Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

.....I just couldn't live up to the expectations as I hadn't earnt enough Brownie points from the wife for a flying visit to Portland ...

Wurzel

Tell me about it, I returned from Dorset on Friday to see the Monarch was being reported from less than an hours drive from where we had been staying.
I mentioned this little fact to my wife and got the 'don't you even think about it' look I suppose she had a point, driving back down for a butterfly that might no longer be there was probably pushing it.....but I was tempted

Neil F.

[David M]

Tell me about it, I returned from Dorset on Friday to see the Monarch was being reported from less than an hours drive from where we had been staying.
I mentioned this little fact to my wife and got the 'don't you even think about it' look I suppose she had a point, driving back down for a butterfly that might no longer be there was probably pushing it.....but I was tempted

Neil F.

Sad thing is, had you have gone even your missus would have been knocked out by a butterfly approaching the size of a blackbird!!

She'd have understood you yearnings for sure.

[Wurzel]

I know that look Neil, there is no negotiating it’s a done deal. No-one will mention “butterflies” “just pop down to...” and everything will be all alright!

She would have found it impressive I’m sure David but that doesn’t get round the fact that my Brownie points are at an all time low...

That said I did offer to take the girls out to Old Sarum the same afternoon. The girls however decided that they would rather play in the garden so my trip was a solo one in the end. I took the same route as last time which luckily meant that I was all alone walking the outer rings; the hoards of tourists that had accompanied me up the path having already entered the keep. The wind was light to non-existent and the sun was warm. A Red Admiral flew in between the rings and then a couple of whites flew by heading in the same direction it seemed that down in the bottom of the rings was where the butterflies were so I headed down there as soon as I found a path.

Almost as soon as I was down there butterflies appeared as if from nowhere. A male Common Blue and a pair of Brimstone,3 Large Whites and 2 Small Whites plus countless Silver Y moths. The whites were tricky to get a shot of as they would land fleetingly before moving further up the side of the bank to again stop fleetingly before heading up again etc etc. Then once at the top they would head straight back down to the bottom and start the procedure a few metres from their previous ascent. The Brimstones were much more amenable and soon there were 3 males and two females all in one line of sight. I was pretty happy with some of the shots of Brimstone that I got earlier in the season so today I tried for the action shot hoping to catch their wings open.

From there I climbed back up to the outer ring and worked my way to the half way mark and as I scanned out across to the Devizes Road I saw 2 Red Admirals and 9 various whites all in one view on the lower slopes. They all seemed to be moving without stopping long as there didn’t appear to be many nectar sources still available so I headed back between the rings to try out a “wait and see” approach. It did pay off with close views of Small White but the Red Admiral that fluttered down like a falling leaf didn’t stay long.

Once back at the top of the ring I had to decide whether to cut back across the old ruins or to continue round the rings as both routes would end up back at the car. I plumped for continuing the rings and the western side seemed more gently sloping with more flowers and the bas of the slopes and banks were wreathed in swathes of flowers. It was also more productive for butterflies. A Small Tort passed by as did a Painted Lady and then I saw what I was secretly hoping for – my second Painted Lady of the year. It took nectar briefly and then took off like a Skylark, climbing almost vertically to about 15f. Then it stopped flapping and for a fraction of a second it dropped before the wind caught its’ wings and it glided over the bank, then over the flower meadow, then over the road only losing the slightest altitude. It kept on gliding until I lost sight of it. Its’ behaviour reminded me of a Buzzard and was a clear demonstration of its skill as a migrant.

The rings on the final part of the journey held a 2 more Small Tortoiseshell, a female Common Blue and a few Meadow Browns looking a bit worse for wear. Then feeding at the bottom of the outer ring near the entrance were a further 4 Small Tortoiseshell.

It was only when I got back to the car that I realised that I hadn’t taken a single shot of any of the Red Admirals that I’d seen. Still I thought I should find some tomorrow at Stourhead...
Have a goodun

Wurzel
Unfortunately I didn’t make it to Stourhead the next day as the garden needed sorting so I’m left hoping that this isn’t the final trip of the season; I don’t really want to be dusting off the telescope quite yet...

[NickMorgan]

I love your picture of a Brimstone pulling the flower apart! Great action shot. Your Painted Lady is very boldly marked, too.

[David M]

I love your picture of a Brimstone pulling the flower apart! Great action shot. Your Painted Lady is very boldly marked, too.

Agreed. The Brimstone still has part of the flower attached to its proboscis!!

Is the Painted Lady an 'unimproved' image, Wurzel? Like Nick, I think it looks abnormally dark throughout.

