Thanks Pauline. That's high praise coming from someone who takes pictures like yours! I only took up ladybirds when the new field guide, illustrated by Lewington, came out, but even as a newbie I could see that particular larva was weird. Only on looking more closely did I realise that was because it was only half dressed.
Thanks Wurzel. Green hairstreaks seem to exist at a much lower density in Suffolk than I am used to on the continent. Given that at two sites I've only seen one individual, despite several visits looking for them, I suspect they might be under-reported here.
Yes David -
humedasae is locally common but with a strong emphasis on 'locally'. There are basically two places in the world where you can see it, and they're not very far apart!
Thanks Kev. Yes, painted ladies are arriving in good numbers and should put on a strong show in late summer.
I've had very little time to keep this diary up to date. Undoubtedly, the most notable sightings since my last post were the Ipswich little blues (thanks to Kev). Other than that, the emergence of meadow browns over the last few days has marked definitively the transition from spring to summer, as has the steady increase in hawkers and chasers. One of my orange tip caterpillars is now almost full grown and one other is in fifth instar. All the others that I particularly had my eye on have gone awol, mostly presumed dead.
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2019/minimus17jun2019d.jpg)
(little blue)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2019/jurtina18jun2019a.jpg)
(meadow brown)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2019/cardaminescat12jun2019b.jpg)
(a perfectly camouflaged orange tip caterpillar in the rain)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2019/cardui17jun2019a.jpg)
(painted lady)
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2019/axyridis14jun2019a.jpg)
(a spotless harlequin ladybird, form
succinea)
That last harlequin means I've now found all the common colour forms of the species in my garden:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2019/axyridisforms14jun2019a.jpg)
(OK - the third one was in my house, but I presume it flew in from the garden)
On a cloudy day I found this lovely teneral female blue-tailed damselfly ...
... and today this teneral male common blue damselfly:
Neither very good photos (my sister's dog sabotaged the second) but really lovely, almost pearly colours on both.
Broad bodied chasers have joined the four spots:
Guy