be running out of Mr Greens

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I'd marked the spot Janet and went to check on it this afternoon but it looks like it has been flattened by a tractor

I couldn't agree more David - don't think I'll ever get bored of these mini miracles

Cheers Wurzel. Don't think I deserve the Mr Greens tho as I reckon I just got lucky

Having been sent some smashing shots of BH at Noar Hill there was nothing for it but to jump in the car and head for the Hill. After about an hour searching I was elated when I saw one but I was looking into the sun and was at an angle. I took a record shot anyway which was just as well because just as I moved into position for a perfectly posed butterfly a Gatekeeper sent it soaring off into the tree canopy:
A couple of moths disturbed during my search. After recent poor efforts I am reluctant to try to identify them but if pushed I'd say one was a Shaded Broad-bar and the other some sort of Footman, possibly Dingy, but definitely the same as the one that was in my bedroom the other night:
I don't think it's Scarce or Common, but hey, probably not even a Footman

Great that you got the Borstreak Pauline but I'm slightly disappointed that you didn't go to Shipton for it, I rely on your posts to let me know when they're flying there Is you moth a Buff Footman - it is a footman of some description

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I'll be there soon enough Wurzel but you should know that Mike G reported 5 males at SB on 18th and some smashing shots of male and females from Alan T yesterday. Get there pronto!

Well done with BH Pauline, I think it will be a search a Gait Barrow for me though Goldie

Hi Pauline

I would go with Dingy Footman for the moth.

Cheers

Maurice