Page 4 of 8

Re: May 2010 sightings

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 10:03 pm
by cjs
Hi Chris your second picture is a Brown Argus and a very nice one too.

Re: May 2010 sightings

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 10:45 pm
by walpolec
cjs wrote:Hi Chris your second picture is a Brown Argus and a very nice one too.
Hi cjs - lovely! Thanks for the comment and the correction to the I.D. Of course: the inevitable question - how can you tell??

Cheers

Chris

Re: May 2010 sightings

Posted: Tue May 18, 2010 11:11 pm
by walpolec
walpolec wrote:
cjs wrote:Hi Chris your second picture is a Brown Argus and a very nice one too.
Hi cjs - lovely! Thanks for the comment and the correction to the I.D. Of course: the inevitable question - how can you tell??

Cheers

Chris
A little bit of research and I think I may see what you mean. Is it to do with the spots in the circle?:
Image

Cheers

Chris

Re: May 2010 sightings

Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 7:27 am
by ChrissyM
Hi Chris,
Thanks for posting the above. I was trying to discover where the exact difference in those spots on the outer wings were and it is so much easier now you have pointed out the exact place :D I was trawling around after taking photo's of one here in Shropshire on Monday.

Re: May 2010 sightings

Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 9:16 am
by walpolec
ChrissyM wrote:Hi Chris,
Thanks for posting the above. I was trying to discover where the exact difference in those spots on the outer wings were and it is so much easier now you have pointed out the exact place :D I was trawling around after taking photo's of one here in Shropshire on Monday.
Hi Chrissy, You're welcome - except my suggestion is unconfirmed - still waiting for confirmation from the experts! :lol:

This is where I got my info: http://www.glaucus.org.uk/BflyBlues03.html and also here: http://issuu.com/steven_c/docs/cb-ba-id ... h-res-flat

Cheers

Chris

Re: May 2010 sightings

Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 9:25 am
by Padfield
Your id (i.e. brown argus) is correct, and the edited picture shows why quite perfectly. In common blue that pair of spots is more in line with the other spots in the series, rather than standing out like a colon.

The slight chequering of the fringe is another indicator.

Guy

Re: May 2010 sightings

Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 9:46 am
by walpolec
padfield wrote:Your id (i.e. brown argus) is correct, and the edited picture shows why quite perfectly. In common blue that pair of spots is more in line with the other spots in the series, rather than standing out like a colon.

The slight chequering of the fringe is another indicator.

Guy
Thank you Guy

Chris

Re: May 2010 sightings

Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 1:29 pm
by Zonda
Chris said
a mating pair of Dingy Skippers on a nearby plant!
And a stonking shot it is. Well caught. :D

Re: May 2010 sightings

Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 2:21 pm
by cjs
Sorry Chris just came back on but I see you got your answer.
Happy hunting. :)

Re: May 2010 sightings

Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 2:30 pm
by walpolec
Zonda wrote:Chris said
a mating pair of Dingy Skippers on a nearby plant!
And a stonking shot it is. Well caught. :D
Too kind!!

Chris :D :D

Re: May 2010 sightings

Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 2:32 pm
by walpolec
cjs wrote:Sorry Chris just came back on but I see you got your answer.
:)
Yes, thanks.
cjs wrote: Happy hunting. :)
And the same to you! :) :)

Chris

Re: May 2010 sightings

Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 4:29 pm
by Jonathan Evans
At least 8 Glanville Fritillaries present at Sand Point, Somerset, today; including 1 or 2 newly emerged individuals still drying their wings. Brown Argus were very numerous, with many mating pairs. Good numbers of Common Blue and Small Copper, and 1 very sad and worn Small Tortoishell.
Glanville Fritillary 1.JPG
Glanville Fritillary 2.JPG
Glanville Fritillary 3.JPG
Brown Argus f1.JPG
Brown Argus m+f 1.JPG
Small Blue m6.JPG
Small Copper 5.JPG
Jonathan

Re: Marsh fritillaries

Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 6:12 am
by Ian Pratt
Has anyone seen marsh fritillaries at Hod Hill Dorset or any where else in Dorset :?:

Re: Marsh fritillaries

Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 3:58 pm
by dorsetguy
Ian Pratt wrote:Has anyone seen marsh fritillaries at Hod Hill Dorset or any where else in Dorset :?:
Hi Ian, according to Butterfly Conservation's first sightings page they were first seen in Dorset on the 7th May. Unfortunately I haven't been able to visit this spring, but I have made a trip to Hod Hill to see the fritillaries in each of the previous 3 years between the 5th and 10th of May. Numbers varied but each time I saw plenty of fritillaries, so although I haven't heard anything I'm fairly sure that by now you'd be able to see good numbers up there :D
Guy

Re: May 2010 sightings

Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 5:57 pm
by Zonda
Unfortunately the Dorset Butterfly Conservation website seems to be largely dormant, with no news or updates, or on-going interest at all. The 'News' feature on the site has not been up-dated for a month or more, and the sightings feature is somewhat slower than that . Very disappointed.

Re: May 2010 sightings

Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 7:51 pm
by Bill S
Marsh Fritillary sighted in Bentley Wood today, together with Pearl Bordered , Small Heath and a Grizzled Skipper

Bill

Wood White

Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 6:11 am
by walpolec
Visited Salcey Forest in Northamptonshire yesterday (Fri) with the hope of seeing Wood White. A 20 min walk to where I first ever saw them last year and I wasn't disappointed. I followed a likely looking small, fairly weakly (but not that weakly) fluttering beast until it settled and hey presto, the unmistakable sight:

Image

I watched it and 2 others for about half an hour. Nice.

Image

I think this one is the sharpest, such a shame about the distracting white blob:

Image

Good hunting everyone this weekend, I heard somewhere the frost is returning next week 1 :D

Chris

Re: May 2010 sightings

Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 4:46 pm
by NickB
Nice ones! :)
Almost too hot today! Out by 8:00am on the DD today, and only had about 1/2hr where the butterflies were warming up and then it was too late! Ah well, tomorrow at 5:30am eh? Plenty of Dingies, STs, Small Heath, OTs, a few GH's , the odd Holly Blue, Peacock, Small White and Brimstone; a few CB males and lots of Brown Argus, seeing off everything that moved! Also to Burwell - added Small Copper to the list...
BA_1a_low_21_05_2010.jpg
CB_m_2_low_DD_21_05_2010.jpg
DS_1_low_21_05_2010.jpg
SmC_1_low_21_05_2010.jpg

Re: May 2010 sightings

Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 4:57 pm
by Zonda
Great couple of hours at Cerne Abbas, on Giant's hill today. Good butterfly count, and my first ever Fritillary (Marsh). There were loads on the lower sheltered slopes. Ain't got a clue what sex these are?
Image

Image

Image

Isle of Wight

Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 8:36 pm
by Ian Pratt
Had a great day with Helen and Paul Brock visiting a few good sites on the IOW today. Highlights apart from the red squirrels were over 200 Adonis Blues on Bonchurch Down, over 200 Glanville Fritillaries at Wheelers Bay, 8 Pearl Bordered Fritillaries in Parkhurst Forest and a good number of Small Blues at Afton plus stunning weather. :D