www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Guy:

That still looks like a (virgin) female to me.

Not sure I've ever seen one

Jack

Would a female Comma be territorial?

Anyway, here's a picture of Great great Grandparent exactly the same locality 30 March 2008

Jack

Took this at my Comma hotspot today 24 March. I had noticed how pale the underside was but the use of fill-pin flash might have exaggerated the paleness in the photos. The underside looks a little like f.hutchinsoni, the summer form that is not supposed to hibernate. So logic says it cannot be hutchinsoni.

Jack

Comma I saw in their "patch" in the cemetery recently (always 2 or 3 around there) was very light - but not hutchinsonii when compared against previous examples like the one below...

First butterfly of the year yesterday, a pristine Peacock on my lawn, which stayed long enough for me to take a few shots

Tom

I've often wondered about whether hutchinsoni can hibernate and I've looked out for them in the spring. But I don't think I've ever seen one then.

In my experience, hutchinsoni has rich oranges and yellows in the underside as well as greys and browns. I was lucky enough in July 2009 to get both forms in one shot:


(starski on left, hutchinsoni on right)

Jack's butterfly has a pale underside but lacks any of those warm colours.

I went silent on the male/female thing, Jack, because I wanted someone else's opinion. As I said, I find Nymphalids harder than other groups, until they get pregnant.

Guy

Here's a pale starski, compared to the same hutchinsoni as above:




Guy

beautiful day down here in the forest,

but only one male brimstone seen again, this time in lymington.
nice illustrative use of your images guy! still waiting to see my first comma.

gary.

padfield wrote:Here's a pale starski, compared to the same hutchinsoni as above:
Guy

Here is a melanic form... fargasii

Charles

... Charles,
Is that the version whose larvae are known as the "Huggy Bear" caterpillar

Trev

Trev Sawyer wrote:... Charles,
Is that the version whose larvae is known as the "Huggy Bear" caterpillar

Trev

You just moved up a notch in my book. That puts you at notch one.

Charlonio

Observed at least twenty Brimstones (there were probably loads more) by the side of the A31 and M27 motorway yesterday, in the New Forest area. (heathland). Couldn't stop.

Starski - genius.

Yeah - took me a looonngg time too!
Nice one Guy!
N

f cagneyi and laceyi - what do they look like?

Jack

Damn!.......that one got past me. That's because I always believe everything Guy says. He has spent too long corresponding with Jack. They should not be allowed to sit together this term.

Vince

Agreed!

Is there anyone else out there who, like me, is yet to see a single butterfly?!

Last Sunday, a lovely day, was when I thought it was going to happen. However, despite visiting a couple of my local favoured sites, I drew a blank. Even more frustrating, when I got back from my run I was told by my wife that a Peacock had visited the graden whilst I was out.

With the forecast poor for the next few days, looks like I'll be reporting my #1 in the "April Sightings" forum!

Ah well, at least the daffs are out now.

Chris

walpolec wrote:Is there anyone else out there who, like me, is yet to see a single butterfly?!

Last Sunday, a lovely day, was when I thought it was going to happen. However, despite visiting a couple of my local favoured sites, I drew a blank. Even more frustrating, when I got back from my run I was told by my wife that a Peacock had visited the graden whilst I was out.

With the forecast poor for the next few days, looks like I'll be reporting my #1 in the "April Sightings" forum!

Ah well, at least the daffs are out now.

Chris

I'm in that boat so far this year

Bill

Bill S wrote:
I'm in that boat so far this year

Bill

Had a bit of luck today: I was visiting my mother and went to get something from her shed and was pleased to find a lovely peacock fluttering at the window. As there was no way for the butterfly to get in/out apart from the door, it must have been hibernating and had recently woken up. Lucky for it that I went in; the shed is hardly ever used, so it could have been trapped in there for quite a while!

Hope you have some luck soon, Bill.

Chris