www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Another sunny and warm day but too windy for buterflies so there was few of ones. Nevertheless I have snapped:

- Common Blue
- Small Heaths
- Small White
- Small Copper
- Short-tailed Blue female underside and upperside
- and Pale Clouded Yellow female (I have watched her ovipositing to the upperside of the clover leaves and taken an egg).

I have taken also some beetle female

P.S.: The same beetle female was watched by me in our garden today (Sept 25th, 2010).

I saw a very worn QoS fritillary in my garden.

Tomorow is predicted to be cloudy and on Sunday rain and getting cold ...

I have taken:

On Thursday, Sep 30th in our garden:
- Peacock
- Red Admiral
- Small White
- Bright-line Brown-eye - Lacanobia oleracea caterpillar

On Friday, Oct 1st : Two Fox Moth - Macrothylacia rubi caterpillars on the our neighbour's meadow/horse pasture.

On Saturday, Oct 2nd: Brown Hairstreak - Thecla betulae on the Filbert in our neighbour's garden and I saw a Common Kingfisher - Alcedo atthis on this place.

Yesterday a.m. I have taken a Queen of Spain Fritillary in our garden.

In the afternoon I went to these meadows and snapped there:
- Red Admiral
- Peacock
- Small White (there were lots of)
- two Queen of Spain Frits
- Common Blue
- Berger's Clouded Yellow

Yesterday I have taken a Peacock in our garden.

I just have returned from a trip to Jankovice with my wife and daughter and we saw :
- Pale Clouded Yellow
- Small Copper
- Common Blue
and a Reverdin's Blue. Sorry I have taken only bad photos but this butterfly had been posing badly only. But I have survey one very well and I can say that it is definitely P. argyrognomon or idas (although first I thought P. argus).

On Wed., Oct 20th I have found a cluster of Velvet Shank - Flammulina velutipes on the walnut stem laying behind our garden and we (me and my eife) have eaten one's pilei in soup. .
Yesterday (Oct 24th) was a sunny day and I have snapped a Comma (and another photo) in our garden. In addition I have taken eggs of leaf beetle Galeruca sp. (Galeruca tanaceti?) on Hoary Plantain ears and Yarrow inflorescence.

Today I have snapped an European Green Toad - Pseudepidalea viridis in the cellar of our house.

Flammulina velutipes is the winter fungi. I have never ingested it, but it seems a good winter standby, if you have the edible fungi bug. Be sure of what you are eating though.

I'm interested in your pale clouded yellow of 8th August. To me it looks like classic alfacariensis. Do you know for certain it is hyale? Your female hyale from 24th September is clearly hyale, not only from the wing shape but from her choice of foodplant.

Guy

padfield wrote:I'm interested in your pale clouded yellow of 8th August. To me it looks like classic alfacariensis. Do you know for certain it is hyale? Your female hyale from 24th September is clearly hyale, not only from the wing shape but from her choice of foodplant.

Guy

From 7th October, posted on 8th Oct?. I am not sure, if it is hyale. I have always difficulties if I have to differ these two species. If you thing that it is alfacariensis I correct the legend.

I hope it's alfacariensis, because if it's not then I have an even slenderer grasp on these species than I thought!! They're easier from the upperside but last year and the year before I netted quite a few and compared the upperside markings with the wing shapes. Your picture shows a very typical wing shape for alfacariensis. I could be wrong, though!

Guy

padfield wrote:I hope it's alfacariensis, because if it's not then I have an even slenderer grasp on these species than I thought!! They're easier from the upperside but last year and the year before I netted quite a few and compared the upperside markings with the wing shapes. Your picture shows a very typical wing shape for alfacariensis. I could be wrong, though!

Guy

If you want I shall delete reference to you.

I'm happy to take the blame - I'm pretty confident!

Guy

The translation of the remark: Initially I had determinated it as Colias hyale but Guy Padfield has written me that it looks like typical Colias alfacariensis.

Today was a sunny day and I have snapped a Berger's Clouded Yellow - Colias alfacariensis in our garden. I have taken firebugs - Pyrrhocoris apterus, too.

The whole album is here.

On 29th October I have taken a Shark moth caterpillar in our garden. Furthermore I have taken the stuffs with some caterpillars (I found more than four in our garden), beetle Galeruca sp. (Galeruca tanaceti?) eggs and beetle imago male. It seems that these beetles have afinity to Yarrow in our garden. This dragonfly is Common Darter - Sympetrum striolatum. I see it in our garden every day (incl. today).

On 30th October we went to graves of my parents (and grandparents etc.) in Bohuslavice (Central Moravia). We call on my aunt's family in Krakovec and I have snapped a Peacock at the wood margin on this place.

On 10th November I have snapped a Peacock sitting on the facade of our house.
I scanned the leaves of the Bloody Dock plants growing in our garden and searched caterpillars (I hope sometimes I shall find Large Copper cat ), but I have found only Deep-brown Dart - Aporophyla lutulenta. Some of the leaves were rotten and I picked them up and brought to the compost. One of the plans was flaccid and when I had roped the rotten leave I lifted the whole plant because its root was completely eaten by water voles.

On 13th November 2010 I have taken a Wood Tiger - Parasemia plantaginis caterpillar and Common Darter male in our garden.

I have posted these photos (taken on 8th August 2010 on our neighbour's meadow) to Biolib. First I thought it is some flower fly but Ivo Antušek redetermined it as endangered Clubbed General - Stratiomys chamaeleon, Stratiomyidae (soldier flies).

Today I have seen a Comma overflying through our garden. I have snapped a Common Darter male and female in our garden.

15th November 2010 - I just have snapped a Small White on the prone road border before the school in Traplice...

... and some snail with the hirsute shell in our garden (Petasina sp.?).

16th November 2010 - Today I have found another Wood Tiger caterpillar in different place of our garden and taken one with a scale. Its lenghth is cca 23 - 24 mm.

I just have assemled and posted to Youtube slideshows of butterflies, burnets, moths and their caterpillars photos which I had taken during this year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZhFPj7F6zc[/video]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3He0p_TiKc[/video]

Merry Christmas and lots of magnificent butterflies in the new year to all

Greylag geese!
About an hour ago I watched an aproximately 100-member swarm of graylag geese drawing from the south to the north.

I have some photos of Dusky Large Blue and Scarce Large Blue on ARKive now.

Goldcrest and Sparrowhawk

Yestarday I have taken a goldcrest in the frontyard of our house through the window of my study and today a sparrowhawk in our neighbour's backyard from the window of our bedroom.