Neil Freeman

[millerd]

Lots of variety within those Orange Tips, Neil - knowing how tricky it can be to get even one decent shot of this very mobile species, getting a contrasting array of them takes a bit of doing. The two Specklies both look darker than my local ones - much more like the later broods.

Cheers,

Dave

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Dave. It cooled down a bit later on Tuesday which certainly helped with those Orange-tips.

I have noticed over the past few years that I get a good variety of Speckled Wood here with some spring ones, like you say, looking like later brood examples.

Wednesday 15h April.
I had to pop out in the morning to pick up some tablets for my mom from her local pharmacy and then drop them round for her. This was done with all the social distancing measures that have now become normal practice, that is, queuing up on lines outside the pharmacy and only one at a time allowed inside. Then going onto my mom's, I dropped the bag inside her front door as she stood back a bit inside her entrance hall before we had a bit of a chat whilst I stood half way up her driveway. Strange times indeed.

Back home later, it was turning out similar to the previous day albeit a few degrees warmer. Once again I pottered about in the garden and kept an eye out for whatever passed through. With the return to warmer temperatures, the butterflies today were back in highly mobile mode and the only ones settling regularly were a couple of Speckled Wood and even then they would quickly close their wings.

Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 15.04.2020

At one point during the early afternoon I was watching a male Brimstone that had already been around a couple of times,when he dropped down. I quickly grabbed my camera and just had time for one shot before he was off again. Looking at the photo afterwards, it appears that a blossom petal had attracted his attention.

Brimstone male - Coverdale 15.04.2020

A little later a male Green-veined White stopped for a brief refuel on a dandelion...

Green-veined White male - Coverdale 15.04.2020

...and a male Orange-tip did likewise at a violet growing in the lawn.

Orange-tip male - Coverdale 15.04.2020

A female Holly Blue also stopped briefly, this being only the third one I have seen so far this year, all in the garden with none yet on my exercise walks.

Holly Blue female- Coverdale 15.04.2020

Later in the afternoon, I was just thinking that I had yet to see a female Orange-tip when one flew up the garden - I'll have to try that again,hmm!, (thinks hard) I haven't seen a Large Tortoiseshell in the garden yet - nope, hasn't worked yet.

Not only did the female Orange-tip apparently appear out of my mind, but she dropped down and posed nicely.

Orange-tip female- Coverdale 15.04.2020

Also seen in the garden today were a number of Small Whites and singles of Comma and Peacock.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Neil, your Garden is fantastic like your shots, I'd love to see a Holly Blue in my Garden but they don't usually put in an early appearance and when they do it's a real effort to get a shot although last year they enjoyed the Marjoram in the Garden and I managed a few. Goldie

[Wurzel]

Lovely shots Neil especially the Green-veined White and the female OT Good luck getting the Large Tort, I hope you get some great shots

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Lovely underside shot of the Speckled Wood, Neil. I like the Holly Blue as well, probably due to the unusual angle which sort of makes it look like a painting.

[Neil Freeman]

Hi! Neil, your Garden is fantastic like your shots, I'd love to see a Holly Blue in my Garden but they don't usually put in an early appearance and when they do it's a real effort to get a shot although last year they enjoyed the Marjoram in the Garden and I managed a few. Goldie

Thanks Goldie I have only seen three Holly Blues so far, all in the garden, and that was the first one that stopped and then only briefly.

Lovely shots Neil especially the Green-veined White and the female OT Good luck getting the Large Tort, I hope you get some great shots

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel. Unfortunately I reckon the Large Tort will have to remain in dreamland

Lovely underside shot of the Speckled Wood, Neil. I like the Holly Blue as well, probably due to the unusual angle which sort of makes it look like a painting.

Thanks David That was the only shot of the Holly Blue that I had time for before she was off again.


Thursday 16th April.

I went out for my exercise walk today (Thursday) around mid morning, once again heading for the rough ground by my local park. It was another beautiful morning with the sun shining from clear blue skies and the first butterflies that I saw, a couple of patrolling unidentified whites, looked to be already fully warmed up.

I spent around 45 minutes here during which I saw slightly fewer numbers of Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks as on previous occasions, with most of these now looking well past their best with just one or two looking not too bad. Not surprising really, as with the weather we have had recently they will have been fully active on most days since emerging from hibernation.

Peacock - Wagon Lane 16.04.2020

A couple of male Speckled Woods were holding territories and as usual chasing off anything else that came into their field of view. One of them had what looks like a bird strike at one of the hind wing eye-spots showing their value as a defensive measure.

Speckled Wood - Wagon Lane 16.04.2020

Numbers of whites have increased here with one or two almost constantly in view, mostly too far away for definite ID but a few settled briefly and enabled me to positively ID a couple each of Small and Green-veined. I've still not yet seen a Large White this year.

