www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I also love your OT shots Goldie. I am no expert either but it looks to me as if your female is rejecting the male and seems to have her eye on that Lady's Smock flower perhaps for a bit of serious egg-laying if she has already been mated. Well done on capturing all the action which I have repeatedly failed to do

Fantastic aerial shots of the OT's Goldie - the one where you've caught the female in mid-air is brill, it's just hanging there captured in time

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Maximus for your post , it's always nice to hear when some one has enjoyed your photo's

Maverick, you say you want the GHS at Gaits Barrow ,until last year I struggled to find it, then whilst up there I met this woman who told me where they were ,may be I can point you in their Direction so you can find them after all a little help like I got made my day

Take the purple trail, if you know where the Dukes are ignore their turning and keep straight until the path splits into two take the right hand path, along there you should find them. I hope you do
Also try Eve's Wood in Silverdale, go through SD and just before you turn left onto the Arnside rd that's Eve's Wood, you'll also find the PBF and SPBF there if their out,
hope that helps

Pauline, thanks for your input I never thought to check if she'd layed eggs or not What a dope
Glad you liked the Photo's I hope my luck stays with me for the Dukes and PBF etc I missed the SPBF last year last year, I'm off up there this next week.

Wurzal glad you liked the shot, I've set the Camera to fire quickly and it seems to pick up the BF's when they land and take off, it's great fun to see what I've got after wards Off for a brew now Goldie

thanks goldie
i would like to try for the dukes also

I went up to Gaits Barrow last Friday, I arrived about 11am, the weather was great so when a DOB flew past me I thought great that's a good start. I saw about 5 in total ,not very good considering the weather and the fact they'd been out since 28th April. Still I was pleased to get some Photo's but a little concerned has well.

I was concerned again , when I didn't see one PBF, only one person I spoke to said they'd seen one, so either their just coming out are their few in numbers, I'll have to go back next week and look in a different area.

I took some more Photo's of the Green HS these didn't seem has colourful has the the ones I took in April, having said that, it's a month since I took the other Photo's.

My day was made though with the Brimstones, I came across this pair just getting to know one another when another Male came onto the scene, right away the Males started to see each other off , the Female suddenly dropped down into a clump of Grass and while the Males were still at it , she flew off A girl with a mind of her own

We'd spent about three hours there and so we called it a day it had it's high lights and disapointments but then that's what it's all about and why we do it Goldie

Excellent shots of the Brimstones Goldie and well done on finding the mating Dukes

Thanks Pauline, just wish I could get a Photo of a Wood White, some are suposed to be in GB ,your photo's are fantastic Goldie

Cracking Brimstone sequence Goldie - proper all action stuff

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzal, I'm late as usual with my posts
I went to Southport last Wed's 21st, I was hoping the Common Blues were out in the Dunes.
We drove down Marine Drive and the weather was great, we arrived at Ainsdale Nature Reserve and to my delight the first thing I saw was a CB.

Has we went further into the Dunes Small Heath were every where I was excited because it was my chance to get a decent shot of them , I hoped
Then I saw a large patch of yellow flowers and flitting about in them was a couple of Small Copper, they looked abit worn, well , one did, they didn't settle for long before flying off, I was pleased though because it's the first time I've managed to get a photo of one at this time of year, so if the shots are not too good there's still hope for later on.

The grass on the Dunes was fairly tall and the butterflies were hard to film because they all seemed to have grass stems in front of them I missed quite a few trying to miss the grass stems, in the end I gave up, but I still managed some without a blade of grass in front, the Mother Shipton Moth was very obliging and flew on to a grass stalk for me

We were there about 2 to 3 hours, lunch was a picnic and we moved to different places in the dunes, then I wanted to go back onto Marine Drive towards the Sand Mill. Wagon's used to go down onto the beeches, load up with Sand and take it back to the mill, this all stopped a few years ago but the mill came down and all the rocks and stones were left < it's like a small quarry but not too deep. I'd been told that Butterflies love it , so we went there and to my delight we found some Wall BF, Talk about a lucky day I've put a photo in of the sea taken from the Dunes you can drive your car onto the sands at Southport this we don't do because we move on too much but it's great if you've got kids.Off for a brew now Goldie

Lots of super photos, recently, Goldie - I loved your Brimstone in-flight shots: 3 at once!!!

