www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Great to see you got the Valezina - Bentley is a 'good' site for them Hard luck about the HBF's but at least you got the Scotch Argus That's one of the hardest things I find with butterflying - knowing where to go and when to - there's always a little niggle that "if I'd gone to such and such I'd have seen" Still nothing ventured...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi! Wurzal, your right nothing ventured nothing gained, It's great when you do get what you set out for , that's what it's all about, hope fully there's still time for more adventures
I've certainly been out and about lately but nothing unusual to report, I must go back to Arnside when the weather settles down again some times the Clouded Yellow pay a visit there and since I won't be going back to Kent this August, worst luck, I'll have to settle for trying to find more unusual BF 's nearer to where I live. The NB with the White spot would be great.

I think I've missed the High Brown now, although some one did see one in August last year quite late, so you never know.

I also missed out on the Large Heath, which was my fault again for choosing the wrong time to go and when it was right I couldn't Any way I did go to Southport this last Monday and it was all happening there with the Common Blue and Graylings I also saw Peacocks , Gate Keepers , Meadow Brown, and Wall ,once again( I hit a Wall ) you might say , grass again the issue, any way I couldn't resist putting a few photo's in my post.Goldie

Keep on keeping on with the Walls Goldie and one day they'll land at your feet and pose perfectly for you It took me four years to get the first shot Wall I was happy with they are notoriously difficult, almost diva like Great Grayling in cop shot - that's something I'd love to get

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Seems ages since I last posted, I did try , wrote a load of stuff , lost it some how, couldn't be bothered to try again

let's hope this lot is successful

We've had only a few days of decent weather here for a while.

About the 9th of August I went up to Arnside Knot and the Scotch Argus looked pretty grim ( really,) the weather had certainly got them, funny though I took a photo of a Painted Lady and it was in good condition . We got badly bitten that day, I'd to go in the long grass for my photo's and my Husband won't go up there now I've got to be content with the local area like Hall-Lee-Brook but I can't grumble for I've got some good shots of Small Copper from there and in my own garden there's been Peacocks, Red Admiral's, STS, I must say i've missed going to Kent in August, no Clouded Yellow here
the weather's been cold as well, AH! well can't be helped I've not done too badly this year so far. Goldie

Great action shot of the GVW Goldie - wish I knew how you do that

Thanks Pauline, it's just luck really, I've got my camera set for fast speed, 3 quick pic's, if the Butterflies happen to slow down any and hover a bit ( which they did 2 of them on seeing the female GVW) I snap it quick. Some times it's good most times rubish

When I was on my hols I managed to get a photo of a Cinnabar Moth with it's wings open it's the first time I've been able to capture that so I was pleased, I did the same thing , just managed to catch it before it folded them Goldie

Great flight action again Goldie Love that shot of the Cinnabar is reminds me of Michael Palin sweeping in as a Cardinal and screaming "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

Have a goodun

Wurzel

You,re doing really well Goldie, keep it up

Seems ages since I last posted, I did try , wrote a load of stuff , lost it some how, couldn't be bothered to try again

Goldie I also meant to mention to you, that this happened to me on several occasions in the past. I had written my post and added the photos but when I clicked submit all was lost, and I had to do the whole post all over again
This may have been because the web page times out after a spell of inactivity, for instance, when I went to make a cup of tea in the middle of posting Now I just 'save draft ' which saves all the text (but not the photos) and you can just load your draft again when you are ready. You probably already know this, if so, sorry to clutter your diary.

Mike

You've really got the in-flight technique sorted, Goldie. Your DSLR helps a lot, because of the 'real' viewfinder that lets you follow the action; it's good to see you exploiting its capabilities I've tried with a Lumix and found it can't follow the action quickly enough.

The Cinnabar is a good shot, too, and I wish you good luck in finding your Clouded Yellow locally.

Mike

Hi Goldie, nice shot of the Cinnabar Moth, they always seem to settle low down in the grass for me.

Good luck with a local Clouded Yellow. I saw one at Arnside last year in early August, in one of the meadows down the path towards Heathwaite.

Cheers,

Neil.

Thanks everyone for your postings it's always great to get some feed back

Hi! Maximus your not cluttering my Diary at all, I didn't know you could do that so that's good info, I'll also remember not to go for a cup of tea when I'm posting

Wurzal you've got a great imagination But I know what you mean

Thanks Neill, the Cinnabar are usually in the long grass for me has well, this one landed in front of me on Boscombe Prom of all places ,it had no where to hide.