I reckon I saw at least three different male Orange-tips on patrol and one of them stopped on a patch of garlic mustard just long enough for me to grab a photo.

Orange-tip Wagon Lane 16.04.2020

I searched the garlic mustard for eggs without success but then again I have not yet seen a female Orange-tip here. I'll have to come back next week for another look.

Back home again later, I did the now usual session in the garden with occasional bouts of pottering about interspersed with periods of just sitting there and watching what came along.

Today, I identified three different male Speckled Woods along with two females that came wandering through.

Speckled Wood male #1 - Coverdale 16.04.2020

A different shot of same male as above.

Speckled Wood female #1 - Coverdale 16.04.2020

Speckled Wood female #2 - Coverdale 16.04.2020

One of the males took a liking to the bright orange plastic of a toy play table that is there for when we have the grand kids round, although at the moment it is anybodies guess when they may be able to come round again.

Speckled Wood male #2 - Coverdale 16.04.2020

Another of the males had suffered a bird strike which again showed the value of those hind wing eye spots.

Speckled Wood male #3 - Coverdale 16.04.2020

From mid afternoon onwards some high level cloud moved in which slowed the Orange-tips down a bit with at least two different males once again showing the value of the bowles mauve plants.

Orange-tip - Coverdale 16.04.2020

Orange-tip - Coverdale 16.04.2020

Orange-tip - Coverdale 16.04.2020

A few Small Whites and at least one Green-veined White also passed though but no other species today.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

More lovely shots Neil - especially like the Specklie on the orange background/toy I guess we'll know more in three weeks time Neil though I'm not sure whether we'll be any closer to the 'exit' then - I saw someone liken it today to: "right we've opened the parachute and slowed down a lot so now we can do without the parachute"

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Orange Tips reaching their apogee now, Neil, and you have caught that one superbly on the bowles mauve. Beautiful contrast in colour.

[Neil Freeman]

More lovely shots Neil - especially like the Specklie on the orange background/toy I guess we'll know more in three weeks time Neil though I'm not sure whether we'll be any closer to the 'exit' then - I saw someone liken it today to: "right we've opened the parachute and slowed down a lot so now we can do without the parachute"

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel, I saw that comment somewhere as well. That's the problem, we all want to return to normal but doing so too quickly could undo all the sacrifices people have made.

Orange Tips reaching their apogee now, Neil, and you have caught that one superbly on the bowles mauve. Beautiful contrast in colour.

Thanks David, I rather like that colour combo myself. A few more coming up.


Friday 17th April.

The forecast wasn't looking good for today with lots of cloud heading our way along with rain later in the afternoon, although in truth the rain would be welcome as we hadn't had much for a couple of weeks now and things were beginning to look very dry.

As it happened, after a cool and blustery start, during which we had a bit of drizzle, things brightened up for about an hour or so around mid morning and the sun made a few feeble attempts to break through.
This was just enough for me to see a male Orange-tip fluttering around the bowles mauve plants and occasionally flying around the garden, but not looking like he had any inclination to wander far.
The next few shots are all of this one individual, after all, it is often said that you cannot have too many photos of Orange-tips

Orange-tip - Coverdale 17.04.2020

Orange-tip - Coverdale 17.04.2020

Orange-tip - Coverdale 17.04.2020

Orange-tip - Coverdale 17.04.2020

At one point a second male Orange-tip, looking a bit more weather beaten, flew in but was chasesd away from the bowles mauve by the first one. This second one settled further down the garden for a bit until the clouds thickened up again and they both disappeared over the neighbours gardens.

Orange-tip - Coverdale 17.04.2020

These were the only two butterflies seen today as, true to the forecast, the clouds grew thicker and it turned quite cold for the rest of the day. The rain arrived later and came down quite heavily during the night and then continued on and off until mid morning on Saturday.

The rest of Saturday saw us sitting under a thick blanket of grey cloud and it remained quite chilly all day.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[bugboy]

Wonderful Orange-tips, I feel like I need to put my sunglasses on to cope with that colour combo with the Bowles Mauve!

[Wurzel]

"it is often said that you cannot have too many photos of Orange-tips" definitely when they're in fine fettle like the first one , mind you the second? Yeah he'll still do

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Wonderful Orange-tips, I feel like I need to put my sunglasses on to cope with that colour combo with the Bowles Mauve!