I grew up in Southport, so always enjoy your photos from there. At the time, I just took all the rarities in the sand dunes for granted - Natterjack Toads, Sand Lizards, and the like .

Mike

Great report Goldie - I really like the Mother Shipton - I've yet to see on this year, fantastic little critters they are

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Mike and Wurzal, I'm pleased you like my pic's

Mike there's also Hares in the Dunes they're very big I've tried to take their photo but they're too quick

I went up to Gaits Barrow on Monday it was cloudy when we set off but by lunch time it was lovely.

We took pic's of the DOB again who was way off in the distance, also the Dingy Skipper and to my delight the PBF at least I hope it is I've forgotten the difference between the PBF and SPBF I only know or Remember the PBF has less sliver marking under it's wing but it rarely showed any under wing and when it did it always landed inthe grass on Bugle, any way I've got it down as PBF

We also saw the Slipper Orchid it was lovely and there were loads of Speckled Yellow Moth's, also the GHS was still around I'm off out now shopping Goldie I've to do work some time

Great to see you got your PBFs Goldie Nice range of species mentioned in your report too

Have a goodun

Wurzel

This weekend I've been busy in the garden trying to get things done before we go on Holiday only 3 weeks off now

I was passing my flower bed water hose in hand when I noticed this queer looking creature, I didn't know what it was at first, it's back looked like a caterpillar but I could see wings, then I realized it was a Dragon Fly, it was so still yet it looked to have a face, when I went round to the side of it I could see it was or seemed to be eating some thing, I know this web site is about BF's but I couldn't resist putting these photo's in my posting.

I decided to visit HLB , just too see if there was any thing new there, it's only 5 mins a way and I thought I'd done my bit there was nothing, no Skippers yet. I did manage to take this photo though of a GVW just taking off .

It looks like weather wise I won't be going to the Lakes this week but I hope it takes up for the weekend Goldie

Hi Goldie,

Your Dragonfly is a Broad-bodied Chaser, a female I think. Nice shots.

I love your Brimstones in flight sequence a couple of posts back, great stuff

Cheers,

Neil.

Hi Goldie, I think your Brimstones in flight are great too

Mike

Brill take-off shot of the Green-veined White Goldie Just in case I forget to say it later - good luck on your holiday

Have a goodu

Wurzel

Thanks Neil for the ID on the Dragon Fly I like to give my Photo's names I'm beginning to get more interested in different species other than BF but BF are still my favourite

Thanks for your compliment about my Brimstones has well Mike and Neil I was very lucky there.

Wuzal I'm beginning to enjoy take off's and landing's I'm taking off next on my hol's

I was up at Gaits Barrow Yesterday and got My SPBF but again couldn't get rid of the grass

Then I saw this Common Blue, I saw quite a few and they were all like this , I've just posted two Goldie

Some really nice reports Goldie and those 'take-off' shots are tough to get, looks like your doing pretty good though

Bill

"When in doubt...venture out"

Thanks Willrow for your posting, I keep trying

Today I saw my first Large Skipper of the year, at Hall-Lee-Brook getting scratched was well worth it , it made my day, the weather has been pretty bad if caught in it, thunder and really heavy rain(it was a case of miss the showers if you can ) it was worth the dodge

Whilst up at GB last friday I managed to get another shot of a Dingy Skipper, I went up there looking for the Northern Argus and the Small PBF, (which I found) I was very lucky has we only saw the one PBF all the time we were there I think they must have just started to come out. I'm hoping to get another trip up there before we go on hol's to see if I can get the DGFrit and the HBFrit and the NBA. I've not really had a good photo of the NBA yet. Their usually out about the middle of June ( I hope)

I did manage before to take a photo of the Silpper Orchid it was a bit worse for ware this time, off for a cuppa now Goldie