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Re: Susie
Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 7:39 pm
by Susie
ChrisC wrote:hope you made a wish
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
they have been going for over a week, best night I had was last Saturday with some quite spectacular ones.
Chris
I did make a wish
If it doesn't come true then I'll know I was wishing on the international space station.
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Re: Susie
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 9:28 pm
by Susie
Thanks to Colin Knight for his suggestion that I try Kithurst Hill today for Clouded Yellows, and then finding a Clouded Yellow on Kithurst Hill!
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
This was species 43 for me and completes my butterfly challenge. I have not seen a clouded yellow at close range before and they really are handsome little critters. I think from the photos I have taken there were three separate individuals there and not the two I originally thought.
The other star of the day were the small tortoiseshells which were hanging around in veritable gangs and beautifully fresh and well marked. Also seen, brown argus, chalkhill blue, painted lady, large and small whites, speckled wood, wall, peacock small heath and meadow brown.
Re: Susie
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 9:39 pm
by Nick Broomer
Lovely photos Susie, especially the Clouded Yellow, beautiful.
All the best, Nick.
Re: Susie
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 10:10 pm
by Susie
Thanks Nick, that is really nice of you to say.
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Re: Susie
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 10:35 pm
by millerd
I love the Clouded Yellow, Susie. The pink of the flowers matches the subtle pink on the butterfly and sets off the yellow so well. That would make a beautiful card.
Dave
Re: Susie
Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:31 am
by Susie
Thank you, Dave
They are very pretty little butterflies. I can't wait to see more!
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Re: Susie
Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 5:56 am
by Pauline
Morning Suzie, lovely Clouded yellow shot. I have to say that if Billy is a 'bundle of trouble' only between 6-8pm then you're clearly doing something right. He is still very young and is obviously a very good pup.
Re: Susie
Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2013 3:05 pm
by Susie
We did a car boot sale in Pease pottage this morning and late morning what did I spy flying across the field? It was a brown hairstreak!
Re: Susie
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 9:26 pm
by Susie
Today was a pretty special day for butterflies despite my putting in no effort to see them as the day was taken up with chores and family things. The first one I saw out of the kitchen window this morning was a beautiful painted lady on the honeycomb buddleia. There were also plenty of peacocks, small torts, large and small whites and the odd comma around.
Late morning I took the woofer for a walk to our local spot and across the field I spotted a clouded yellow, before I was able to get close it flew over the hedge and away. Flying around the oak, ask and blackthorn trees though there was a purple hairstreak and brown hairstreak which made up for the loss.
When I got home from the dog walk I was hanging out some washing and watching the butterflies flying around, including a couple of holly blues, when a silver washed fritillary came gliding in. This well worn lady was acting pretty strangely and didn't seem particularly interested in the flowers unlike the other butterflies. I didn't understand her behaviour at the time, but thanks to this website I read the following section of the page relating to silver washed fritillaries and it all made sense "Egg-laying females can be seen flying over the woodland floor searching out the larval foodplant, Common Dog-violet. They will sometimes alight on the woodland floor and crawl among the vegetation to determine the suitability of the site. If a suitable location is found, then the female flies to a nearby tree trunk and lays a single egg in a chink on the tree bark and several eggs may be laid on the same tree. These are typically laid on the moss-covered north-facing side of the tree and between 1 and 2 metres from the ground. It is believed that such a location provides a suitable “microclimate” for the overwintering larva."
She was sitting on various shrubs and then flying down to the ground and disappearing into the undergrowth. At one point she sat on the fence panels for a while. I thought this odd as she did look like she was wanting to lay but as I knew the larval food plant is dog violet I didn't understand why she was on other things. I went to get my camera and I got a short clip of her sitting on the ivy. I was quite concerned at the time as I thought she was caught in a spider's web and was going to extricate her but as I got closer she flew off so obviously wasn't trapped. If you put the clip on wide screen and look at the abdomen I think she is considering laying an egg.
I had promised to take my daughters shopping so I had to leave the excitement in the garden but by late afternoon I was home again and hanging out more washing. Something else caught my eye as it flew into the garden. I thought it was a common blue or brown hairstreak initially but on closer inspection it turned out to be a female purple hairstreak and she really tucked into the hemp agrimony and didn't seem to be bothered much by my being there.
Re: Susie
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 9:31 pm
by Susie
Re: Susie
Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 4:32 pm
by Susie
I was just trying to count how many small torts were on the white buddleia when one was attacked by s hornet. They tumbled into the fleabane beneath and the hornet stung the butterfly several times before tearing off the wings, eating part and flying off with the rest. Fascinating to watch
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Re: Susie
Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 5:12 pm
by MikeOxon
Susie wrote:Fascinating to watch
You should have taken your knitting along
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Re: Susie
Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 3:06 pm
by Susie
Get your knitting out.
Tiny bit of footage here of the hornet. About three stitches worth.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10 ... 1626545704
Re: Susie
Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 8:19 pm
by MikeOxon
I'm not a fan of snuff movies
Mike
Re: Susie
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2013 7:12 pm
by Susie
Autumn may have arrived with a vengeance last Friday but a walk round petworth park on Tuesday afternoon still turned up good numbers of fresh small heath despite the overcast conditions. The deer were looking marvellous too
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Re: Susie
Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2013 6:14 pm
by Susie
Still whites inthe garden and s speckled wood flew over this afternoon which I think is a first for this garden.
Re: Susie
Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 9:01 pm
by Susie
I haven't posted for ages so I thought it time for an update. I'll skip over Kingsdown Leas as that was a bit of a fail
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Unfortunately there hasn't been anything interesting relating to butterflies to report. I'm still seeing the odd one around (had small tort, comma, and whites in the garden this week) but on the days when I get a chance to go out the weather has been unsuitable.
As I am now thoroughly disgusted with butterflying and think it a silly thing to do I've gone for what is easy! What we do seem to be having a very good year for is fungi and I'm seeing some very good examples when out at the moment.
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Re: Susie
Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 9:04 pm
by Susie
Re: Susie
Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 9:09 pm
by Butterflysaurus rex
Wow Susie, they are great examples of Fungi, we don't have a variety as good as that in my local area so I'm enjoying your photos
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Re: Susie
Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 9:11 pm
by Padfield
Lovely pictures, Susie! The penny bun makes me feel quite hungry ...
Guy