Thanks Buggy. I wear prescription specs with a 'reactolite' type coating, probably a good job with these colours

"it is often said that you cannot have too many photos of Orange-tips" definitely when they're in fine fettle like the first one , mind you the second? Yeah he'll still do

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Indeed Wurzel, it is difficult to beat a fresh male Orange-tip


Sunday 19th April

A much better day than yesterday. The weather returned to mostly clear blue skies and constant sun, I say mostly because later in the morning some high level cloud built up which hid the sun occasionally but this had dissipated again by early afternoon. There was also a bit of a cool breeze which knocked the temperature down a bit but for the most part it was a reasonably warm day.

I spent most of the day doing the now usual mixture of pottering about around the house and garden and keeping an eye out for whatever turned up.

Today's butterflies included a couple of male Orange-tips, one of which was a lovely crisp fresh example.

Orange-tip - Coverdale 19.04.2020

A single female Orange-tip was only the second female I have seen so far.

Orange-tip female - Coverdale 19.04.2020

A few whites came wandering through but the only ones that settled and were definitely identified were a couple of Small Whites.

Small White male - Coverdale 19.04.2020

Small White male - Coverdale 19.04.2020

Two male Speckled Woods were set up at opposite ends of the garden and one of them took to settling regularly on the flower spikes of a lilac bush. I don't think he was nectaring on these, just using them as a perching spot.

Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 19.04.2020

A Comma flew in at one point and spent some time around the bowles mauve plants, providing a more subdued (just) colour combo than the Orange-tips.

Comma - Coverdale 19.04.2020

Comma - Coverdale 19.04.2020

A single Holly Blue also came fluttering in and did a circuit of the garden shrubs but stayed at high level and didn't settle before departing.

A bit of a lazy day really, I did think about having a walk to my local park but was quite enjoying myself in the garden and never went out in the end. In truth, I see the same species in my garden as I would see there although the Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks have been in much larger numbers down by the park. Also, the only Holly Blues I have seen so far, just 4 with today's, have all been in my garden.

I have been stuck on nine species for a bit now, no Large White yet and no Red Admiral although it would be unusual for me to see the latter around here before June.

Up until now I have been seeing all the usual spring butterflies that I would see in any normal year. Small Copper, Common Blue and Small Heath will be flying soon and should all be possible within walking distance for me. Brown Argus is also possible but is very hit and miss locally.

Green Hairstreak, Dingy and Grizzled Skipper and Small Blue are all species that I need to travel further afield around Warwickshire to see, so it looks like these will be the first ones I will be missing this year.
DoB, PBF and SPBF also require longer trips but these are species that I don't usually catch up with every year anyway.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Beautiful shots Neil - that Comma and the Specklie practically fly out of the screen All too soon we're going to get to the time when we start missing out on certain species but with your garden as productive as it is should go some way to compensate

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Fantastic shots Neil, those Orange Tip shots really stand out, I'm eager to see what your Garden will produce next. Goldie

[David M]

Beautiful colour contrasts once again, Neil.

What are you doing to make normally restless Orange Tips so content to sit so well in your garden?

[Neil Freeman]

Beautiful shots Neil - that Comma and the Specklie practically fly out of the screen All too soon we're going to get to the time when we start missing out on certain species but with your garden as productive as it is should go some way to compensate

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel. From what I have seen recently, it looks like I will be missing some pretty soon but you are right, the garden certainly helps.

Fantastic shots Neil, those Orange Tip shots really stand out, I'm eager to see what your Garden will produce next. Goldie

Thanks Goldie. I reckon the garden will be producing more of the same for a little while.

Beautiful colour contrasts once again, Neil.

What are you doing to make normally restless Orange Tips so content to sit so well in your garden?

Thanks David. All I am doing most of the time is just watching and waiting. The cool breeze over the past few days has helped.


Monday 20th April.

After the clear and cold nights we are having, it takes a while for the sun to take the chilliness out of the air but by 10.00ish it was feeling pleasant enough for a walk down to my local park although a cold and blustery wind from the east was blowing

The first butterfly that I saw was a male Speckled Wood in the usual spot in a gap between two hedges, a different individual to the previous times I have checked this spot. In fact the past three times I have looked here, there has been a different male each time.

Speckled Wood male - Wagon Lane 20.04.2020

The last time I had been here was last Thursday and I was struck by the difference that a few days and a good bit of rain over the weekend had made with everything looking much 'greener'.
The nettle beds had put on a spurt of growth and were still playing host to at least a dozen Small Tortoiseshells. As the morning warmed up these were becoming more active but the blustery wind would have them diving into the nettles and nearby bramble patches for shelter. As mentioned in a previous post, most of these are looking worn and faded now but a few are still in good condition and one particular individual was looking particularly vibrant.

