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Wurzel wrote:Cracking shot Susie and I agree Flame Steak is much more appropriate and also way cooler

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I prefer char grilled myself!!

Tasty little butterfly!

Red admirals, small tortoiseshell, comma, meadow brown and large and small whites in the garden today.

We popped down to Goring and saw quite a few butterflies flying in strongly over the sea to land. I think they were red admirals but they weren't stopping for anyone.

Well done Susie on getting a photo of a Flamed Hairstreak, lovely.
All the best, Nick.

Thanks, Nick

Brown hairstreak in the garden! Whoo and yay!

I had been out for the morning and as I came into the kitchen I saw something flying in the garden which caught my eye. Brown hairstreaks are pretty unmistakeable in flight. It settled on some ivy with its wings closed. Unfortunately I had one of those dilemmas where I could either watch it or get a camera - I chose the latter. By the time I got back it had gone but it was still great to see and was in good nick from what I could see of it. Can't wait to check for eggs when the leaves drop off the blackthorn.

After waiting in the garden for a while in the hope it might come back I decided to scout around the local area. The other side of the hedge by the bypass looks like hairstreak heaven at the moment as there is a strip of young bullace alongside the hedge which is about ten feet wide and hundreds of yards long. No sign of any hairstreaks there today but I did find a tiny small copper. It is a shame that this bullace will be mowed later in the year so I will try to get out there and rescue any eggs I can find in a month or so. Also in the garden small tortoiseshells, red admirals, comma and large and small whites.

I saw another brown hairstreak today at Slinfold Golf and Country Club.

Send some Brown hairstreaks up here please Susie, too far to travel all the way down there. Tried Chambers farm wood Lincs today but none seen by anyone, maybe a couple of fast flyby's but that was all. Eric

A trip to Steyning on Saturday gave me a last taste of summer and probably my last flaming hairstreak of the year. It wasn't a quarter pounder, more of a three quarter butterfly, but still great to see.

I found it quite amusing as I turned up at Steyning and made my way to the group of enthusiasts at the bottom of the hill near the master tree to be hailed by our Sussex Kipper. I knew Kipper must have found something (doesn't he always! ) and people were hopping over the fence to look at what he was looking at. 'You're over the wrong side of the fence' someone called, 'I'll have to make it come over here then' I replied - at which point the butterfly took off and flew over to MY side - 'Whose on the wrong side of the fence?' .
She might have only been three quarters of a hairstreak but she kept herself very busy walking around the blackthorn laying eggs so hopefully will be the mother of many more hairstreaks next year. I didn't see a huge number of butterflies on Saturday,although there were loads of Silver Y around, but the lovely company of other butterfly enthusiasts including John W of this forum made it a lovely way to spend a couple of hours.

On Tuesday morning I popped to Denbies for 45 minutes for a walk. There are still some really good condition common blues around but my favourite butterfly was this incredibly worn chalkhill blue. Also tatty brown argus, a pristine small heath and lots of meadow brown.

How is that butterfly still active? It looks practically dead!

That's well worn! I love the colours of the picture, though.

A few hours sitting in a sunny garden in Thatcham today (drinking Pimms, how very marvellous) was a good opportunity to see all the nymphalids that were flying over. I dont know where they were going or where they had been but they werent stopping. Possibly migrating back whence they came?

Today was another day filled with family commitments and no chance to spot butterflies, or so I thought. I was just sitting outside my daughter's college in the car waiting to collect her when I saw the unmistakeable flight of a brown hairstreak nearby. The BH was in among some ornamental dogwood and was looking to egg lay. She crawled up and down the stems and I thought that I was going to witness her laying on these (!) but then she found some blackthorn twigs in between the dogwood and oviposited on this instead. I watched her for a good five to ten minutes. Frustratingly I had no camera other than my phone which first refused to focus and then froze completely. Frustrating minutes were lost while I shut it down and restarted it but I eventually got a couple of snaps. Marvellous serendipity!

Yesterday I was walking past the school to Horsham and saw one flying around nearby too until it eventually settled at the top of a maple tree. I've had a few chance sightings over the last couple of weeks like this.

It's good to know BH are around in good numbers after all.

Susie wrote:I've had a few chance sightings

I don't know what it is about BH. I have had quite a few 'chance sightings' over the years but never find them when I go on a planned search

Mike

Same here this year with BH, with the exception of my trips to Steyning. I kept spotting them as I drive!

those pics are great susie. wish my phone(or is it me ) could take pictures like that

I'm sure you'd recognise which plant its on though

Lovely photos Susie and so late in the season too!

Thank you, Pauline. Yes, the season definitely seems to be running quite late here, at this rate they will be flying into October.

Great shots of the Flame StReak good to see them lasting into the autumn and hopefully the weather will keep comfortable for them although it does seem to be quieting down now



Have a goodun




Wurzel



PS - hopefully this will start a new page so my iPod typo will be removed from the front page

Damn it's still there

Have a goodun

Wurzel