www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Goldie M wrote:Great shots of the Moon, it really looks red, it wasn't too cold here, I didn't take my shots until morning though Goldie

Thank you Goldie, yes it really lived up to it’s name. It was absolutely freezing here, but that’s the price you pay for clear skies. . I don’t blame you for not getting up in the middle of the night. You’re obviously a lot more sensible than me.

Best Wishes,

James

Hi Mark, a Wolf moon is another name for a January moon, other ‘moons’ include Hunters moon, Blue moon, Harvest Moon. My favourite has to be Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon.
Definitely agree with you there Rex

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wurzel wrote:Hi Mark, a Wolf moon is another name for a January moon, other ‘moons’ include Hunters moon, Blue moon, Harvest Moon. My favourite has to be Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon.
Definitely agree with you there Rex

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I’ll see you on the dark side my friend.

James

I thought I'd crop in a bit closer as the details were a bit lost in the bigger low res examples I posted earlier.

Click on image to see the stars.

James

Nice work, James. Conditions looked to be perfect for you that morning.

David M wrote:Nice work, James. Conditions looked to be perfect for you that morning.

Thanks David, we were very lucky here with crystal clear skies, it was very cold though. Funnily enough I hadn’t intended to wake up for the eclipse at all. I simply got up for a glass of water and saw it out of the window. It looked so good I couldn’t resist getting the camera out. I then spent the next hour trying to get a half decent shot! The moon was so dim at totality I really struggled to get anything usable. It was a relief to see I had something worth keeping when I loaded them onto the computer. I’m now glad I made the effort as the next lunar eclipse (visible from the UK) is years away.

It was something to have a go at until the spring anyway.

Best wishes,

James

2019. Late February is the new late March!

Unfortunately for me this period of unseasonably warm weather coincided with me having a virus, so I've been unhappily confined to barracks during most of it. With the high temperatures set to end this week I thought it was now or never. With the virus pretty much gone I felt well enough to go for an amble around my local patch. Butterflies are not exactly prolific there but if you know where to look there's a chance of seeing a few early hibernators.

As soon as I arrived I saw the unmistakable shape of a Small Tortoiseshell in the distance, my first butterfly of the year. They were highly active in the heat so I didn't get close enough for a photo. Still I was off the mark and knew I'd probably see a few more. So it proved when I noticed a sparring pair of Small Torts fly over a wall - then finally one settled for a shot or two.


With four Small Tortoiseshells seen I was keen to find myself a Peacock, I didn't have to walk too far before I spotted one basking on a fence post in the hot sunshine.

The only other species I was likely to find in this area were Comma and Red Admiral. I couldn't find any Red Admirals but I did come across a very welcome but rather tatty Comma.

Signs of the abnormally mild weather were everywhere, even the blackthorn blossom was starting!

A very enjoyable end to my confinement and an early start for 2019, although to me it feels rather strange seeing Butterflies in February.

James

Sorry to hear you have been ill James but glad to see you managed to get out and catch up with some butterflies

I was looking at the blackthorn around my way on Sunday, it is nowhere near as advanced here as that in your photo, no doubt due to growing on our local cold heavy clay.

Cheers,

Neil.

What a great way to celebrate getting over a virus Rex Great shot of the Peacock - if only the one I saw today was as obliging

Have a goodun

Wurzel

That's the best medicine for a virus I've ever seen!

Hope you're on the mend now, James.

Neil Freeman wrote:Sorry to hear you have been ill James but glad to see you managed to get out and catch up with some butterflies

I was looking at the blackthorn around my way on Sunday, it is nowhere near as advanced here as that in your photo, no doubt due to growing on our local cold heavy clay.

Cheers,

Neil.

Thank you Neil, my daughter brings home quite a verity of viruses from school!
It was wonderful to get out in the fresh air again.

I think this must be the earliest I’ve ever seen blackthorn come into flower! When I was a boy we would only just be seeing the first snowdrops coming out about now!