Hi! Mike thanks for your comments about my photo's, I thought I'd go today to look for the Clouded Yellow but I ended up at Hall-Lee-Brook instead, I'd to do shopping etc, May be if the weather stays with us a bit longer I'll get there

Whilst I was at HLB the only Butterflies I saw were A very Battered Common Blue, which was cheerful enough going from Flower to flower, a Small Copper that was really out of it, A Green Veined White that didn't look too bad and about ten Speckled Wood's that were having a great time with the Blackberries and were also in good condition so I have posted a few Pic's because usually the SPW are either on the ground are in the tree's Goldie

The weather today is very wet and windy but yesterday before the showers again arrived I managed to see this Speckled Wood in the Garden amongst the flowers, so I grabbed my Camera and just got these photo's of ,once again, another Speckled Wood before it flew over the fence.
It seems to be one Butterfly that hasn't done too badly even if the weather has been bad Goldie

Since the 30th August I've been taking photo's of Red Admirals in my back garden it's been great

The weather's been too nice to sit inside on the computer, ( I've not got a laptop just an old model computer this is adequate for me up to now) I'll have to wait a bit longer and do more computing before I buy a new one any way , on the 23rd of August I managed to see a Red Admiral with the extra spot going into the orange on the wing like I saw earlier in the year, that one was very ragged, this one was in good condition.

I've also seen one RA with a spot missing just above the orange on the wing, can't wait for the weather to warm up again,(rain today) may be I'll see some more next week:D

On the 4th September we went once again to Southport Dunes, we saw some Common Blues, one Small Tortoiseshell, a few Dragon Fly, a strange looking Beetle,( I think it's a Beetle) it looks like a face UGH! I'm not in to Beetles at all but this one was unusual that's why I took the Picture.( I also liked the colours, )

I never got to see a Clouded Yellow, we went to Coppel CP but I think we went to the wrong entrance are some thing because the track was water logged and we ended up in a field Needless to say the rain had been heavy the night before ( that's a good excuse) I think I'll have to wait until next year now.

I can't help noticing this year how different it's been from last year at this time. Usually the garden's full of butterflies September is usually the time of year we see loads of STS, Peacocks, we've got the Red Admirals but not has many unless that changes in the next week , I know they came out much earlier than usual but around here we've got a shortage compared to last year and previous years come to that. I wonder if any one as noticed this Goldie

Another interesting colection of photos,Goldie. I believe your red and black beastie is this one: http://www.britishbugs.org.uk/heteropte ... cyami.html This is another of those creatures now spreading Northwards, having previously been confined to Southern England.

Mike

Great Red Admirals Goldie and some interesting variations Mike is right with his ID too

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Mike for your info on the Beetle, if that's moving North hope fully we may get other species of Butterfly as well as Beetles moving North.

The Clouded Yellow has been seen in Gardens in Preston as well as other places, I've not seen one yet but you never know there's still time

Thanks for your comments Wurzal, after me saying I'd seen nothing much lately in my garden, today I've had RA, Comma, Green Veined White and Small Tortoiseshell, so I'm much happier than I was in My last posting I've to sort the Photo's out yet but it looks like they've been waiting for better weather condition's has they're all looking good. Goldie

Well I've finally sorted out some Photo's, one in particular I'd like to know more info on, it's a Comma and it's got green edges in parts and green spots, I've taken loads of photo's before of Comma's but never seen these Marking's,( may be I've never been close enough before) Anybody know?

My other Photo's are of Red Admiral, which has been here in the garden since my last Posting Large White and a cheeky little Speckled Wood that thinks it owns the garden and proceeds to chase the other butterflies a way not forgetting the Small Tortoiseshell that prefers Marjoram

Yesterday, we went up to Arnside, we sat on the front and I took these photo's of the Bay with the railway line and the Lake District in the back ground, sadly I saw no Butterflies but it was a lovely Autum day.Goldie

Goldie M wrote:I'd like to know more info on, it's a Comma and it's got green edges in parts and green spots

I've been looking through my own Comma photos and found several with these green markings. I believe that it is often found on the Hutchinsoni form.

Lovely to see Arnside basking in sunshine.

Mike

Thanks Mike for the info in my book it say's this is a lighter shade then usual so I've checked my Comma's taken on the same day same time and this is a full view of the Butterfly Goldie