www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Even more cracking Pearls Trevor - the first of the latest batch looks really well marked - enough for a 'melanistic' or ab? Keep 'em coming

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Very nice, Trevor. You're lucky to have them so close to your home (my nearest colony is 60 miles away)

Usually, I see plenty abroad but I doubt we'll be allowed to travel before their season is over. Shame really, and it reinforces just how fragmented the populations of certain species are in this country.

Thanks, Wurzel & David,

Yes, David PBF populations are fragmented, they don't seem to disperse very far,
if at all. If their habitat becomes unsuitable they die out rather than move on,
or so it would seem. Luckily the two sites near me are well cared for.

This morning I watched two female Brimstones on an egg laying mission.
Once I realised what they were up to, and had got my eye in, I found an egg
on the underside of every Alder Buckthorn leaf they visited, the depositing
of an egg is a very quick process, with the Butterfly hardly pausing at all.

Trevor.

PS Plenty more to come.......

Also today I found two new species for this season.
The hoped for Green Hairstreak did not appear, but a Grizzled Skipper,
and a Dingy Skipper were adequate compensation.
However the images obtained come under the ' must do better ' category.
A couple of frisky Peacocks added the the variety today.

Trevor.

More to come..

Good to see the two skippers, Trevor - more species I am highly likely to miss this year unfortunately. The Grizzlie seems to have a slight touch of the taras about it too!

Cheers,

Dave

And finally for today, The Pearl Bordered Fritillaries from this morning.

Enjoy,
Trevor.

Very nice again, Trevor. That last one definitely seems to have had a bit of extra black ink spilt on it - distinctly darher than average.

Cheers,

Dave

I thought the hind wings had a touch of Art Nouveau about them Dave.

One of the access points into Abbots Wood crosses a large clear felled area.
I have often crossed this area into the Woods but never explored it.
In my search for Green Hairstreaks I thought that the periphery of the area
might be a good area to search.
That was until I quickly found a Grizzled Skipper, and then another. Suddenly
my quest was diverted into a Grizzly hunt, over the huge area I eventually
found about ten.
On the way back to the road I spotted the unmistakable flight of a Green Hairstreak,
but had much trouble waiting for it to settle for a few images. It soon became
obvious that it had a torn wing, but to me this didn't matter as it was my first
one of this year, so I convinced myself that the tear added character to the Butterfly!.

That might be it for a few days, as rain is forecast.
Trevor.

Great sets of shots Trevor I had one day off from UKB and you wen 'post happy' mind you with those species seen and photographed no-one can blame you Interesting Grizzlie your first one...if it's not a ab.taras then it could be an ab.intermediata

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Lovely shots of the Grizzlies, Trevor - they are really fresh at the moment and look perfectly splendid. Worth at least and probably more!

Cheers,

Dave

Well done with the two 'G's', Trevor. Yes, the weather has finally called time but we need the rain, and in all honesty whilst we remain in lockdown it may as well go bleak for a short while so as to hold things back for better times.....which I hope will arrive soon.

I will be offline for a while, my laptop is not charging.
So how long before I can get it repaired, who knows!.

Here's one from yesterday.

Hopefully back soon.
Trevor.

Very nice to see those Pearls, Trevor, and the Grizzlies, those are two that I will miss out on this year, as will others on this forum At least we can enjoy them through your lovely photos

All the best,

Mike.

Cracking Large White Trevor I hope you can get your laptop sorted Mine hasn't taken charge now for almost 18 months - I just use it plugged in

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Cheers Mike and Wurzel.

With a laptop about to run out of power, I occupied myself with a few chores.
I had a model locomotive to repair. While searching for my miniature screwdrivers,
I came across an old charger, what it was for I can't remember, but the plug fitted
the computer, I switched it on expecting nothing or a loud bang!.
But it worked, and charges up very slowly, so all seems OK for now.

Hopefully the power problem was a temporary blip,

Stay well everyone,
Trevor.

Good to see your problems seem to have been fixed, Trevor.

Love the Large White....and the Grizzlies.

This morning I reaped the rewards of an early start, over in Abbots wood.
The Sun had yet to win over the cool breeze, and the few PBF flying were
making frequent stops to bask. Higher up the slope it was even cooler, and
just right for some very approachable Pearls. Two females modelled for my lens,
and even closed up several times as well as basking with wings fully open.

The Green Hairstreak was on the menu as well, having failed to find them
in previous visits to one of their hotspots, and with patience two were seen.

Happy with my haul I headed for home, only to find a Grizzled Skipper near the road.

An excellent morning,
Trevor.

Pearls, Green Hairstreaks and a Grizzled skipper - you've hit the jackpot there Trevor.

Many thanks, Katrina. Unlike life at the moment, everything was perfect
yesterday morning, ie. weather, photo opps and locating the Green Hairstreaks.

Stay safe and well,
Trevor.