www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Some excellent Spring images from April, Andrew. The mating OT's especially.

Great stuff,
Trevor.

Andrew - Snap. I got my first mating pair of OTIps too this year. But you also got a great shot of a pair of Sm Coppers mating with wings open too. I've only ever seen that once and it was a few years ago. You got both these events in quick succession, lucky devil.

Thanks for those confirmations Wurzel. Yes the OT is odd, the crease looks as if some kind of folding or pinching has occurred. However it happened it didn't stop him going about his business.

Thanks David. Same for me tbh. I never seem to see that many of them.

Cheers Trevor, I was really chuffed to find them!

Well done Ernie. 'Tis true, I have had a lucky Spring!

28th April 2019 - High and Over & Abbots Wood

I saw my first Wall Brown on the 22nd April, just the one. So I returned to High and Over a week later to see how things were coming along.


Straight away I found this male basking on one of the seats at the view point.
At one point he fluttered down into some long vegetation, so I got him onto my finger and lifted him up to the light.
There were sunny spells but it was still quite cool when the sun went in. A bit of recharging when it reappeared, and then he was off again.
One last pose on the edge of a seat, what a cracking butterfly!
Moving along to the field edge I saw half a dozen more males, most in tidy condition.
The view looking southeast across the River Cuckmere flowing to Cuckmere Haven. Friston Forest is on the left, and ahead is one end of the Seven Sisters white cliffs.
Fast foward to the afternoon and Abbots wood, only a short drive away, the target was Pearl-bordered Fritillary. There I found John W and we teamed up in our search. After a while we managed to locate a single male and counted ourselves lucky, as the sunny spells had been replaced by a blanket of grey.

We both got our fill of shots, he even briefly showed spread underwings, and departed very happy.
Cheers.

Andrew - It must be great to live close to a location where you can just stick your finger out and a Wall climbs on.
I particularly like the shot of the Wall on the edge of the seat with the uncluttered background.

Flipping hell Andrew you've just completed the impossible - a Wall in the hand I have a collection of 'in the hand shots' and that's the one that I never even think about getting Lovely other shots as well but a Wall in the hand?!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Impressive feat, Andrew! I’d have said Wall Brown was amongst the trickiest of UK butterflies to coax onto the hand like that. The one I saw yesterday wouldn’t let me get within 10 feet of it, even though it was only around 11 degrees!

You've also done a job with the Pearl Bordered Fritillaries. This too can be a difficult species (the males at least) so top marks for capturing them so well.

Great Wall and Pearl shots, Andrew. How you coaxed a Wall onto your hand is beyond me!.

Trevor.

Many thanks Ernie, Wurzel, David and Trevor. I don't know what to tell you!, it just.. happened.
I think that Wall had missed the 'must be hard to approach' bit of it's job description.

Cheers

Amazing Andrew, the Wall on your hand, it took me all my time to get my shots of the Wall It was keeping to it's name flying up and down the wall Goldie

Tame Walls are not easy to come by, Andrew - quite an achievement. With that and that obliging PBF, it shows there are sometimes advantages to the weather being cooler and reducing butterfly activity levels.

Cheers,

Dave

Thanks Goldie, yes I usually have to chase them too. This was a welcome change!

I think you are spot on there Dave, the weather played a big part in both those encounters.

These are posted in the 'Identification' section of the forums, but I'll put them here as well so all my pics are in the same place. The first is from Saturday, the rest are older shots.

With the help of Allan W they are :

1. Birch Sawfly
2. Black-spotted Longhorn Beetle (Rhagium Mordax)
3. Treehopper (Centrotus cornutus)
4. Common Awl Robberfly

Interesting bugs Andrew I recognise the Beetle as in I've seen them myself before but I've not got a name for them

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hello Again Andrew ,
I think your bug is Black spotted Longhorn beetle (Rhagium Mordax ) , I daresay we,ll bump into each other over the summer ,somewhere down the line ! Regards Allan.W.

A Birch Sawfly! I would never have got that Andrew. I did recognise the Longhorn tho' as I've seen a few of those species. Lovely clear and interesting shots but I'm really looking forward to the Wood Whites

Just shows how many interesting critters there are amongst the butterflies. I'm afraid, though, that I haven't a clue what #2 is.

Wurzel, no worries, thanks for looking.

A Black-spotted Longhorn Beetle, brilliant! That's a clean sweep for you Alan! Thank you again.

Nor me Pauline. But it reminded me that I saw some caterpillars a couple of years ago that I id'd as Sawfly larva. Birch Sawfly larva! Pic below.
As for the Wood Whites I don't think I got anything special tbh. But I saw them and it was an enjoyable day out so it's all good.

There really are David. All identified now thanks to Alan.

I will hopefully finish off 2019's sightings now, late though they may be! Starting with May highlights.


A male Small Copper, and a gorgeous little female. Lullington Heath. A new Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly drying it's wings. Also Lullington Heath. Pearl-bordered Fritillary male, Abbots Wood. A Duke of Burgundy from Denge Wood. Some Wood Whites, Chiddingfold Forest. Cool conditions with sunny spells were perfect for capturing this Common Blue male as he opened up for the warmth. Kithurst Meadow. I enjoyed the many Small Blues at Hutchinson's Bank and also my first ever Glanville Fritillary. It was a great time at Park Heath Corner, seeing the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary and various familiar faces. I love a female Fritillary and such was my first sighting. Settling down for the evening. The famous abberation. A fresh Adonis Blue male at Mill Hill. Cheers.

Good to see you posting again, Andrew, with some lovely images from last year.
I was told about the SPBF ab. by various people, it had even been seen on a day
when I was there, but it was not seen again that day.

Hope to see you around this season ( when it starts! )
Trevor.