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A rather gloomy day to visit Dungeness but with the lighthouse fog horn sounding its warning through the mist to the ships at sea and ghostly flocks of bickering gulls swirling overhead it was as atmospheric as ever.

Warm too, despite the mist and very calm. As for butterflies most were sitting quietly. I came across good numbers of Common Blues The odd one or two visiting flowers and opening their wings despite the mist And this beautiful female When she tentatively opened her wings I could see she had a light powdering of blue which was very eye-catching I saw a few Brown Argus Tired Small Skippers Lots of Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers A Small Tortoiseshell,Marbled Whites, Large Whites and Small Coppers in good numbers So quite a good bag of butterflies on a misty July morning at Dungeness

In between jobs this morning I popped in to Lydden Nature Reserve to catch up with the Chalkhill Blues. The sky was overcast but it was warm nonetheless. Not much was on the wing but when I slowly walked through the meadow I put up Chalkhill Blues with every step There are thousands here and when the sun briefly came out Chalkhill Blues were everywhere I looked But the weather was fickle and soon more thick grey cloud had covered the sky.

A Gatekeeper fluttered in, settled down then shut up shop when the clouds returned Suddenly it was gloomy once again and the butterflies went to roost Time for me to go but before I returned to my working day (during which all the clouds disappeared and the sun shone brightly!!) I had time to enjoy more of the Chalkhill Blues Shining brightly like silver coins in the grass

On these hot days I don't know if the butterflies get faster or if I get slower but I can't get near any of them.

The fields where I walk the dogs are a blur of butterflies and I get my satisfaction just seeing that they are having a good year.

I did however stumble across and manage to photograph a mating pair of Gatekeepers ( sounds funny now that I write it...I've always resisted using their scientific but dull name "Hedge Brown" but perhaps on this occasion I'm best advised to do so in order to clear up any potential misunderstanding.)

So yes, a mating pair of Hedge Browns I'm not surprised that I've had a bonanza of Peacocks in my garden over the last week (daily counts of up to 30) because I found heaps of their caterpillars on the nettles, but numbers of Small Tortoiseshells remain low with just 2 or 3 seen daily.

Hopefully that will increase while the sun continues to shine and while I continue to slowly melt.

Really jealous Hoggers - a mating pair of one of my fave butterflies and to top it all one is unusually marked

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I noticed those markings, Wurzel. I'd guess that one is the female as she looks so fresh.

Exactly five weeks ago today I watched a female Clouded Yellow laying her eggs in the field where I take my dogs for a walk. I haven't seen a Clouded Yellow since then, until this morning when at around 730 I was thrilled to come across a beautiful helice Absolutely gorgeous And within a few minutes of seeing her I found a fresh male I wonder if they could be the offspring of the butterfly I saw on 22nd June? Are Clouded Yellows able to go through their life-cycle in just five weeks?

Whatever the origin of these butterflies might be I was delighted to see them and I hope they managed to find each other after I'd left for home!

I decided to visit Dungeness this morning. Lots of Gatekeepers, Large Whites and Common Blues Brown Argus, too A slight movement caught my eye which when I looked more closely revealed itself to be the ghost of a second generation Small Copper. You can just about make him out Here's a closer look at this tiny spectre He's clearly lived a very full life. Amazingly, he was still able to fly and up for a brawl with any butterfly that came near.

Lots of Small Tortoiseshells And Peacocks A male Clouded Yellow skimmed past without stopping and then I saw my second Star Butterfly of the day: a Painted Lady Perhaps my visit to Dungeness helps answer my questions about the Clouded Yellows that I saw this morning on my Patch because on the coast I saw both a Clouded Yellow and a Painted Lady, suggesting that the butterflies are on the move.

I hope they keep coming!

Excellent sequence, Hoggers.

Coastal locations are where the surprises are most likely to be seen. Well done.

Thanks David, I tend to naturally gravitate towards the coast on my days off. Maybe I share a migratory gene with some of the butterflies? If I find myself floating across the channel this Autumn in a cloud of Painted Ladies I'll know for sure.

Rather cloudy on my morning walk with the dogs but pleasant enough for this Clouded Yellow to put in an appearance I found him in my "Clouded Yellow" Field. If he's not home grown then there's something about this piece of waste ground that they find irresistible!

This afternoon it brightened up considerably on the morning.

Numbers of Small Tortoiseshells in my garden reached a high today when I counted 18 Peacock numbers are down on last week (when I had 24 in the garden) as today I saw only 9. They have a tendency to fly into my shed and I find them fluttering in the window to get out.

