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Catchup of various bits and bobs!

Well, the Cryptic Wood White may not be out yet at Craigavon Lakes in Northern Ireland, but the Irish Orange-tips are Of the shots below, the females conform most closely to the definition of ssp. hibernica since the yellow suffusion on the hindwing is quite clear, whereas the yellow suffusion on the underside of the male forewing is nigh on impossible to photograph but is definitely there!: "Slightly smaller on the average than the type, the black spots at the ends of the nervures more strongly marked. The male frequently suffused with yellow on the underside of the forewing, the female usually with the hindwing strongly suffused with yellow". The last female shown appeared to have unusually-shaped spots on the forewings.
Closer to home, the Dingy Skipper larvae have emerged from hibernation and, without further feeding, have each built a shelter in which to pupate. The pupal colour seems quite variable, with one being particularly dark and very moth-like, the other conforming more to "type" and showing a beautiful combination of green and red hues. One of these pupated in a plastic box and gave me a window onto its world as the larva threaded together leaves with silk, leaving the side of the box clear, where I saw it build a silk pad on the "ceiling" of its chamber before settling down on the pad and, after a few days, pupating.
The first of the Silver-studded Blue have now entered their final instar and are an amazing colour - the contrast between the green ground colour and red dorsal stripe is quite something! It seems that even the brown form of larva are turning green as they move into their final instar, but I'll keep a close eye on this to confirm.
And finally - the first of the White-letter Hairstreak larvae has whizzed through its instars and is now preparing to pupate. This is well ahead of schedule, despite it being kept outside in the coolest place in the garden. Fortunately, the Purple Hairstreak ova I rescued have only just started to emerge, so seem to be in sync with the oak burst in West Berks!
Cheers,

- Pete

Amazing shots of the Dingy Skipper pupa Pete and the Silver-studded Blue larva are a lovely colour. The White-letter Hairstreak larva look very similar to Purple Hairstreak larva which also seem to speed though their instars too. Brown Hairstreak larva however seem to be a little more sedate.

Mike

You've excelled even yourself there, Pete.

Magnificent images.

Great efforts Pete.
Those are superb images of rarely recorded subjects
Also filling a few gaps in the Species Albums...............

Vince

Some amazing images there Pete!

Best Wishes

B'saurus

Agreed with everyone else - real top drawer photos . The final female OT does have noticeably larger spots. I can see the lemony suffusion as well though I have seen that on a "British" OT female before. Good luck with the Cryptics

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks all!

Another Eggcellent day

With it bucketing down all day, I decided I needed a good soak and went to a site that I visited last weekend and where I saw a female Small Tortoiseshell ovipositing. The leaf she was laying on was weighted down with eggs - possibly laid by more than one female. Another sprig of nettle, also with a sheltered south-facing outlook, had another egg batch on it. All batches seemed to have a small level of predation, with a few damaged or empty egg shells among them. I'm sure I could have found many more egg batches, but my socks needed a good wringing out so I headed back home instead! Photos below.
Cheers,

- Pete

Well done Pete, I was hoping you had found some of your own by now

I reckon there at least 6 egg batches on that single leaf. The first three images are also showing a visiting parasitic wasp, while I believe the damage in the last three images is due to slugs.

Vince

Vince Massimo wrote:Well done Pete, I was hoping you had found some of your own by now

I reckon there at least 6 egg batches on that single leaf. The first three images are also showing a visiting parasitic wasp, while I believe the damage in the last three images is due to slugs.

Vince

Thanks Vince - strewth, I didn't even notice the wasp! Darn!

Cheers,

- Pete

Lovely close up images Pete.

Do slugs eat the eggs?

Lee

Hi Lee - not sure what the slugs do.

As sweet as sugar

Silver-studded Blue are, without doubt, one of the most interesting species I've ever reared! The organs on the 8th abdominal segment are quite something, so I decided to look into this a little further and learned some things along the way. First off, the Newcomer's gland is found on the 7th abdominal segment and it is this, not the 8th segment organs, that produces the "honey dew" (and is sometimes called the dorsal nectary gland as a result). You can see it here:
The pair of cylindrical organs on the 8th abdominal segment are each topped with a ring of "spikes" that emit chemical signals which are believed to help in communicating with ants (according to Wikipedia). These things are just so prominent when the larva is moving or feeding, and very hard to miss! Here's a variety of shots showing them:
Cheers,

- Pete

Those SSB photos are amazing! Did they involve any new kit?

robin

Robin wrote:Those SSB photos are amazing! Did they involve any new kit?

robin

Hi Robin - nope, no new kit, just getting the hang of my old kit But extension tubes help

Cheers,

- Pete

Remarkable stuff, Pete.

Excellent images as ever and a rare insight into the earlier stages of one of Britain's most precious butterfly species.

Amazing photos Pete, revealing the gaps that exist in our understanding of the early stages in the life of some of our butterfly species.


Mike

Amazing stuff Pete Can those cylindrical organs on the 8th segment retractable?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

You've really inspired me, Pete! These are amazing pictures of a quite remarkable subject. Something I would love to see for myself, though I doubt my eye or camera could get as good a view as you've given us!

Guy

Superb photos Pete. Only just been able to see them as I had internet router failure. Five whole days without internet

You asked:

Hi Lee - not sure what the slugs do.

I can answer that. They all move to the Isle of Mull, specifically my kitchen. I have no idea how/where they get in but they are a real pain. Suggestions how to deal with them welcome We have cats so slug pellets might not be a good idea.

Jack

Jack Harrison wrote:Suggestions how to deal with them welcome We have cats so slug pellets might not be a good idea.

Try beer traps - see http://www.slugoff.co.uk/killing-slugs/beer-trap

Astonishing level of detail Pete and so interesting. I'm totally intrigued.