www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

As others have already said -remarkable photos

I particularly liked the tail-end shot, with the two organs standing like a pair of sea anemones. It's an excellent illustration that caterpillars are much more than merely "eating machines".

Mike

Thanks all!

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

They are indeed and I'm still trying to get some decent video footage showing this. I'm sure this weekend will be put to good use In the meantime, some photos from today illustrating the point:
I managed to have the briefest of visits to a site near Stockbridge Down after work, where the Dukes are just starting to emerge - with 3 males seen. But I was actually surprised by the incredible number of Brimstones at this woodland site - I watched a female being mobbed by 3 males which made for an interesting sight as they pinned her to the ground!
Cheers,

- Pete

Wow! That's an absolute Brimstone orgy!

I'm still waiting for that rare moment when spring male Brimstone encounters spring female Brimstone.

As I suspected, sparks doth fly when it eventually happens!

That is a fantastic Brimstone image Pete I saw four male Brimstones the other afternoon all in the same small spot practically one after the other so I wondered then if they seek females in 'packs' - judging by your shot perhaps they do

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks both!

Greenham Common

I visited a couple of Duke sites over the weekend in Hampshire, and it looks like there's still some way to go since I saw, in total, 19 males and not a single female! Closer to home, the Dingy and Grizzled Skippers are emerging at Greenham Common, and I also found several Green Hairstreak, including an ovipositing female that had me entranced at she probed the tight buds of Bird's-foot Trefoil before laying a single green egg on suitable plants.
Cheers,

- Pete

Amazing photos again Pete! GHS eggs are so small, I know how tricky it is to photograph things this tiny.

All the best

B'saurus

More amazing shots Pete. I have never seen anything like those Brimstones and I love the GH egg. Saw one laying yesterday but was disturbed before I could look for eggs.

Thanks both - sorry to hear about your "incident" Pauline.

Silver-studs phase 3

And finally, the Silver-studded Blue larvae that I've been rearing through are now pupating. Of all the pupae I've ever seen, they remind me most of Large Blue pupae in that there is no noticeable cremaster; the end of the abdomen being smooth and rounded. I wonder if there's some correlation between this feature and a close association with ants. And on that note, I tried introducing a larva to a few black ants (Lasius niger) and, after an initial probing with their antennae, the ants promptly attacked the larva! Suffice to say, I rescued it before things went too far and the larva has now pupated. But I suspect that the larva was lacking the appropriate chemical signals (which may be derived from any host ants in the wild, given that the larvae are known to enter ants' nests).
Cheers,

- Pete

That's very interesting, Pete. I recall that large blues are only taken in and accepted after they have been attended for some time by ants - and acquired appropriate chemical signals.

I can't remember - were these larvae from wild eggs?

Guy

Padfield wrote:I can't remember - were these larvae from wild eggs?

Hi Guy - they've been reared from eggs and are the offspring of captive-bred individuals.

Cheers,

- Pete

Noar Hill

Yesterday I visited Noar Hill and was greeted by a swarm of bees whose queen had clearly flown the nest! Aside from extremely good numbers of Dingy Skipper and the odd Grizzled Skipper, the Common Blue and Small Heath are starting to emerge (a dozen of each seen) and Green Hairstreak are ovipositing all over the site. The Dukes are also really coming out in force! I must have seen over 30, including several mating pairs - and I managed to witness one of the pairings. The most interesting sight was seeing a female land on a Cowslip leaf and then spin on her axis, shuffle backwards until she reached the leaf edge, and then pop out a couple of eggs on the underside of the leaf; it looked quite comical!
Cheers,

- Pete

Not-so-dingy Dingy

The first of 2 Dingy Skippers emerged yesterday, a stunning male, and I took great delight in releasing him where I first met him as an egg! I also had a quick scout around, finding a Dingy Skipper egg on the first plant I looked at, the egg transitioning from the greenish-white hue that it has when first laid to the bright orange that it will eventually show. I also watched as a female deposit an egg in an uncharacteristic spot - certainly not above bare earth - but I guess the decision is made based on the temperature of the local microclimate above everything else, and this spot must have hit the mark! Record shots of the eggs only, since I didn't have the paraphernalia needed to take closeups. I may return!
Cheers,

- Pete

Greenham Common

With the second Dingy Skipper emerging today (a rather lovely female), I popped back up to Greenham Common to release her - this time with extension tubes to get shots of Dingy Skipper ova. The most orange I found was the first I found yesterday - but I did manage to find a few more too. A couple of shots below. I also saw my first Common Blue and Brown Argus for the site.
Cheers,

- Pete

You must have felt enormously proud, Pete!

That last shot is tremendous. What wonderful things these butterfly eggs are.

Guy

Padfield wrote:You must have felt enormously proud, Pete!

Thanks Guy. Yes, I did feel proud. Just knowing that I rescued the 2 Dingy eggs from almost certain squishing, and managed to see them through to adulthood and emerge at just the right time, does indeed give me a warm glow

Cheers,

- Pete

I am full of admiration Pete - your commitment, dedication, knowledge, skill and photography. I now know first hand just how difficult it is yet you continue to amaze with all these species.

Thanks Pauline!

Cheers,

- Pete

Fantastic Dingy image there,Pete,beautiful markings. To rear two eggs to the adult stage,you certainly must know a thing or two about breeding them. A great reward for your efforts,thanks for sharing.

Thanks Mark!

Deja vu, all over again

Yesterday I managed to pull off a repeat of last year, visiting Craigavon Lakes in Northern Ireland, hoping to catch a few glimpses of Cryptic Wood White. The BBC weather report showed a day of cloud and rain, so I knew the weather was likely to be in my favour (which it was!). In fact, conditions were perfect, with hazy cloud cover and relatively-low temperatures most of the morning, meaning that any butterflies spent a good amount of time settled (including the hyperactive males). The shots below, including a couple of videos of courting couples, are self-explanatory The females behaved quite differently when ovipositing (unsurprisingly), flying very low over the herbage and "sniffing out" any vetch that might be there before laying a single egg on the preferred plants. I also had the good fortune of bumping into Brian Nelson, co-author of "The Butterflies and Moths of Northern Ireland", who gave me a guided tour of the site - marvellous!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUtPTTgl8js[/video]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzYasWLR8Vw[/video] Aside from the CWW, I saw a couple of male Orange-tip (and quite a few eggs, on almost every Cuckooflower head), as well as a few Small Heath and Green-veined White ssp. britannica.
Cheers,

- Pete

Great images, Pete. As you say, hazy cloud cover is ideal not just for approaching the more skittish species of butterfly but also for photography.