www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hi! Dave, I was exactly the same as you back then, I didn't take any interest in Butterflies at all then, even when I went up to the lakes and saw some, I could kick myself now

Since then I've managed to get 50 species and with just a few to go ,although having said that, butterflies seem to be renewing themselves over here like the Large Tortoiseshell One day hope fully Goldie

Lovely looking Holly Blues Goldie I'll keep an eye out for your East Blean sightings as I was thinking that it's about time that I paid the Heath Frits another visit

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi! Wurzel, It's so cold here it's unbelievable , there's an East Wind that blows through you not a round you and to top that no Sun to warm you up

I keep looking at the weather forecast and it says moderate breeze, I don't know where the moderate comes into it , I have to hold my car door to make sure when I get out it doesn't hit the car next to me Needless to say no Butterflies .

I'll have to wait until it gets a bit warmer I think to go back to East Blean, I'll let you know as soon has I see the Heath, right now I'm settling to get some cleaning and gardening done with a warm top on Goldie

"it says moderate breeze, I don't know where the moderate comes into it" - I know what you mean it's like when they say 'sunny intervals' and you get two 20 second sunny spells over an hour period I find it best to take the reports with a massive pinch of salt and sometimes just go for it

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi! Wurzel, things are looking up it was dark and cold here until 3pm then the Sun came out and the wind dropped a bit, lovely and warm in the Sun, I went outside into the garden and to my surprise there was a Red Admiral on my Boules Mauve, hope fully that's a joy of things to come

Also in the garden i've inherited a Peony, a lovely Iris,and what I call a Red Hot Poker Goldie

Love the velvety Red Admiral Goldie Hopefully the high pressure hanging around will mean an upturn in your fortunes

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Good to know the weather is warming up round your way, Goldie.

Been a bit of a surprise to me today getting back from the south of France to find Swansea is just as hot!!

Many thanks Wurzel and David, we'd a cold start to the day today, we can't seem to get rid of that cold wind, my Daughter rang me to go to Castle Park for lunch, because it was still cloudy and cold I agreed,( I took my camera just incase ,) glad I did, the Sun did come out for a couple of hours and I managed to get a few shots of the Red Admirals and a Speckie not for getting a couple of Holly blues.

I'm really pleased that things seem to be on the move, I just wish the clouds and cold winds would do the same If the weather is okay tomorrow Wurzel, I'll try East Blean Woods again , I rather think the Heath may be a bit late this year though, but you never know

I'll look forward to seeing shots from the South of France David Goldie

Some lovely shots there Goldie. It really was a good job you took your camera!

That Specklie is a lovely colour, thank you for sharing it!

Thank you Katrina and Trevor for your posts, I'm certainly glad I took my camera.

My Grandson has offered to take me to Blue Bell Hill ( weather permitting ) before I go I'd like to make sure the Grizzled Skippers are still flying if anyone knows I'd be pleased to hear from them, other wise it will be Temple Ewell Goldie

Hello Goldie ,
Good luck at Bluebell Hill ,hope you get lucky with a grizzle or two ! an update on the sites local to me (which you know ) practically nothing has been seen just the odd one here and there ,i,ve visited the "best" of the sections 4 times ,and have only seen Grizzles (3) on one visit ,and only found the first after over an hour of searching ,of the 3 ,2 were Taras and 1 "Normal" . Things are looking up on these sites though ,as the owner is trying to get the local Wildlife society on board to do some work on the sites overwinter .
As you know the weather here in Kent has been very hit and miss ,even when the suns shining the wind is still a problem .Dungeness is very quiet ,with VERY few butterflies about ,practically no Small Coppers ,certainly never thought it would be as bad as it is ! Also very few Grizzles reported at Dungeness .
On a brighter note ,i see that the Heath Frits are just starting to Show at East Blean ,so that should be worth a look in a week or so.
Also worth a mention 2 Swallowtails have been reported locally ,with 1 at St.Margarets ,and 1 in the downland above Folkestone .............St.Margarets /kingsdown may well be worth a visit !
Good Hunting ! Allan.W.

Thanks Allan, hopefully we'll see a Grizzled Skipper at Blue Bell Hill, my Daughter's coming along as well even if i don't at least I've given it a go

I went to East Blean Woods today and where I usually see the Heaths was very quiet, I didn't see one, nothing in the Car Park not even a White, I went to Seasalter after that, it was so windy there it blew my hat off Obviously some ones seen the Heath's but they're certainly not where they usually are. I'll take another look this week.

I'll see if I can get to St Margarets as well. At Seasalter I saw the Small Heath again , they looked to be checking me out also saw the Common Blue but again they were keeping a low profile , I saw two only.

You're certainly right about the weather here , that wind has certainly taken its toll, If you hear of any unusual Butterflies keep in touch Allan, it's good news the owner of the land doing some thing about it , let's hope it works and the Grizzlies come back in force

The Butterflies I saw today certainly looked wind blown and worn , lets hope that wind drops soon. Goldie

Lovely looking Common Blue Goldie and the markings on the Small Heath are cracking - so many eyes I feel like it's following me around the room

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Good luck with the Grizzlies, Goldie.

Fingers crossed!

Well today I went to Blue Bell Hill, thanks for your posts Wurzel and David, but it just wasn't to be, we walked a round the Hill and all that we saw flying were the Common Blue, Brown Argus and Speckies, my Grandson took his dog along the paths, he's very good for one so young and he was kept on a lead for much of the time so I can't blame the dog, the weather was very warm there and the wind quite warm , so I think the Grizzles there may have finished sooner than I thought, not to worry, my Grandson said he'll take me sooner next year, ( all Being well ).

The view from the top of the hill is lovely I just had to take a shot of it all in all it was a good day out with family, a bit disappointing but that's life,
you win some you lose some We ended up with a pub lunch and a good natter, Goldie

At least you tried, Goldie. And you know how to get there for next year. Mid May is probably most reliable.

Thanks essex, It's just one of those things, lucky or unlucky like you say, next year mid May.

I was going to do wonders today but I waited for the Sun which didn't appear until 3ish so my adventure to Temple Ewell which I planned didn't come off.

It was cold again and windy and I decided to stay and cut the grass, when the the Sun did appear so did the Holly Blue, I managed to get a shot of one in the Rockery, they do seem to like being upside down these days. a bit like me Goldie

That's such a typical Holly Blue, Goldie! They do seem to like being upside down when nectaring - I've got loads of photos of them doing this... I wonder why they do it?

Cheers,

Dave

Hi! Dave, I don't know why they do it but they certainly look cute don't they

Today was my lucky day, I went to East Blean Woods with my Daughter and I found one Heath Fritillary in the patch I'd looked at before One and only one was the count of the day, we walked through part of the wood and saw no more, the car park was empty of any Butterflies and so were the woods from what we saw but unlike Tuesday I think I found the only one that had emerged ( You lose some you win some )

Any way i spotted the orange colour way back in the shrubbery I couldn't wait to get a few shots , at the time I expected to see lots more but that wasn't to be so I really counted myself lucky to finding this one At least we know they're emerging now Goldie