www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Thanks Guy, Peter, David, Wurzel - the lesson learned is to understand the ecology and habits before setting off. Then finding the needle in the haystack isn't so bad since there's an incredibly small area that (in this case) is actually suitable for larvae!

Cheers,

- Pete

Some fantastic shots in recent posts Pete - really motivational stuff

Thanks Pauline.

Quercus on quercus

I always finish the year off with a search for hairstreak eggs and visited my most local site for Purple Hairstreak this morning for about 20 minutes while walking the dogs. The fallen oak that always delivers has been removed by the farmer, so I had to make do with the lowest-hanging south-facing branches of a line of oaks that are at one end of a field. Still, I managed to find a single egg in the last minute, which was a relief!
Cheers,

- Pete

First Butterflies

I've just returned from my first trip to Singapore (for work, I hasten to add), staying in a hotel with fantastic views over the city, including the characteristic Marina Bay Sands hotel.
Unusually, my first butterflies for the year were seen here - in a local park, and I was pleasantly surprised at just how eco-friendly the entire city seems to be, with green areas appearing to be quite abundant even in the centre of the city. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to go to any of the small areas of rainforest that can still be found here. All in all, a wonderful place, and I hope to return when I have more time for sightseeing! Still, a welcome respite from the British winter.
Cheers,

- Pete

You lucky so-and-so, Pete.

That skyline seems abnormally futuristic.

Good news that Singapore is increasingly eco-friendly - and what a brilliant time of year to visit, when nothing is on the wing over here.

Your chocolate pansy is confusingly named, as it is Junonia hedonia, a different species from J. iphita, the one normally called chocolate pansy. Wikipedia calls it the brown pansy. Anyway - a new one for me, and a lovely-looking creature.

Guy

It's freezing here, I haven't seen a butterfly in almost three weeks and you've seen one of the butterflies I've always wanted to see in the wild - if there was such a thing as an envy meter Pete mine would just have exploded

Have a goodun

Wurzel

It must have been great just to step out into the warmth and with the added addition of Butterflies fantastic
I went to Hong Kong once and I remember the warmth more than any thing else, sadly didn't see any Butterflies, love the Tiger BF Goldie

HI Pete,

Many thanks for your observation on the DGF Ab. I must admit i had noticed the markings on that specimen
but failed to note that it was an Ab. When i first started Butterflying i thought the Female DGF's were Ab's!
All my DGF images were taken near Birling Gap, East Sussex.

All the best,
TREVOR.

Wiltshire aurinia

I was in Taunton today and decided to drive home via the Wiltshire countryside, stopping off at a Marsh Fritillary site to see if I could locate any larval webs; I stopped counting at 100 - clearly a good omen for the flight period at this site! The season is kicking off nicely
Cheers,

- Pete

Great stuff Pete, a lot better developed than the ones down here in Somerset, which are, incidentally, near Taunton

BWs,

William

Those larvae look to be in rude health for the time of year. Augurs well for a decent emergence come late May.

A cracking set of shots Pete that will make waiting for the next two months very difficult - but judging by the web count definitely worth it

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Pete,

Nice set of images and gives a good indication of what to keep an eye out for, I may try to get out myself this weekend to look for some Frit larvae at Bentley

Andy

Thanks for the kind comments everyone; unfortunately, I've not been able to return to the Marsh Fritillary site recently due to work pressures. On the bright side, as Vince says in the Notes and Views section, spring officially started on 6th April Purple Emperor larvae are moving into their post-hibernation positions next to sallow buds, as reported by Matthew on the Purple Empire blog:
And, while knocking down our garden shed to make way for a potting shed, I found 3 Large White pupae. They really are quite beautiful (and overlooked!):
And a walk today with the dogs resulted in 16 Peacock, 12 Small Tortoiseshell, just 1 Brimstone (male), my first Green-veined White of the year and nowt / zero / zilch on the Scarce Tortoiseshell front

Cheers,

- Pete

I'm sure the Scarce Tort will be heading your way soon Pete

Have a goodun

Wurzel

That Large White pupa is truly beautiful and a real find, Pete.

Thanks Wurzel, David!

Needles, haystacks, and finding the impossible!

I must admit, I have travelled further to find a caterpillar (Chequered Skipper), but taking a trip to find a Northern Brown Argus larva is probably "right up there" with the acts of lunacy that Eleanor Glanville was accused of, when in "pursuit of butterflies". But some things must, simply, be done And so it was that I ended up at a site near Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders with yet another haystack before me. Knowing that hundreds, if not thousands, of Northern Brown Argus were on the hillside before me gave me great confidence, but the reality was quite, quite deflating. Having done my research, this was supposedly the best time to find the larvae (post-hibernation), but they would be tiny (around 3mm in length), feeding on the underside of the Rock-rose leaves, and the site is simply carpeted in Rock-rose - hence the "haystack".
I had spent over an hour with my nose buried to the ground, looking at the underside of Rock-rose leaves, when a familiar voice called to me - local resident Ian Campbell, one of the guardians of this precious site and one of a handful of people that can claim to get Northern Brown Argus in their back garden!
The company was much appreciated and Ian reminding me of where the hotspots were, where we found Northern Brown Argus eggs in good numbers in 2014. It wasn't long before we found a discarded egg case and plenty of evidence of feeding - the "grazing" of the caterpillars on the Rock-rose leaves being quite evident all around this one small area.
With hopes running high, and Papilio binoculars put to good use, I eventually found, after 2 hours of searching, a "cheeky" larva poking its head around the side of a Rock-rose leaf, not far from the end of a sprig of leaves, as if playing hide-and-seek. Bingo! I knew this chap would fall off the leaf at the slightest disturbance so was particularly careful; placing my handing underneath the leaf in case it fell, which it promptly did. What neither Ian nor I knew was just how quickly the larva would move back towards the food plant - I've never seen anything like it - and certainly not in a Lycaenid larva which are known for their sluggish behaviour! Knowing that this critter was more-than-capable of getting back to its host plant, I popped it in a box (with foodplant) to give it time to settle and allow us a good viewing. A short time later it was released, after a number of record shots were taken.
What could have been a monumental error of judgement turned out to be the start to the year I was hoping for and certainly proved that, once again, persistence pays off. My thanks to Ian for the company, hospitality, and help in searching for the impossible. The only downside was that UK Butterflyer, Iain Cowe (IAC), wasn't there to see the larva for himself (it was Iain who helped me locate NBA in this region in the first place) - I'll have to save that for next year!

Cheers,

- Pete

Now THATS dedication! and a great result as well

Brilliant work, Pete! I think finding a needle in a haystack is probably easier ...

Guy