Wurzel wrote:What a great way to celebrate getting over a virus Rex Great shot of the Peacock - if only the one I saw today was as obliging

Have a goodun

Wurzel

It certainly felt great to be outside Wurzel, I was quite surprised to find a Peacock opening up in such warm sunshine! The Small Tortoiseshells were much less obliging only opening their wings for a second or two. The main thing is we both saw a Peacock, not a hugely common sight in February.

David M wrote:That's the best medicine for a virus I've ever seen!

Hope you're on the mend now, James.

You're right about that David there was certainly no chance of catching a chill yesterday! Yes, thank you I’m certainly over the worst now.

Thanks all for your kind comments.

James

Glad your out and about James and seeing Butterflies , nothing worse than being cooped up in the house, it drives me batty Goldie

Goldie M wrote:Glad your out and about James and seeing Butterflies , nothing worse than being cooped up in the house, it drives me batty Goldie

Thank you Goldie, until today I've mostly been cooped up in the house again so I've been going batty for far too long!

March, normal service resumed.

Almost exactly one month since my first to my local patch I decided to go back today for another look. As it turned out I saw pretty much the same species but the numbers had now increased significantly. Yet again I didn't find any Red Admirals, and unlike my last visit in February I didn't find any Commas, however the Small Tortoiseshells were now well in double figures. Peacocks were also more evident with a rough count of seven or eight.

The biggest surprise of the day came in the form of my first Brimstone of the year flying just yards from my front door, we practically never get Brimstones around here so it was a very nice start to my walk.

Thanks for looking,

James

Great to see you're out and about again Rex - lovely pair Torts in Tandem and you did really well to get a spring Brimstone

Have a goodun

Wurzel

HI James, hope you are well.

Great to see some Small Tortoiseshells at last!.
Finding some on Sunday was almost as exciting as finding their large cousin.

See you around,
Trevor.

Wurzel wrote:Great to see you're out and about again Rex - lovely pair Torts in Tandem and you did really well to get a spring Brimstone

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Many thanks Wurzel It was great to be out in this lovely weather. A Brimstone is a relatively rare visitor around here, it was a nice surprise in that regard.

trevor wrote:HI James, hope you are well.

Great to see some Small Tortoiseshells at last!.
Finding some on Sunday was almost as exciting as finding their large cousin.

See you around,
Trevor.

Hello Trevor, yes indeed it was wonderful to see respectable numbers after their apparent scarcity last year. Hopefully bodes well for the year ahead.

My best wishes to you both.

James

Butterflysaurus rex wrote:....however the Small Tortoiseshells were now well in double figures...

Very encouraging, James. I've not seen too many round my way which is both unusual and a cause for concern.

By contrast, Brimstones have been easily the most numerous species thus far for me, so perhaps I take them a little for granted. Nice to see one turn up in an area where they're not so common.

Some very nice shots there Mr Rex. I desperately need to reaquaint myself with the English springtime butterflies but it's all work at the moment.

David M wrote:

Butterflysaurus rex wrote:....however the Small Tortoiseshells were now well in double figures...

Very encouraging, James. I've not seen too many round my way which is both unusual and a cause for concern.

By contrast, Brimstones have been easily the most numerous species thus far for me, so perhaps I take them a little for granted. Nice to see one turn up in an area where they're not so common.

Thanks David, it was certainly encouraging to see higher numbers this spring, last year was a shocker for Small Tortoiseshells locally and elsewhere.

bugboy wrote:Some very nice shots there Mr Rex. I desperately need to reaquaint myself with the English springtime butterflies but it's all work at the moment.

Hello Paul, It's great to see you're having such a great time in Spain, nice work if you can get it. We are about to enjoy a cooler spell of weather here so there should be plenty of fresh butterflies left for you when you return home.

More firsts for 2019

A brief stroll this morning yeilded my first Speckled Woods (x2), Small White, Large White and a bonus Hummingbird Hawk Moth of the year! Not bad going for 2 hours. Hibernators were also putting on a good show with numerous Peacocks, Commas, and more Brimstones than I'm accustomed to seeing around these parts.

Thanks for looking,

James

Cracking shot Rex I'm itching to get out this weekend now, especially as I'm back to 97%mobility

Have a goodun

Wurzel