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Hoggers wrote:Hi B'Saurus, thanks for your message and kind comments. Much appreciated.

I've generally never found Small Coppers in great numbers except at Dungeness where, if the weather's been good, they thrive. Yesterday I must have seen 50-60 of them and that's just in a small area, not the whole site!

I always try to get a close up look at them not only because they're Little Crackers but because you can find the blue spotted ones and other varieties too. I had a look on the Small Copper section of our esteemed UKB site and found photos of one that our equally esteemed Wurzel had found, which had less in the way of black spotting on the fore-wings, so rather like the one I saw yesterday. There are other, sometimes extremely rare, aberrations too. So yes, well worth checking out.

As far as today's concerned, I didn't have long on my dog walk but did manage to see three Clouded Yellows.

P.S I'm still scrutinising EVERY White just in case it's a Helice! As you can easily imagine, my head is Spinning!

Cheers and Happy Butterflying!

Four or five years back Small Coppers were reasonably plentiful in my area however (possibly due to our string of awful summers since then) numbers appeared to crash through the floor thankfully they seem to be doing a little bit better this year. I hope that the trend continues, after all the Wall seems to be bouncing back quite well in my area after enduring a lengthy decline.

There used to be a cracking little site for Small Coppers & more close to home (about 4 years ago there were well in excess of 30 Small Coppers there) One day an electricity company came along and completely destroyed the site without the permission of the land owner! I was very upset about this needless destruction, it used to be great for Brown Argus and Common Blue as well. Unfortunately despite my hopes for a 'miraculous recovery' it has remained almost barren ever since.

I've been to Dungeness a couple of times (not for Butterflies) and it's wonderfully weird place to visit I really must get back there again soon.

I think you've still got a good change of finding a Helice CY, they should be around for a good while yet

Best

J

Very nice photos, the Small Coppers especially. The ones with blue spots are stunning There must still be quite an influx of Clouded Yellows, as we've seen lots of them at every coastal site we have visited recently and quite a few at inland sites too.

Mike

Thanks for your comments B'Saurus and Mike. I always look for the blue badged Small Coppers. I usually see them in the later broods, not the first of the year. Maybe that's simply because there are more Small Coppers in the second and third broods if it's a good year (as 2013 seems to be)? It always gives me a thrill when I find one. In a way I'm glad I've never found one of the really rare aberrations, the albino one for example, that Sussex Kipper uses on his posts:if I saw one of those I'd probably have a heart attack!

It's been impossible for me to go chasing butterflies these last few days and when I did manage to get out for awhile today it was overcast, windy and rather cool. Nonetheless, I did see a single male Clouded Yellow in the field where I walk my dogs, so they're still about. Maybe soon I can expect to see some newly emerged UK bred adults? If I do, I wonder if they'll be heading South?!

My garden is looking rather tired after the long hot Summer but I've still got Wallflower,Origanum,Hebe,Aster and Sedum in flower, together with the Buddleia, so I'm getting Large and Small Whites, a Small Tortoiseshell here and there and there's also a Speckled Wood too.

Today I planted some Allium bulbs in pots for next year and collected Garlic Mustard seed from this year's plants ,which I will plant in Spring.

At last I have some butterflies to put in my diary!

For what feels like weeks the sun has been lost to us down here in Kent. It's been cold,overcast and wet. It seemed that my 2013 Butterfly Season had come to an abrupt end.

But when I pulled back my bedroom curtains this morning I was astonished to see a big blue sky with the sun shining warmly. Very soon afterwards I had seen my first butterfly of the day, sunning itself below the eaves of my house A Comma.

Walking the hounds in the usual field I found the butterfly that I had most hoped to see (or most hoped that I hadn't seen the last of!): a Clouded Yellow I have now seen them in this field for three months in a row. As far as I'm concerned, that's pretty good going.

Also enjoying the sunshine was this Brown Argus And this Common Blue By noon the rain clouds were gathering. I decided to pop down to Dungeness with Brother Hoggles on the off chance that we might see some Small Coppers before the weather closed in.

It was very dull and windy when we arrived. A couple of Small Whites were being blown around near the Observatory but otherwise there was no butterfly activity whatsoever.

We therefore began rummaging around in the undergrowth looking for roosting butterflies and that's when we started to get lucky We found 17 Small Coppers all with wings shut tight and hanging on for dear life against the strengthening wind and rain.

This fine chap with the bright orange on the wing margins reminded me of shavings from a coloured pencil In addition to the Small Coppers we found several woolly Small Heaths He does look very bedraggled and disconsolate! But I hope he'll take some consolation from the fact that for me at least, he added a ray of sunshine to what was now a cold, grey and wet afternoon.

It's raining again as I write this and tomorrow it's Monday, which means being shut inside at work all week!

Still, I managed to see some butterflies today, so the Season isn't over just yet, and who knows, maybe the weather will turn kinder for the rest of September ( "season of mellow fruitfulness" and all that!)

Here's hoping!

Hoggers wrote:We therefore began rummaging around in the undergrowth looking for roosting butterflies and that's when we started to get lucky

We found 17 Small Coppers all with wings shut tight and hanging on for dear life against the strengthening wind and rain.

This fine chap with the bright orange on the wing margins reminded me of shavings from a coloured pencil

It's raining again as I write this and tomorrow it's Monday, which means being shut inside at work all week!

Still, I managed to see some butterflies today, so the Season isn't over just yet, and who knows, maybe the weather will turn kinder for the rest of September ( "season of mellow fruitfulness" and all that!)

