www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Thanks for the comments Pauline , your little PH and BH cats are obviously taking up a fair amount of your time, hope all is well with them.
Cheers Wurzel, I was chuffed with that Peacock, there were loads settling and basking but most were either in amongst blossom or down in the grass.
B. rex, yep, can't be long now, I see that an Orange Tip was reported from Warwickshire yesterday and I am expecting the first Specklie in my garden any day now.

Sunday 30th March - Mothers Day.

We had my Mom round for Mothers day today plus our daughter has also been stopping for the weekend with our little Grandson, so that's three generations of mothers in the house....and guess who was cooking the Sunday dinner . Mind you, Jane has limited movement in her right hand and arm since having the stroke 3 years back so I am usually the cook in our house anyway.

The weather today was not as good as yesterday, still pleasant enough but with a high cloud cover most of the day that the sun broke through a few times but it was more of a hazy sunshine. Between the family stuff I still managed to nip out into the garden a few times and was rewarded with a passing Brimstone this morning plus a couple each of Comma and Peacock. The Commas stayed high up on the Sallow as they did yesterday but the Peacocks spent more time down the wild end of the garden either on Dandelions or basking in the weak sun.
I also noticed loads of bees about including many large queen bumble bees plus the first bee flies in the garden this year.
Bye for now,

Neil.

Could have been worse Neil I spent the day in the loft knocking down more lathe and plaster and sweeping up half a ton of 150 year mess - I looked like I'd just come back from "t'pit" once I'd finished. Your shots therefore cheered me up, great Peacocks again and brill Beefly Hopefully the weather will hold for a bit longer...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel, just goes to show that there is always someone deeper in it than yourself

Tuesday 1st April.

For me, the start of British Summer Time is when the season really starts. I may have had a couple of very enjoyable wanders around my local patch during the past few weeks but there is nothing like getting in from work and still having enough daylight left for butterflies to still be flying in the back garden.
Yesterday was cloudy and showery when I got in but this afternoon the sun was out and there were a couple of Peacocks flitting about to greet me

This one is the same individual that kept visiting the Dandelions on Sunday...
and this one kept trying to fly through the window into the back room,
Fingers crossed for some more decent weather and to see what else shows up soon..

Bye for now,

Neil.

Hi Neil,

What a lovely Peacock in the second shot - it could have emerged today it is so pristine. Obviously had a safe home over the winter.

Best wishes,

Lee

Lovely Peacocks Neil I too am hoping for the good weather to continue and so am showing early symptoms of METitis

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Lee I guess some of the Peacocks are the same ones I was seeing last summer. It is surprising how good condition some of them are still in.

Cheers Wurzel, I know what you mean about METitis I too keep checking to see what is heading our way.

We have had all sorts of weather this week again with the addition of all that Sahara sand mixed in as well, finally cleared the air today but only because we had some heavy rain overnight. Grey and drizzly today and the weekend is not looking too promising.
Oh well, only a couple of weeks to Easter when I have a week off work , fingers crossed for a bit of reasonable weather, not too hot mind, some mixed sun and clouds will do nicely to slow the Orange Tips down a bit.

Neil.

Friday 11th April

After a couple of weeks of cool blustery weather it had been improving a bit since yesterday and today was not bad with some decent sunny spells albeit it still felt cool when the sun went in.
This afternoon my car was booked in for its MOT at a garage that I have used for the past couple of years in Hall Green Birmingham and I decided that whilst I left it there for an hour or so I would make the most of the weather and have a little wander to see what I could find.
Walking down to the main A34 Stratford Road into Birmingham by where Hall Green becomes Sparkhill , the River Cole crosses under the road and on both sides there are footpaths. The one side continues on until it eventually runs into the Kingfisher Country Park whilst crossing the road the path follows the river back through Hall Green towards Sarehole Mill, the surroundings of which are said to have inspired JRR Tolkien.
Within the first few hundred yards I had seen a couple each of Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells and walking a little further the sounds of the busy road were soon replaced by the sounds of the river and of birds singing. I only walked a little way along before turning around and heading back but in less than an hour I saw over a dozen Peacocks and half a dozen each of Small Tortoiseshells and Commas .
At one point as I was taking a photo of a Peacock when I noticed a Brimstone lying sideways on a leaf looking lifeless. I took a couple of photos and then gently touched him with a grass stem. He then came to life and lazily fluttered over to the other side of the river. This was the only Brimstone that I saw today and the only one so far that I have seen this late in the afternoon.
I was also particularly pleased to see my first Orange Tip this year as one flew down the path and passed me, although unfortunately it didn’t stop.

Back home again at about 4.00pm it was still a pleasant afternoon so I grabbed a coffee and sat out in the back garden with my camera to hand in case anything showed up. For a while I was entertained by a couple of rather worn Peacocks that kept spiralling up into the air at the bottom of the garden but I soon ignored those as my first garden Orange Tip flew in from next door . He circled around a couple of times and then settled just long enough for me to get a couple of quick shots before he was off again.
I was still feeling chuffed with the Orange Tip when I noticed a darker shape bobbing along the side of the garden…a Speckled Wood was heading straight towards me . He set up station in one of the usual corners and stayed there for 15 minutes or so, chasing everything that came close until he chased one of the Peacocks over next door and decided to stay there.
Oh yes, the car failed the MOT, going back next week for a new rear spring, but I wasn’t really bothered. A nice hour in a surprising location that I found more or less by accident followed by the Orange Tip and Specklie in the garden had put me in too much of a good mood

Bye for now,

Neil.