And there was a sign of butterfly migration too with a visit by this Painted Lady

Love your Clouded Yellow and Painted Lady shots H. I just can't get enough of those butterflies so keep posting your lovely images

Still only seen two Painted Ladies in the UK so far in 2014, so well done on getting your shots!

Hi Hoggers

Just catching up with your diary. Nice to see a few Clouded Yellows and Painted Ladies about on your patch I have not seen a Clouded Yellow yet round my way. I can not believe your Small Copper was still going

Hi David and Pauline, thanks for your comments. I saw a Painted Lady in my garden again this morning but I'd guess it was the same individual as before. I've noticed in past years that they'll often hang around for a few days re-fueling on the Buddleia, before moving off.

Hi Jack, good to hear from you, and yes, I couldn't believe how that Small Copper was carrying on just as if it were in tip top condition! I expect we've all come across battered butterflies and been amazed that they can still fly!

The sun is still shining on us down here in Kent. I took the dogs out at 830 and it was already very warm indeed. Without my really looking for anything in particular I managed to come across three female Common Blues on my walk, all very different In my "Clouded Yellow" field I saw two males, both busily quartering the terrain And also a female. She was behaving very differently, keeping low in the vegetation (perhaps egg-laying) Having Clouded Yellows near to home really makes the Summer Back home, Small Tortoiseshell numbers in the garden reached 24 today!

Fantastic stuff Hoggers Oh to have Clouded Yellows so close to home, and a Helice among them

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Excellent stuff, Hoggers. Clouded Yellows seem to be almost regular in southerly locations this year.

I've still only seen three so far in 2014, but I'll keep an eye out for them in south Wales, because if they're turning up here, then they MUST be present in greater numbers in your neck of the woods.

Hi Hoggers,

Great reports and photos, you certainly seem to be doing well for immigrants

I have surprisingly seen more Clouded Yellows(6) this year than Painted Ladies(2), including my first ever local ones.

Cheers,

Neil

Thanks guys, at the moment I'm almost guaranteed to find Clouded Yellows when I walk my dogs. Today I saw three, all males, and they were highly active so it was a stroke of luck for me that this one settled briefly for a rest They really do make a Summer There were many Small Tortoiseshells in the fields and when I got home I counted 22 of them in the garden.

Fantastic close-up Hoggers

Have a goodun

Wurzel

It's been a week since I visited my "Clouded Yellow Field" and I've been wondering if any were still there. This morning I went along and quickly found one, a tired looking male, flying fast and low through the long grass. He was joined by a second male, this one a lot fresher looking, behaving in the same manner. Neither would settle and so I took pot luck with trying to get some "in flight" snaps I also found two Brown Argus And eight Common Blues Just a few Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns left, they've almost gone over now.

In my garden the Peacocks are notable by their absence and the numbers of Small Tortoiseshells has diminished to about 6 or so a day but I'm getting a couple of Red Admirals most days now.

Good to see that my Clouded Yellows are still around though

I haven't been able to get out to do any butterflying since last weekend. At least there's "UK Butterflies" to look at when you're stuck at work!

But today I managed to get back to my "Clouded Yellow Field" when I took the hounds for their walk and there I saw some butterflies.

When I'm looking at butterflies I don't think about anything-else, my mind completely clears. The rest of the world just falls away and it's just me and the butterfly. Perhaps we should call it Lepi-Yoga?! (Although seeing me scampering after a Clouded Yellow probably doesn't look very calming!)

Small Tortoiseshells are out in numbers (And I get about 6 or 8 every day in my garden.)

Some Meadow Browns, a few Small Whites and several Brown Argus today As for Clouded Yellows, I saw two Both were males and highly mobile But I managed to snatch a quick photograph when this one stopped off to re-fuel And there are still plenty of Common Blues I watched five of these beautiful butterflies chasing after a female, swirling fast in a little blue flashing cloud just over the top of the grass.

This morning I went to Dungeness for a Small Copper Hunt. I was keen to see if any of the third generation were out.

When I arrived it was cloudy and the wind was blowing but fairly soon the sky cleared and it felt warm.

The first Copper I found was this one Which by its condition seemed to suggest that they've been out a little while But apart from seeing another one or two that looked frayed round the edges most were fresher I saw 23 in all I had only a quick glimpse of this unusual looking chap before he flew up and disappeared on the wind But my favourite of the day was this gorgeous specimen with its splendidly vivid hind-wing bar and tails It put me in mind of the opening titles of some wonderfully sensational old Hammer Horror movie with the blood trickling down the screen Before Count Dracula appears!