www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I love the close-up on the Immature Broad Bodied Chaser, Dave.
Cheers, Chris

Love the golden glow of those evening shots BB and that close up is amazing - how on earth did you get that

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel and Chris,

I use luck to get close to things !,I suppose theres a skill in watching a well used perch as well!

Also the odd prayer ,"please stay,please stay......amen",helps

Thanks

Wednesday 23rd July 2014

So,trying to get some shots of my local Gatekeepers on the Ragwort,it was quite breezy in the low evening light,and initially I thought the shots were crud but looking later got one that wasn't too bad.
Cheeky Cinnabar moth caterpillar in the background as well,I bet there's some cracking shots to be had here,I will try! Also,the Orthoptera is now just about to go all adult,I'll do a proper study on these over the forthcoming weeks.
Speckled Bush Cricket Male Friday 25th July 2014
You know that thing that happens this time of year,standing looking at oak trees,ok in the countryside where nobody is around,decidedly weird in towns Looking for those silvery flickers of the Purply Hairstreaks,found one today on my mums Oak,it came down into the garden,cool.Theres a bigger bank of Oaks down the end of the street,I suspect this is where the colony is based.I have presence in Northgate,Crawley.good. One to work on next year,now for those Brownies and that Argus on my landfill site.
Thanks

That sounds like a typical Purple Hairstreak experience - hours spent looking, waiting or watching for them and then one just drops in when you least expect it - good job you had your camera

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th August 2014

Spent a couple of hours on each of the above days trying to locate my local Brown Hairstreaks,other stuff crossed my path as my quest began.

Excellent second brood Specklies down by GG Millpond Onto Rusper Road and Gatekeeper Central arrives,good year for them as well. A rather tired looking Red Admiral,haven't seen too many new ones this year. Did some work on my local Orthoptera as well Roesels Bush Crickets marched across the country in the 90's and are still marching,30 years ago there were hardly any records in West Sussex,now everywhere,beautiful as well. Same for Lesser Marsh Grasshoppers,a recent addition to Crawley's local fauna.(Climate change anyone?) Hornets are tough to keep up with Did I say theres lots of Gatekeepers this year..... At last..............egg laying has commenced,best go back over the next few days,one will do cause that's all I saw! I grinned and went home.

Thanks

Missed out me Speckled Bush Cricket.
Not anymore.

Thursday 7th August 2014

The Rusper Road Brown Hairstreak hunt continues..............

The countryside around here is providing plenty of free grub at the moment,Blackberries,Plums and Hazelnuts are in abundance,although I'm fighting the local wildlife off for some of it.

This young Roe Deer was tucking in to my,yes my,Blackberries! Theres recently been a new species of Oak Bush Cricket colonised from the continent,this one however is the original and best! Around midday I was watching the plethora of Gatekeepers nectering on a knapweed bank just in case there were any Brownies hiding away,low and behold. Then a fresh female came down and started sniffing around the tiniest of Blackthorn shoots,to egg lay. 1 yesterday,2 today,slowly does it,determined to get some decent shots this year,or at least deepen my understanding of these elusive gits! :lol:Think I have my suspicions on the master Ash as well,binos tomorrow! Thanks

Good luck with the Brostreaks Buchan Boy I'm trying for my first this year tomorrow so long as the weather plays ball Nice shot of the excessa Hedge Brown BTW

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel,not so successful today.

Saturday 9th August 2014

Had a look at a different area today that has all the right ingredients(Ash trees and Blackthorn),and although I ID'd two Brown Hairstreaks nothing came within camera distance, mind you I sat in a lovely meadow around midday. A huge Ash Tree with Blackthorn runs underneath, perfect but no target species today, nearly dozed off in all the loveliness

Still, lovely to see the Skippers coming to the end of their summer. A couple of newbies as well My search for the brownies will continue there......
Back to Rusper Road,and you know I love my grasshoppers,being August an all! These second brood Specklies are so lovely That was that really,a few new Commas,Large Whites and Common Blues around,its raining tomorrow apparently.

Thanks

Wednesday 13th August 2014

Went to Brockham Limekilns Nature Reserve,on the North Downs between Dorking and Reigate,today.Silver Spotted Skippers and Rufous Grasshoppers today.This whole place ouzes loveliness,fab history,in the industrial sense,as well.