Very nice selection of lovely photos Neil, I especially like the 'dark' Speckled Woods

Mike

Thanks Mike, I was particularly pleased to see that one in the garden today. The appearance of the Specklies in my garden each year is one of my special 'look forward to' moments.

Cheers,

Neil.

A lovely selection of photos, Neil. I'm glad your Specklies are back and looking stunning in the sunshine. The Small Tortoiseshells round your way are still looking pretty fresh too! I'm up in the Rugby area tomorrow, but the forecast doesn't look that good unfortunately, or a visit to Ryton might have been a strong possibility.

Dave

Some lovely, sharp images of spring there, Neil.

You spent your time wisely.

Fantastic news that your Specklies are back in residence I saw my first Orange-tips today but none were really stopping not like your cracker

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi Dave, I don't know how it turned out over by Rugby today but we had an hour of sun later in the afternoon around Solihull, still fairly breezy though.
Cheers David, it was more luck than wisdom really, just went for a bit of a wander without really knowing where I was going.
Thanks Wurzel, I had been looking out for the Specklies all week but until yesterday it had been too cool and cloudy.

Saturday 12th April

Back to cool, cloudy and blustery for most of the day. I spent most of the morning doing the usual household stuff and this afternoon decided to give the back lawn its first cut of the year, up until now it had been too wet still and even this afternoon it was still a bit soft underfoot.

I have a couple of small clumps of Cowslips in the lawn which are now in flower and which I always carefully mow around,
Around 3.30pm the clouds cleared and a large patch of blue sky allowed the sun through for about an hour although there was still a cool breeze which was quite blustery at times. During this time a really raggedy looking Peacock kept coming back to the dandelions at the rough end of the garden plus I had flypasts of a single Small White and my first Holly Blue of the year

Bye for now,

Neil.

That garden looks rather similar to mine - creatively untidy?

Rob

Just catching up with your diary Neil. Some lovely vibrant colours on the ST and is it just my imagination or are some of the Peacocks a lot larger and more colourful this year? Your Speckled Wood shots are stunning too - none round here yet

robpartridge wrote:That garden looks rather similar to mine - creatively untidy?

Rob

Hi Rob, 'creatively untidy'...I like that I sometimes have a bit of trouble explaining that some stuff is there for a reason...nettles for example

Here is a wider shot of the 'rougher' end taken from about half way down.
Hi Pauline, thanks for your comments Not sure about the Peacocks being larger but there is certainly a lot of them, in all sorts of conditions. They seem to outnumber Small Tortoiseshells and Commas by about 2-1 at most places around here, and there are loads of Small Torts and Commas

Cheers,

Neil.

Sunday 13th April

What a year the Peacocks are having A very pleasant morning with mixed sun and clouds and from about 11.00am there were at least 4 different individuals in the back garden. A couple of these were very tatty but there were also a couple of others, a male that kept attempting to court a female that was not interested and who would shake him off but then return to the same patch of brambles to bask. It looked almost as if she was teasing him.
As with yesterday there were single flypasts of a Green-veined White and a Holly blue, both of which I saw settle on the opposite side of the neighbours garden, now who's being teased

The male Bullfinch was also coming and going and I finally managed to get a photo without the double glazing in between
There is also a pair of Robins around most of the time and one of them often keeps me company when I am in the garden
This afternoon I went to the Warwickshire BC Spring meeting where a good turnout enjoyed some excellent presentations and lovely home made cake

Bye for now,

Neil.

Greta Peacock action Neil It's been another great year so far for Small Tortoiseshells and it seems that Peacocks are on the up too. I've noticed more and more recently whilst the Small Torts are on the wane between broods.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I just can't get near any Peacocks at the moment Neil, I think I need to take some lessons from you. Every time I get within range they're off. Some lovely photos there and still in such good condition too!

B'saurus

Cheers Wurzel, Peacocks have been all over the place around here for a while now, easily the most numerous species

Thanks Rex, the thing with Peacocks as with all the vanessids, is that they will have a number of favourite basking spots along a path or hedge that they will keep returning to. Once I have pinpointed one of these spots I will wait until the butterfly has been down for a little while before slowly approaching, I find that if I approach too soon they will often be off again. I also use varying degrees of zoom on my Lumix FZ150 and usually take the photo from 4-5 feet away to avoid spooking the butterfly.

Monday 14th April

After being stuck inside at work on what looked to be a nice day I arrived home to find the same male Speckled Wood from the other day bobbing about in the back garden and basking in the late afternoon sun in his favourite spot
It is on days like today that I am envious of those on UKB that seem to be able to flit about the countryside all week looking for Green Hairstreaks and suchlike Oh well, roll on Friday when I finish for a week off work, fingers crossed for the weather and the chance to get out to do some looking myself.

Bye for now,

Neil.