Small Tortoiseshell - Wagon Lane 20.04.2020

Due to the way that Orange-tip males patrol over large circuits, I always find it difficult to accurately count them. In the past, I have taken photos of what I have thought were different butterflies in different parts of a site, which the photos have later shown to actually be the same individual. Nevertheless, I reckon that by watching differences in their circuits and the timing of when they came around, that there were at least four males flying here this morning. They were already in full mobile mode but every now and then a cool gust of wind would catch one and it would go down into the vegetation.

Orange-tip - Wagon Lane 20.04.2020

One individual was particularly well marked with dark scales extending along the leading edge of his forewings.

Orange-tip - Wagon Lane 20.04.2020

Around a dozen or so other whites were seen, amongst which I managed to confirm a couple of Smalls and at least one Green-veined. Still no Large Whites here yet.

Just one male Brimstone was seen and he seemed to be flying more weakly and more 'fluttery' than usual. A gust of wind sent him down into a bramble patch where I managed to get a couple of photos of him. This showed that he had some damage to the leading edge of his forewings which no doubt accounted for his weaker looking flight. Nevertheless, he was soon off again and seemed to be coping well enough.

Brimstone - Wagon Lane 20.04.2020

Back home in the afternoon, the conditions remained much the same with the sun shining strongly but with the cold wind knocking the temperature down a bit. As in the morning the gusts of wind would cause any passing butterfly to go to ground with a Green-veined White being the first one of the afternoon that I saw this happen with.

Green-veined White - Coverdale 20.04.2020

Green-veined White - Coverdale 20.04.2020

A Small White was also cooled down by the wind and spread his wings wide to warm up again.

Small White - Coverdale 20.04.2020

A male Orange-tip proved a classic case of using photos to identify individuals. During the afternoon, the impression had been that two or three males had been passing through, but I managed to get record shots practically every time and checking these afterwards proved that today it was just the one individual coming round on repeated circuits.

Orange-tip - Coverdale 20.04.2020

He also managed to find the only Herb Robert flower that has opened so far. These are a favourite of Orange-tips and I let them self seed over most of the garden specifically for this reason, although the straggly plants can spread everywhere and become a bit of a nuisance if left unchecked.

Orange-tip - Coverdale 20.04.2020

The male Specklies were nowhere to be see today, perhaps a bit too blustery in their favourite spots for them. Later in the afternoon however, a female did come wandering though, keeping low down out of the worst of the breeze.

Speckled Wood female - Coverdale 20.04.2020

So then, a Speckled Wood was the first butterfly of the day (at Wagon Lane) and a Speckled Wood was also the last (in the garden).

It looks like the rest of the week is going to remain dry with the wind dropping and temperatures rising up until Thursday. I suppose that one good thing about this 'lock down' and being on furlough is that I am not moaning about being stuck in work and missing the best of the weather. If truth be told I am having my best start to the season for many a year.

Bye for now and stay safe,

Neil.

[bugboy]

Lovely selection of springtime butterflies. That male Orange-tip is a very striking individual, an ab. costaenigrata if I'm not mistaken

[Wurzel]

That aberrant is a real gem Neil - even more stunning than a normal male OT if that was possible

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Another desirable line-up there, Neil. It's unusual to see Brimstones with chunks missing from their wings - I wonder how that one suffered such damage?

The Orange Tip with the dark costa is a standout; I don't think I've ever seen one like that.

As you say, the recent rain has refreshed the landscape and your Small Tortoiseshell image oozes that verdant return which comes from a bit of precipitation. Much as I complain about conditions in south Wales, I'd much rather have fresh looking foliage than arid, parched landscapes.

[Neil Freeman]

Lovely selection of springtime butterflies. That male Orange-tip is a very striking individual, an ab. costaenigrata if I'm not mistaken

Thanks Bugboy, and for the ID of the Orange-tip ab. He certainly stood out a bit

That aberrant is a real gem Neil - even more stunning than a normal male OT if that was possible

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel. Even in flight he looked bit different, slightly darker, which was what attracted my attention to him as he flew past.

Another desirable line-up there, Neil. It's unusual to see Brimstones with chunks missing from their wings - I wonder how that one suffered such damage?

The Orange Tip with the dark costa is a standout; I don't think I've ever seen one like that.

As you say, the recent rain has refreshed the landscape and your Small Tortoiseshell image oozes that verdant return which comes from a bit of precipitation. Much as I complain about conditions in south Wales, I'd much rather have fresh looking foliage than arid, parched landscapes.

Thanks David. I have seen Brimstones with damage to the trailing edges of their hindwings but that is the first time I have seen it like that. A bird strike perhaps?

That was the first time I have seen an Orange-tip like that too.


I ended up being a bit busy mid-week so must get my next report (from Tuesday) done while I can still remember what I did on what day, they are all tending to blur together at the moment.

Cheers,

Neil.