Here's hoping!

Hi Hoggers

Your roosting Small Coppers are delightful and your imaginative comparison with a coloured pencil shaving is very apt I know how you feel about the weather, it has been raining here all afternoon as well, very autumnal. I am also trying not to think about work, but hoping for some sunshine soon

Hi Hoggers,

That Small Heath does look despondent

You managed to see more than me, the whole weekend was dull, damp and drizzly around here and like you I am stuck indoors at work again for the week. Fingers crossed for next weekend.

Cheers,

Neil F.

Hello Jack, I'm glad you enjoyed my Small Coppers and thank you for your kind words. Small Coppers are probably my favourite butterfly and there's a large colony of them at Dungeness that this year has absolutely thrived. It's a pleasure to go there on a sunny day and spend an hour or so watching them.

Hi Neil, yes, stuck at work. But the weather's so horrid I'm not missing much. I'm told there's hope for warmer weather at the weekend. I'd certainly like to see more butterflies before Winter!

Hoggers wrote: I'm told there's hope for warmer weather at the weekend. I'd certainly like to see more butterflies before Winter!

Temperatures in the mid 20s being forecast for next week! One more burst of activity hopefully before insect life battens down the hatches!

Seventeen Small Coppers must have been a delight I really hope the promised warmed spell arrives as forecast as like yourself I'm trapped at work and can't even make my stop offs

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi Wurzel, what with being at work all week I eagerly awaited the warmer weather forecast for this weekend so's I could go out chasing butterflies.

Well, yesterday was mild but overcast. Instead of going out I decided to do some gardening. I spent three hours on my knees planting out bulbs for next year (Alliums, Daffodils and Crocus.) But I did have several Small Whites, a Comma and a Speckled Wood come visit whilst I was there. I couldn't help thinking how quiet the garden was: lots of wind fall plums and not a butterfly on them, when last year I had crowds of drunken Red Admirals reeling around!

Once my chores for today were done I was free to set off for Dungeness. I wanted to see more Small Coppers.

Not so much as a glimpse of the sun as it was totally overcast, but by 11am it was warm and the butterflies were nipping about I saw at least 40 of these wonderful butterflies Many in spanking condition, including this cracker resplendent in his bright blue badges Feeding on a variety of flowers God Bless 'em, every one!

And like most other UKBer's, I was thrilled with the news of Long Tailed Blues that Sussex Kipper brings us. I saw one of the original migrants and was chuffed enough with that, but when I saw SK's jaw droppingly beautiful photos of the freshly emerged butterflies I felt as if I hadn't really seen the LTBs at all!

Well, St Margaret's is only 30 minutes away from me, so I'm planning to return: and soon!

Good luck to all who make the journey!

Cracking Small Coppers Hoggers Good luck with the LTs

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I agree with Wurzel Hoggers, a great series of Small Coppers there. I also intend to go looking for LTB's if only this miserable weather would give me half a chance!

Thanks for your comments guys, much appreciated.

It's a gorgeous day down here in Kent. I got home early and went straight out over the fields with the dogs. I saw a scattering of Small Whites but nothing more until this little chap appeared He's the first Small Copper I've seen in these fields this year I wish he'd stayed longer but after a precious minute of his time he was gone.

Back home there were 2 Commas on the Sedum that I planted in Spring and a Hummingbird Hawk Moth paid us a fleeting visit.

No less than four Commas in my garden today and all of them enjoying the flowers that I planted in Spring.

They were:

On the Sedum The Golden Buddleia On the Origanum And on the Verbena Very satisfying indeed.

A day off and the sun shining. I headed off to Dungeness for more Small Coppers (there's somewhat of a Small Copper Bonanza down there at the moment!)

Here they are,just regular guys hanging out I had to watch my step for fear of treading on them Still a few flowers out for them And I was able to get quite close Just as I was blundering about after the Coppers I flushed up what I immediately thought to be a Small White but quickly realised was something rather more interesting. Luckily for me, it settled A Clouded Yellow! But so much more pale than usual that I'd mistaken it for a White.

Had I at long last finally stumbled upon a helice?

I waited close by and when it flew I attempted to take some photographs I think it's a helice. I'd be very grateful to anyone out there if they could confirm my identification.

Not long after leaving this butterfly I came across another Clouded Yellow, this time a male I took some pictures of it flying But it soon settled again I'd feared that there'd be no more Clouded Yellows for me this year, so to have come across two this morning was wonderful ( and if, as I hope, I've actually seen a helice, I'll be over the moon!)

Walking back to the car I found this handsome Small Heath He looked so much happier than the rather woebegone chap I found here a couple of weeks ago It makes all the difference when the sun is shining!

Hi Hoggers. I think your female is helice too. I must admit I've never seen quite such a yellow individual, but given how fresh she is (from the first picture) if she's not helice then she's some rarer aberrant female. She's certainly out of the normal range of variation of female clouded yellows.

Maybe she's an aberrant helice ...

Guy

Many thanks,Guy, that's great news! I've been wanting to see a Helice ever since the Clouded Yellows started to arrive so I'm jolly pleased that one was kind enough to come and find me!

Fantastic Hoggers you found one, well done

Great stuff, Hoggers. That really is a most unusual CY.

Great shots of the Small Coppers Hoggers - they're one of those value for money species The is it/isn't it Helice certainly looks unusual the flight shot shows it as almost grey on the hind wings yet the fore wing looks more pale yellow Hope you get it identified/categorised.

Have a goodun

Wurzel