A rather indulgent look at the Silver Spotted's as follows,they're doing fabulously well across the whole site. Sorry,an indulgent look at the grasshoppers next.

Thanks

Great Silver Spots Buchan They're like little Teddy bears aren't they, my daughter thought they were the cutest butterflies they've seen

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Nice array of Silver-spotted Skippers - do they extend all along the slopes to Box Hill?

The flower without petals is a Carline Thistle, by the way - plenty of nectar, and Chalkhills in particular seem to like them.

Dave

Thanks chaps,

Millerd,thanks for the thistle ID, indeed where the habitat is correct they are along the scarp to Boxhill,haven't checked any of the other colonies this year but if they are doing half as well as this one,a good year is being had by them!

"The Butterflies Of Surrey revisited" book by Ken Willmot and friends is rather excellent reading, concerning this species.

Dave

Wednesday 13th August 2014 cont..

Brockham Limekiln's Grasshoppers.

Rufous and Stripe Winged Grasshoppers are particularly fond of the chalk with the North and South Downs being national strongholds for both species.

Stripe Winged first. These can be confused with Common Green Grasshoppers,but if you look at how the wing cells are greatly enlarged on the Stripe Winged against the Common Green below,this is diagnostic. The Rufous Grasshopper males are much smaller than the females and tend to not show such a range of colour variants,again the white tips to the clubbed antenna are diagnostic to this species. Now the females show tremendous variation in colouring patterns,I'm not sure why so great,I've pondered writing about why this maybe,predation,ground colour,general randomness???dunno.
Theres also a rather attractive purple/red variety,ie a rufous Rufous ,but I've not seen one on the North/South downs yet,but its quite easy to find on the calcerous hills/cliffs of Dorset and Devon,why this is?????
Anyway,this kind of thing fascinates oneself....... All good that,theres also healthy populations of Meadow Grasshoppers and some old records of Mottled Grasshoppers residing here,but I've yet to locate these.

Thanks

Thursday 14th August 2014

Planned to spend the day on Ashdown Forest at various sites but managed about and hour on Hindleap Warren before a succession of thunderstorms halted my fun for the day.Great storms though! It rained.

Friday 15th August 2014

Wandered down to Rusper Rd and stood and stared at the knapweed nectaring station for a while,waiting for Brown Hairstreaks............then a Silver washed Fritillary wafted into the action.I followed it down the banks of blackthorn until just when I thought I'd lost sight,it settled down on a Bramble thicket,took my chance,made my day. Hoorah!
Thanks

Saturday 16th August 2014

Still loving this second batch of Specklies..... Thanks

I was in Worcester over the weekend and there seemed to be Specklies absolutely everywhere - yet I can't recall seeing very many during the first brood Great shots of the Crickets and Grasshoppers recently Buchan - I used your post to help me identify a couple that I found recently

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Glad to have helped with identifying some of your Grasshoppers Wurzel,it can get tricky at times......

Monday 18th August 2014

Latest instalment of my local Orthoptera and some other bits

Field Grasshoppers can be a pain.......good eyesight at close quarters needs to be good as they have hairy undersides and like to fly a lot.

Sadly I forgot about the males...but I'll correct that later.

Heres some Female Field Grasshoppers from Buchan Park.Habitat is virtually anywhere! Then things get tricky and eyesight at close quarters,plus an ability to keep up with them helps.....
Woodland Grasshopper Females can be confused with the above but check, firstly the pronotal keels(that saddle behind the head),not as sharply indented,secondly the undersides are diagnostic.They also tend to loiter near woodland,but not necessarily! The males are small and very dark,although sometimes they can be a dark green. The undersides are unmistakable,white palps and red/orange markings.(She was released unharmed ) Head shot showing the white palps. Mixing these up with Lesser Marsh,Meadow and Common Greens,and it gets funny........... Also noted....... Shock,horror,there was even a butterfly..... Quickly wandered over the road to the ex Landfill site and the Coneheads are maturing.These are Crickets. That's todays stuff done.

Thanks

You sure give us an eclectic mix of insects, BB.

Lovely contrast of colours in the Red Admiral/Fleabane image.