www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Good numbers of Orange-tips there Janet You did well to get those shots as they were particularly turbo charged in the warmth today

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Good to know Orange Tips are out in decent numbers further north, Janet. Always reassuring to see a Small Tortoiseshell in any report too.

Thank you, Wurzel and David M! It was certainly a bonanza.

On Saturday I took a walk out to Urmston Meadows where a Comma with LEDs apparently in the tips of its antennae settled down beside me. A couple of Brimstones were far too active for me to catch, and a Small Tortoiseshell allowed a photo but nothing more than a record shot. Then a pair od Peacocks fluttered down together and gave me a long display of courting among last year's dried and broken up balsam, she with her wings mostly closed, he with them open and trailing round behind her, stroking her with his antennae. They hopped from one place to another and eventually flew off together just out of reach beyond some brambles. My path went through the edge of a small broadleaf woodland area and here I saw my first Speckled Wood of the year, a darkly handsome specimen who appeared to have had a lucky escape from a hungry bird. Back at home, the garden was bereft of butterflies. The small garden pond also appeared to be bereft of tadpoles too, and I wondered if the newts could possibly have eaten all of them. The newts were very frisky and one of them posed so well I was able to positively identify it as a Palmate.
(The tadpoles reappeared today so they must have been hiding)

Good job getting the shots of the courting behaviour of the Peacocks and the Palmate Newt Janet Urmston Meadows sounds like a great place and one which I expect a lot of people end up at:
"Where are we going today?"
"Urm..."
"Okay I know how to get there..."

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Great shots of the Orange Tips Janet, I don't think I'll be lucky enough to get them in the Garden Goldie

Wurzel wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 7:02 pm "Where are we going today?"
"Urm..."
"Okay I know how to get there..."

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel that gave me a laugh - love it! Janet

Janet Turnbull wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 1:53 pm...On Saturday I took a walk out to Urmston Meadows...

15 years since I lived round that way, Janet, so good to know they haven't drained it yet.

I see you latched on to a pair of courting Peacocks. That's one task I must follow up - track them in the late afternoon if possible to see if there are any pairings.

Love the shot of the newt. There's clearly plenty of diverse wildlife round that way.

Goldie M wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 9:11 pm I don't think I'll be lucky enough to get them in the Garden Goldie

You never know, Goldie - you might get a surprise visit! - Janet

David M wrote: ↑Tue Apr 14, 2020 7:51 pm 15 years since I lived round that way, Janet, so good to know they haven't drained it yet.

There has been a lot of habitat management work done there, David, for the benefit of water voles, funded by The Veolia Environmental Trust. The Conservation Volunteers and City of Trees got together with the One Trafford Partnership and they've just finished, having worked on it for about 18 months. I did a bit of ditch clearing with them early on but some of the work got a bit too heavy for me. So I don't think the Meadows are about to be drained and in fact is a delightful place to walk. - Janet

Great shot of the newt Janet - I do enjoy seeing something a bit different and what better opportunity whilst we're all 'grounded'.

HI! Janet, you were right I got a surprise two days on a trot, Goldie

Alan and I went for a particularly long walk this morning, starting when the temperature was still only 7 degrees but as it warmed up we were rewarded with Peacocks, Small Torts, and a couple of dozen Orange tips, including two or three females. Females are evidently still in short supply as we observed two males scrapping over one female, resulting in what appeared to be a gang bang! A male Brimstone nectared on a patch of dandelions and I caught him with his wings open just as he launched himself off. Not a very good picture, but a rare one for me. My second Speckled Wood of the season has so far escaped the attentions of hungry birds and was in much better condition than the first.

Janet Turnbull wrote: ↑Wed Apr 15, 2020 9:46 pm..Females are evidently still in short supply as we observed two males scrapping over one female, resulting in what appeared to be a gang bang!

Sadly for them, those males are all too late, judging by the raised abdomen warning from the female.

After that 9 mile walk I didn't fancy going out again next day so I didn't get to look for emerging Orange-tips. Today I went out to the Moss very early to look for wheatears and lesser whitethroats (and drove to avoid the long trek to the start) and saw my first Green-veined white of the season, which I didn't realise until I downloaded the pics off the camera. There were also 15 OTs, 8 Peacocks, 5 small whites, 5 speckled woods, 2 small torts and a comma (in a pear tree?)

Great shots of the two Male Ot's Janet, you must be really fit walking 9miles, my limit is 20 times a round the garden Goldie

Goldie M wrote: ↑Tue Apr 21, 2020 7:36 am Great shots of the two Male Ot's Janet, you must be really fit walking 9miles, my limit is 20 times a round the garden Goldie

Haha - you could always be like Captain Tom and raise sponsorship, Goldie! I have to say I had to sit down and recover after that particular jaunt and Alan hasn't got over it yet!

Cracking stuff Janet As David said even though that female was one of a few around she'd already mated so the males advances were ultimately doomed to failure Great set of white shots and that Whitear...sorry Wheatear is a lovely shot

Hava goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

Nice sequence with the Orange-tips Janet.

I wouldn't have fancied going out again after walking 9 miles, I don't think I am doing that in a week

Cheers,

Neil.

Janet Turnbull wrote: ↑Mon Apr 20, 2020 11:00 pmAfter that 9 mile walk I didn't fancy going out again next day so I didn't get to look for emerging Orange-tips...

Wow!

That's some hike, Janet. Mind you, I did 28,300 steps myself on Easter Sunday, which translated as 13.3 miles, and I didn't see a single butterfly as it was cloudy!

David M wrote: ↑Wed Apr 22, 2020 7:16 pm [quote="...13.3 miles, and I didn't see a single butterfly as it was cloudy!

That's a bit disappointing David! Makes the walk seem twice as long if there's not much reward!

Wurzel - you and your whitear..! Or is that just my imagination
Keep safe
Janet

Janet Turnbull wrote: ↑Thu Apr 23, 2020 8:24 am..That's a bit disappointing David! Makes the walk seem twice as long if there's not much reward!

The reward was chipping into the 2.5kg I'd gained since working from home, Janet.

I don't think I could walk that far if butterfliies were around. I'd be stopping every few minutes to take photos!