[Wurzel]

Cheers for the kind comments on the Brimstone it was all down to Sport Mode and luck WRT the Painted Lady...I thought at the time that it seemed a bit dark and when I cropped it and "improved" it in Picasa only added a smidgen of "saturate" which just highlighted the orange and didn't darken or thicken the black markings. I looked in Riley and Thomas and Lewington and the photos and images do look a lot lighter than this individual. It's the margin on the base of the fore wing that is the most striking as it's black rather than brown and the markings do look larger and sort of blur into each other more. Still it will probably turn out to "fall in the normal range of variation"

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Lovely Photo's Wurzal, I like them all Goldie

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Wurzel,

Great reports and photos

Earlier in the year, I cannot remember exactly where, I was talking to a fellow enthusiast I bumped into on one of my trips who mentioned that the Painted Ladies that are reared from these butterfly kits you can get are often darker than usual. He thought it was something to do with the food substance that they are supplied with.

I don't know if there is anything in this but just thought I would mention it in light of your dark specimen. Mind you, it has showed up at the right time to be a genuine immigrant wit the others that have appeared with all the Red Admirals.

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

I was talking to a fellow enthusiast I bumped into on one of my trips who mentioned that the Painted Ladies that are reared from these butterfly kits you can get are often darker than usual. He thought it was something to do with the food substance that they are supplied with.

That's an interesting suggestion.

What exactly are the home reared specimens fed on?

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie for your kind comments
Cheers Neil for your kind comments and suggestions
David if they're anything like Flamingies they must be fed on somehting really dark - perhaps 85% Chocolate?

Shhh don’t tell the wife!

On Wednesday I’d almost come to terms with being back at work but I couldn’t do anything to stop the itchy feet. In the end I gave up fighting it and worked out that I might be able to squeeze in 15 minutes on the way home. If my wife finds out she is coming after me, so shhhhh!
As I pulled into the lay by the most obvious place to head was the patch of tall yellow flowers (Golden Rod?) right next to the dusty car park area. The tallest flowers seemed to be on the outside of the patch so it formed a natural bowl which meant that to see inside I had to stand on tip toes and peer over the flower tops. Inside was a hive of activity with at least 3 species of bee, 2 Hoverfly as well as a single Meadow Brown and a pair of Red Admiral.
Once I’d found a subject to try and photograph the next problem was how to get close enough to get the shot. If I’d had more time I’d have waited for them to come to me but the clock was ticking on my stolen 15 minutes so I scanned around and noticed that something else had already trampled a low path from one side diagonal across the edge and here the flowers weren’t growing as bunched together. I headed to this and edged my way in, wrapping my feet in amongst the tall stems so as not to knock them flat. I managed t get about a metre in and then the Red Admirals flew. Luckily one lifted right up, circled a couple of times up high and then plonked down right next to me.

As I extricated myself from the stem jungle I noticed a pair of Small White locked together intimately. So having taken all that effort to get some shots, here was a fantastic opportunity right in front of me, effort free! This close proximity allowed me to compare the sexes. It seemed that one was more yellow than the other and I’m not sure if this is a diagnostic difference that can be used to difference between the sexes or whether it’s just that one was more worn than the other.

Having taken my shots I checked the time and saw that I had about 6 minutes left so I thought I’d just check the main track out. Earlier in the season when the Queen’s Lace and Cow Parsley was in bloom this area was great for Marbled White and Ringlets but now that and they are long gone and I found only one solitary Common Blue. It’s white margins were almost gone and the hind wings had worn through showing the dark spots from below.

Time was almost up but I thought I’d just check the mating pair and they were still at it!

So 16 minutes after arrival I was back in the car, feet no longer itchy and shots in the bag. I don’t know what will happen now so it’s a bit like the start of the season – waiting and seeing what the weather will bring, what will be about only now it’s a case of what still about. Here’s hoping for just a little more time with this seasons butterflies.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

I see that female is continuing to nectar throughout the proceedings. The ability of ladies to multitask...

I hope any eggs laid have time left to get to the chrysalis stage before winter.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Food and sex on its' mind - are we sure it's the female Dave?

Out in the garden

On Saturday I was again back on domestic duties so I had to take every available opportunity to check out the back garden. My first visit outside was to “open the greenhouse door for ventilation”. There were already 2 Red Admirals feeding on the Ivy just outside the greenhouse but they were quite nervous and kept moving higher up the bush out of shot.

Later I popped out for 3 minutes in between putting the shopping away and helping out with the girls swimming lessons. Now there were four Red Admirals feeding on the Ivy, a Small Tortoiseshell on next doors Buddleia and a couple of Whites flitting around and looking like they would, but never actually landing. One of the Red Admirals got into the greenhouse but I managed to shoo it out.

