www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

That's very interesting about the WLH. I'd like to know more.

It's a slippery slope between collecting interesting things and living with just a tunnel through carried bags of stuff and dying crushed by a lifetime's supply of atropos.

I had a day's holiday so popped up to Southwater for a couple of hours yesterday and bumped into a couple of butterfly enthusiasts, one of whom had come all the way from Kent. There were a few silver washed fritillary, white admiral, large skipper, and fresh green veined and small white around. The meadow was full of meadow browns, there must have been thousands. Marbled white numbers are building too. I found Sussex Kipper here who had just had just had the sort of close encounter with a purple hairstreak we dream of and had got some gorgeous photos (as usual). It's always nice to spend time with someone so knowledgeable and willing to share information about butterflies and what's more so considerate. He found some ringlet butterflies as I hadnt seen any this year and helped me get some shots of purple hairstreaks. I'm very grateful to see such gorgeous little critters. The purple hairstreaks were out in good numbers and we put a freshly emerged male up from the grass. No photos of him unfortunately. There were also fresh small coppers.

I had to cut my butterflying short as it was my eldest daughter's school prom and I was taking her out for lunch and shopping before doing her make up and hair and taking her to the preprom party. I felt like mother of the bride! When I left school we didnt do anything, not even a disco! Lots of the kids had stretch limos to take them to the prom but Lizzie and her friends had an old red routemaster bus. took me back to catching the number 15 when I was a teenager.

I managed to get some belachan today from a chinese shop in Crawley and it is stinking the kitchen out already. Pooh!

I am really excited at the prospect of carrying out a few experiments and seeing if it attracts other butterfly species too.

After butterflying over the last few days at every opportunity I got but achieving very poor results (although I did meet some other lovely butterfly enthusiasts which was nice) I have finally reached butterfly satuation point and felt this morning that I didn't care if I never saw another butterfly again so I had a lovely day meeting friends, going shopping and doing "normal" stuff. I'm sure it will pass

Susie wrote:... butterfly satuation point ...

Wow, I can't imagine that!! I saw my first butterflies in 12 days today!

There is a detailed account of my trip to Southwater yesterday in the Events thread.

Today I went to Denbies. By the time I got there is was hot. I mean really HOT. Everything was zooming around and there were plenty of butterflies. Not good for photograph so I spent most my time just enjoying what I saw.

I am glad Millerd warned me about the spraying of the dogwood and stuff or I would have been really concerned. He is right, it does look a mess, and I dread to think what it will do to the green hairstreak numbers next year which have been so good but I guess over all it may be better.

I saw several dark green fritillaries but none stopped, about 20 or more fresh chalkhill blues, a brown argus, a hummingbird hawk moth, a small copper, some small heath, lots of marbled white, meadow brown, large skippers and small skippers. There were other whites around too but I didn't investigate. Butterfly numbers seem to be building nicely. Fresh chalkhill blue on dead dogwood.

Glad you saw lots of Chalkhills, and the DGFs!

Dave

Now i've seen the dgf I realise that i've seen them there before, I just didnt realise what they were. By goodness they can shift though, I had trouble following them with my eyes at time. I'm so grateful to you for letting me know what they were. Now I just need to get a pic ....

Ah, so they have been there before! Just that I somehow haven't seen them... I've never seen them at Aston Rowant either before today, but I bet they've been there too. Goodness, what else do I miss? As for pictures, late in the afternoon they settle down a bit, but the method of standing nonchalantly next to a clump of knapweed and waiting seems to work as well as any. You do get some funny looks, mind...

Dave

A huge hawk moth flew into the treatment room when I was having a pedicure this morning. Dunno what it was because I couldn't go after it! Lol

Back home in the garden there was a painted lady as well as red admiral, small tortioseshell, small white and meadow brown.

I had a pub lunch at the george and dragon in dragons green and there were a few butterflies flying including some fritillaries.

So, not such a bad day despite not being able to go out butterflying.

A belated pic of the Sussex Butterfly Conservation walk at Southwater a couple of Sundays ago. Spot the UK Butts member.

Who is that handsome chap hanging around at the back?

Handsome?

Of course handsome!

I think you might need a pair of these Susie?

Lee Hurrell wrote:Who is that handsome chap hanging around at the back?

He looks like a shifty geezer to me, likely to half inch one of those push bikes as soon as look at 'em...

Susie wrote:Of course handsome!

Thanks Susie

Mark Colvin wrote:I think you might need a pair of these Susie?

Oh dear....
Mind you, you're probably right Mark...

Piers wrote:He looks like a shifty geezer to me, likely to half inch one of those push bikes as soon as look at 'em...

They're on eBay as we speak! Amazing what you can fit in the back of a Focus...

I've got some

Shiny and purple, of course - had to be, really

Dave

http://www.facebook.com/v/10150310579386972[/video]

I popped up to Denbies today and tried out some of my emperor bait. It didn't draw in the chalkhills in big numbers but there was a steady streams of threes and fours.