May 2011
- Jack Harrison
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Re: May 2011
Large Copper will do me Nick (private joke)
Jack
Jack
Re: May 2011
Yep - I think we would all love to find a Large Copper, Jack ![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
"Conservation starts in small places, close to home..."
Re: May 2011
Joking aside, this topic could be worthy of a thread all of its own.
In 1984, we once had a Clouded Yellow in our garden in St. Helens, nr. Liverpool. That's already been beaten out of sight, but is there anyone out there who can top Green Hairstreak?
In 1984, we once had a Clouded Yellow in our garden in St. Helens, nr. Liverpool. That's already been beaten out of sight, but is there anyone out there who can top Green Hairstreak?
Re: May 2011
Back in 1999, on the day of the Eclipse, I found a Purple Hairstreak nectaring in my garden in Woking. With several sizeable oaks within a few hundred metres, not so unusual, I suppose.
Dave
Dave
Re: May 2011
millerd wrote:Back in 1999, on the day of the Eclipse, I found a Purple Hairstreak nectaring in my garden in Woking. With several sizeable oaks within a few hundred metres, not so unusual, I suppose. Dave
A garden in Woking is pretty unusual, I thought they'd removed most of them
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
It must be great to live in the Fens or say, Hampshire near Bentley Wood with the chance of a Swallowtail or Purple Emperor just 'popping' into the garden.
What's the joke about the Large Copper? or will it loose something in the telling?
![Confused :?](./images/smilies/icon_confused.gif)
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
Re: May 2011
Lovely! Nice to see a picture of a normal one for a change...
Dave
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
Dave
Re: May 2011
I see that Heath Fritillary are on the wing in Devon - picked up from earliest flight dates.
- Pete Eeles
- Administrator & Stock Contributor
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Re: May 2011
Ooh - thx Lawts. I feel a tweet coming on. Oo-er ![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Cheers,
- Pete
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Cheers,
- Pete
Life Cycles of British & Irish Butterflies: http://www.butterflylifecycles.com
British & Irish Butterflies Rarities: http://www.butterflyrarities.com
British & Irish Butterflies Rarities: http://www.butterflyrarities.com
Re: May 2011
I'd lay-off the bird-seed, Pete....Pete Eeles wrote: I feel a tweet coming on. Oo-erPete
![Mr. Green :mrgreen:](./images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif)
"Conservation starts in small places, close to home..."
Re: May 2011
An all too brief visit after work to a local patch near Heathrow: Harmondsworth Moor. Basically, it's of the landscaped country park type, but there are good areas of uncut grass with flowers and as I think it's basically spoil heaps underneath the soil is suitably poor. At 6.00pm, with some late sunshine, Brown Argus predominated. No rock rose, but lots of cranesbill in evidence, so they are well and truly thriving on this foodplant here. A good number of Common Blues (including a lovely blue female), a couple of Small Heaths and several Mother Shipton moths completed the scene. A few photos below.
Dave
Dave
Pale form of Dingy Skipper
Hello - saw a pale-looking Dingy Skipper last week. Pictured below with a "normal" one for comparison. Is the pale one unusual or just old?!
![Image](http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y156/walpolec/forum%20images/P5040715.jpg)
![Image](http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y156/walpolec/forum%20images/P5040778.jpg)
Cheers
Chris
![Image](http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y156/walpolec/forum%20images/P5040715.jpg)
![Image](http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y156/walpolec/forum%20images/P5040778.jpg)
Cheers
Chris
- Dave McCormick
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Re: May 2011
Weather has been a mix of sun/showers and heavy rain here so have not seen a lot. Only a few GV Whites. However I am getting reports of several small heath, orange-tips and red admirals been seen only a few miles from where I live. I didn't mind having rain at first, thought having a dry April, rain would be fine, but one dry day would be nice so I can get out and see what is about.
Cheers all,
My Website: My new website: http://daveslepidoptera.com/ - Last Update: 11/10/2011
My Nature videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/DynamixWarePro
My Website: My new website: http://daveslepidoptera.com/ - Last Update: 11/10/2011
My Nature videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/DynamixWarePro
- Dave McCormick
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- Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2007 8:46 pm
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Re: May 2011
Weather has been a mix of sun/showers and heavy rain here so have not seen a lot. Only a few GV Whites. However I am getting reports of several small heath, orange-tips and red admirals been seen only a few miles from where I live. I didn't mind having rain at first, thought having a dry April, rain would be fine, but one dry day would be nice so I can get out and see what is about.
Cheers all,
My Website: My new website: http://daveslepidoptera.com/ - Last Update: 11/10/2011
My Nature videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/DynamixWarePro
My Website: My new website: http://daveslepidoptera.com/ - Last Update: 11/10/2011
My Nature videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/DynamixWarePro
Re: May 2011
Couldn't agree more, Dave. It's not just the rain; it's pretty chilly here in S. Wales (tomorrow it's a mere 13C). What's more, it doesn't look as though there'll be much change until the middle of next week at least.