Later over lunch I had to “sort the recycling and the bins” which included getting a load of the trimmings for the compost bin. Up at the ever dependable Ivy were 3 Red Admirals and again a few whites. As I walked past the greenhouse just about to pass under the Ivy arch a movement inside the greenhouse caught my eye. Inside was another Red Admiral (the fourth from earlier – the same one I shooed out before?). It was vainly trying to permeate through the pane but every time I approached to guide it towards the door it would hide behind the vines or fly up and slip between the frame slats. It was really heating up and we were heading into town soon so I had to get it out before it cooked. Suddenly after fighting me for an age it seemed to get the message and as I offered it my hand it walked onto my finger tips. It was a strange sensation as I could feel its’ needle like feet as it paced across my fingertips and hand. I took a few hasty shots to add to the “on my hand” collection before holding it outside. What even more odd was that once it was outside and could fly free it didn’t seem to want too. It lost all its’ urgency and took a few more circuits around my hand before opening its’ wings and starting to bask! In the end, my calling meant that I had to extricate myself from it so a gentle blow seemed to awaken it from its’ slumber, it looked at me for a few seconds and then it was off.

The stroll into town was very uneventful and I saw only two butterflies the whole time. A Small Tortoiseshell along the river path and a Red Admiral resting up on the Boots sign.

It really does feel like the end now and possibly the next posting I do will be reflective. Unless there is time for a final Hurrah this weekend? Who knows...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Anything is possible - there were butterflies well into November last year...

Dave

[Wurzel]

Here's hoping Dave - it's looking good for Saturday, that is if the weather guys "don't get it wrong" Sunday is all upon the air at the moment

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[CJB]

Hi Wurzel,
I look forward to hearing what you find this weekend.
The BHS has eluded me once again but as a year for firsts, 2012 was a good one with my species count on the mobile up to 40.
It is noticeably cooling in the evenings but you just never know!
Flutter on!
CJB

[Goldie M]

Once again Wurzal your photo's are tops Goldie

[Wurzel]

CJB Glad to see that you got your Brostreak! I hope "what I found" lives up to the35 expectations.

Cheers Goldie for your very kind comment

Shhhhh again!

On Friday I'd had enough of work and so took out 10 minutes on the way home to find some butterflies in the lay-by near Larkhill (where I stopped about a week ago) but what a difference a week makes. As I pulled up in a cloud of dust and scanned across to the patch of tall yellow flowers I didn't see any butterflies immediately. As I approached a bit closer however it was apparent that there were a few about as 4 whites cught the breeze and wafted away over the thorn bushes. This left behind a rather desperate looking male Small White who seemed to determined to have his wicked way with a female. She however was having none of it raising her abdomen at ninety degress to her thorax and waving it at him violently.

Having watched his futile attempts at mating I decided not to embarass him further and so checked out the grassland path. No Common Blues today but instead a nice Green Veined White at about 8ft up in a Blackthorn. Still I held my camera aloft a peered through the viewfinder from arms reach.

Once again the time was ticking away from me and rather than face the wrath of the wife I made my way back to the car. I was greeted by a cracking sight with about a 100 Lesser and Greater Black Backed Gulls all airborn having been disturbed by a John Deere. It remined me that the season, whilst still limping on, is drawing to a close and soon I'll be paying even greater attention to these flocks of birds (hopefully I can get a Caspian or Glaucous this winter).

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

After the brief foray on the way home from work on Friday I was in the mood to see more butterflies and so when I awoke the next morning to a beautiful sunny day I couldn't wait to grab my camera and have a look outside. Unfortunately I had to do a few domestic duties so checking out my garden had to be postponed but a few hours later, kids swimmed, showered and eating lunch I was outside.
The small Ivy "growth" up near the greenhouse was again the main hotspot with the butterflies crowding around it to feed now that the Buddleia next door has lost most of its' florets. Last week it was Red Admirals and they were present again but only two of them now. The main activity was coming from 4 Commas which flitted round and about on the Ivy, occasionally landing on the fence top or panes of glass on the greenhouse. They were briefy joined by a Small Tortoiseshell and a Small White but the Commas seemed to hold my attention the most, probably as they were so approachable. I'm not sure if there is an underlaying reason for the apparent change in behaviour between spring and autumanl broods but the later always seem much more approachable - perhaps they have a greater sense of urgency as the time ticks away? Whatever the reasons it gifts us opportunities during the later stage of the season.

With the success in the garden and a family outing to Garston Wood the afternoon was awaiting full of possibilities...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

I'm not sure if there is an underlaying reason for the apparent change in behaviour between spring and autumanl broods but the later always seem much more approachable - perhaps they have a greater sense of urgency as the time ticks away?

Urgency is probably the appropriate word, Wurzel.

At this time of year something instinctively tells them they need to feed up to get through a long sleep during winter meaning they behave rather differently than in spring when all they care about is setting up/defending territories and courting/mating.

These same butterflies that appear so approachable now will become, if they survive hibernation, the Commas that make you curse in the spring!

[Neil Freeman]

These same butterflies that appear so approachable now will become, if they survive hibernation, the Commas that make you curse in the spring!

It is a strange thought that in 6 months time we could quite possibly be watching the very same individuals that we are watching now. I find this a fascinating concept and in some ways quite humbling.

Cheers,

Neil F.