Pauline

[David M]

Shame about the Tortoiseshell, Pauline, but you've restored the balance between good and evil with your sequence of another Brimstone emerging into the adult world.

Been a few who have missed out on the actual moment of emergence in pupae they have been following lately so it's nice to see your timing was spot on.

[Goldie M]

WoW!! Pauline, lovely photos and your right, it's a Blond Bomb shell Lot's of hair Your lucky to have them in your Garden, it's still raining here, over a week since I was able to get any shot's
My Daughter should arrive here Thursday then we're off ( Fingers crossed) Goldie

[Pauline]

Thank you David -

so it's nice to see your timing was spot on

You know just how much I enjoy sitting for hours with the will to live slowly ebbing away

Ahh, thank you M. - that's great news. Get your bags packed and enjoy!

I'm getting bored of this wind now so just a few shots from the garden today:

There are several Brimstones around here now and I am sure they are the garden-bred ones. They have skillfully hidden away from the heavy showers spending the night inches from the ground in the rockery:

Great camouflage. Same butterfly, same place, different angle:

Different butterfly, different plant, about one foot away:

First time I've managed a shot of either of these this season:

There were 8 species (that I saw) in the garden today. The others were Comma, Holly Blue, Ringlet and Meadow Brown but I didn't have the time and/or the opportunity to take shots of them.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Pauline, you got your Green Veined White at last Lovely shots, I've still to see a Holly Blue, may be this week-end Goldie

[Pauline]

It was a long wait Goldie!

I thought I'd do things a little differently this year. Instead of my long summary at the end of my season I have decided to do a series of mini reviews at appropriate intervals. Prompted by Jack's query last season regarding my reared species I decided to look back over the last 10 years at my rearing activities. I have selected a few shots from the thousands of photos I have taken of some of those species I have enjoyed rearing (some more than once!). I am afraid the quality of the images does vary but at least it is good to know I have made some photographic improvement over the last decade!

[Pauline]

No Chalkhills yet on my local patch even tho' I usually see them between 4-6 July, but how could I complain when the number of species flying was into double figures despite persistent drizzle. White, Blue, Brown and everything in between kept me entertained. 2nd brood Common Blue very much in evidence:

The highlight of my visits to this site however, are hearing and seeing the Turtle Doves - very difficult to photograph as they are usually well hidden and very wary. I did manage a couple of very long distance shots:

so it is just as well I have 'one I prepared earlier' taken in my garden a few years back:

Driving home, a very fast, very expensive looking car passed me and as it disappeared into the distance I noticed the number plate was Y 5AVE - made me smile!

[Pauline]

A week or so ago I was looking at the last of the WLH when I noticed a fly that looked half fly and half ladybird. I have only just had time to look it up as I have never seen one before but unsurprisingly it is called a Ladybird Fly. Apparently they are parasitic on Shieldbugs and can be found on sandy soil in Sussex, Surrey and Kent. However, this one was most definitely in Hants:

[essexbuzzard]

Plenty of colours there,Pauline! Congratulations on seeing and hearing turtle doves, too. They can still be found near the Essex Coast, but have disappeared from inland Essex where I live. So you get one of these.

[Pauline]

Hi Mark

they're lovely little Doves aren't they. Until about 3 years ago I used to have a pair come into the apple tree in my garden - just for a few days each year.

[Pauline]

Thank you Dave for your generosity in giving me such explicit directions to where you saw that Ab. I really needed a change of scene as I have been getting really quite stressed at bumping into collectors at every turn lately. It must be about 3 years since I have been to Denbies. I'd almost forgotten how good it is even on a day like this - overcast with some drizzle, a fair breeze and very few bright spells in the 90 mins I was there. I have never been to that particular area before and I didn't stray from it as 15 species were on the wing here. As you predicted there were loads of Skippers, Marbled Whites and I saw the DGF but as usual my shots of the DGF were rubbish. I managed to get up close whilst it was nectaring but that strong breeze made it impossible in such an exposed area. Brown Argus, Common Blue and Small Heath were a few of the others - but I didn't see your Comma. I did however see my first Gatekeeper of the season and I was convinced it was your Ab - it wasn't! A brown moth had me fooled on more than one occasion so I grabbed a quick shot so I can find out what it is. Naturally I concentrated on the Small Coppers and I gave up counting at about a dozen. On such a dull day I had expected them to be roosting sedately on blades of grass, but no, they were zooming around, holding territories from ant hills and even indulging in a bit of courtship. I took as many shots as I could just to try to identify how many different ones there were. Surprisingly I didn't see a single Chalkhill Blue. Overall, it was a smashing change and you will be relieved to know that I didn't spot a Large Tortoiseshell . A few shots below:

[meiga]

Hi Pauline
Your moth is a Shaded Broad-bar

Maurice

[Wurzel]

Cracking set of shots Pauline - is that Common Blue an aberrant - it looks much paler, almost washed out compared to those I'm used to seeing and the fringes look in too good a condition for it to be because its worn?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Just love those galleries from a couple of posts back, Pauline. First class!

[millerd]

I'm glad you had a good day at Denbies, Pauline, despite not finding that Copper ab. There seem to have been a few of the normal sort around, though.

And on the subject of abs... As Wurzel mentions, that Common Blue looks like one: ab. flavescens, which has pale yellowish lunules on the underside instead of the usual orange. It's clearly not worn (it has lovely fresh fringes), and those lunules look a delicate lemon colour. It looks quite pale overall - I wonder what the upperside looked like. Though I don't think it's an especially uncommon ab., it's still a nice thing to find.
Cheers,

Dave

[Katrina]

Great shots despite the weather. Well done on the common blue ab!. The Small Copper in the flower is a lovely shot too.

[Pauline]

Really good to hear from you Maurice and thanks for the ID which has probably saved me about an hour's work. Hope all is OK with you (lost your contact details since your move).

Hi Dave, Wurzel - I had put that Common Blue down as a first brood because it was so pale but happy to take your word for it. Just assumed it had taken good care of itself I can tell you what the upper side was like as I saw it fly away - just a very vibrant normal blue. Y'never know Dave - I might just be back

I'm pleased you liked them David - I enjoyed doing them. I could have done loads more but ..............perhaps some other time

Thank you Katrina. Don't ever let the weather stop you

[Pauline]

Hey, I have my first Duke pupa! I wonder if this will help me locate one in the wild as I have been looking for years without success - we'll see!

[Pauline]

I thought I was seeing things today when I stumbled across this pink Grasshopper

[millerd]

The Duke pupa is a splendid looking thing. Those markings really stand out against the green, but I imagine in the wild down in the soil it would be beautifully camouflaged. Clearly enough to defeat your efforts at finding one! Still, it has to keep the butterfly safe right round to next April or May, which is pretty impressive.

Cheers,

Dave

[Allan.W.]

Love the pink grasshopper Pauline ! I think I remember Neil Hulme posting one very similar a while back ,I,ve been
lucky enough to see quite a few like yours,and even one which was nearly pure White...…………….. seems to be a lot of variation amongst them.
And good job with the Dukes ,I managed a couple to the pupal stage ,some years back ,but sadly ,mine never emerged ……...a real
sickener ! Regards Allan.W.