- Dave McCormick
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Re: May 2011
That could be it here, when its not raining, its sunny but cold. Was 10C today ad windy. Yeah, not much change here to middle of next week either.David M wrote:Couldn't agree more, Dave. It's not just the rain; it's pretty chilly here in S. Wales (tomorrow it's a mere 13C). What's more, it doesn't look as though there'll be much change until the middle of next week at least.
Cheers all,
My Website: My new website: http://daveslepidoptera.com/ - Last Update: 11/10/2011
My Nature videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/DynamixWarePro
My Website: My new website: http://daveslepidoptera.com/ - Last Update: 11/10/2011
My Nature videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/DynamixWarePro
Re: May 2011
Hi all,
Chin up Dave...it could be a lot worse. I grinned and bared a trip out today in the showers and the cold to track down a Wall Brown...and in a slight glimmer of sunny shine I managed to spot one hanging in the air on a quarry bank...he did not hang around for long though as the next shower was imminent....I have always thought that in this type of weather...you just never know...if you do get a flash of sunshine you can guarentee that the butterflies will be desperate to cut some japes...so get your oilskins on and get out there! Oh fearless Butterfly hunter...
Iain.
Chin up Dave...it could be a lot worse. I grinned and bared a trip out today in the showers and the cold to track down a Wall Brown...and in a slight glimmer of sunny shine I managed to spot one hanging in the air on a quarry bank...he did not hang around for long though as the next shower was imminent....I have always thought that in this type of weather...you just never know...if you do get a flash of sunshine you can guarentee that the butterflies will be desperate to cut some japes...so get your oilskins on and get out there! Oh fearless Butterfly hunter...
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
Iain.
- Dave McCormick
- Posts: 2388
- Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2007 8:46 pm
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Re: May 2011
Thanks Iain,
Going out to check flower meadow beside an ancient oak/ash/beech woodland tomorrow morning, trapping in the woodland so will check areas after I check trap, hopefully that will be fruitful, have seen many butterflies in the meadow in early morning, resting on grasses and flowers, covered in dew. I did noticed about the butterflies appearing when it got sunny.
Get a free and dry day, going to coast to look around it to see what butterflies are there, usually good for numerous species.
Going out to check flower meadow beside an ancient oak/ash/beech woodland tomorrow morning, trapping in the woodland so will check areas after I check trap, hopefully that will be fruitful, have seen many butterflies in the meadow in early morning, resting on grasses and flowers, covered in dew. I did noticed about the butterflies appearing when it got sunny.
Get a free and dry day, going to coast to look around it to see what butterflies are there, usually good for numerous species.
Cheers all,
My Website: My new website: http://daveslepidoptera.com/ - Last Update: 11/10/2011
My Nature videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/DynamixWarePro
My Website: My new website: http://daveslepidoptera.com/ - Last Update: 11/10/2011
My Nature videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/DynamixWarePro
Re: May 2011
I know what you mean regarding butterflies being desperate for some flight time. I'm hoping Marsh Fritillaries will feel suitably deprived at Aberbargoed tomorrow as although the temperature is not forecast to rise above 14C, the day is set to be sunny and if that turns out to be true, given that the last few days have been dreadful, these butterflies will be so keen to take to the air again that they will ignore the unseasonable temperatures.
Re: May 2011
Visited Fairmile Heath in Surrey today, a good site for Silver-studded Blues. Despite the ridiculously early season, I didn't really expect to see one. And I didn't. In fact all I did see were three Green Hairstreaks, two Brown Argus and a Small Copper. The vegetation is mostly crunchy, dessicated moss and flowerless heather with just a few patches of green grass in the shade of trees and bramble thickets. All very worrying. Plenty of beetles in dog rose flowers, but nothing lepidopterous.
Next I visited Bookham Common where a two hour visit yielded the huge totals of 1 Large White, 2 male Orange-tips and a distant unidentified 'white'. That was it!!! Plenty of Micropterix calthella on the buttercups and Nemophora degeerella are emerging through the bramble strewn woodland floor. But worryingly little else. A large area of Bugloss at Fairmile was positively hotching with maybe 70 bees of several species, likewise a carpet of Ground Ivy at Bookham attracted many bees and bee-flies. Then I found a Honeybee nest ten foot up an oak, so a day of bees but not many butterflies!
Gibster.
Next I visited Bookham Common where a two hour visit yielded the huge totals of 1 Large White, 2 male Orange-tips and a distant unidentified 'white'. That was it!!! Plenty of Micropterix calthella on the buttercups and Nemophora degeerella are emerging through the bramble strewn woodland floor. But worryingly little else. A large area of Bugloss at Fairmile was positively hotching with maybe 70 bees of several species, likewise a carpet of Ground Ivy at Bookham attracted many bees and bee-flies. Then I found a Honeybee nest ten foot up an oak, so a day of bees but not many butterflies!
Gibster.
Raising £10,000 for Butterfly Conservation by WALKING 1200 miles from Land's End to John O'Groats!!!
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See http://www.justgiving.com/epicbutterflywalk or look up Epic Butterfly Walk on Facebook.