Padfield

[Padfield]

You've done a great job from that compressed photo, Chris, but yes, I do think some extra stars have crytallised out of the granularity! The original does not show so many, though the background is blotchy, partly because of the ISO and partly because of the hazy sky, which did not come out well on a 15 second exposure.

Poetry time:

Lo! Some we loved, the loveliest and best
That Time and Fate of all their Vintage prest,
Have drunk their Cup a Round or two before
And one by one crept silently to Rest.

Fitzgerald could have written these words for the end of the butterfly season! I wandered today through vineyards where so many butterflies had flown and drunk deep during the year - and nearly all had now crept silently to their rest.



One species, however, was still singing Old Khayyam's hymn to joy and mortality (and wine): the clouded yellow. I counted 24 on my circuit, all determined to make the most of what little time they had left.

Dreaming when Dawn's left Hand was in the Sky
I heard a voice within the Tavern cry,
"Awake my little ones and fill the cup
Before Life's Liquor in its Cup be dry!"

When I first arrived, at about 11h30, they were still doing the waking up bit, pressing themselves against sloping or even vertical surfaces to get maximum benefit from the weak sun:



This is a helice female, apparently playing dead but very much alive:



As the day hotted up the females set about finding plants to lay on while the males devoted their energies to drinking:







Also defying the onset of winter were a few Queens ...



... and a single southern small white (I think - it's not easy to tell in its condition):



I'll close with a last quatrain from the Ruba'iyat (yes, I was in poetic mood as I roamed the vineyards today!), dedicated to all butterflies:

And we, that now make merry in the Room
They left, and Summer dresses in new Bloom,
Ourselves must we beneath the Couch of Earth
Descend, ourselves to make a Couch--for whom?

Guy

[David M]

Nice post, Guy. I too get a bit emotional at this time of year as the realisation sinks in that practically everything that gives such life to my part of the world is currently breathing its last.

I checked into Linda Vista Gardens today in Abergavenny in the hope that I might see a Red Admiral/Tortoiseshell, but alas, to no avail - even the flies were at their limit; all seeking the wooden frames of the trellises in order to gain heat.

[Jack Harrison]

Guy said:

the entire evolution of Homo sapiens (the Australopithecus genus became extinct about 2 million years ago)... Quite a thought.

I beg to differ. Judging by some of the posts to be seen on the internet (not ukb I hasten to add) Australopithecus is thriving.

Jack

[MikeOxon]

I beg to differ.

I wouldn't like to be so specific but there's certainly not much sapiens in many internet posts

Mike

[Padfield]

Homo Rapiens
Letters to The Times, November 6, 1925
In view of the doubt as to the type to which the Leadenhall skull is to be referred, I venture to suggest that, by adopting a more scientific and inclusive nomenclature, we should avoid the somewhat invidious course of flattering the present "man in the street" with the name of Homo Sapiens, while the man under the street, who can hardly have been less sapient than some of his successors, is put off with neanderthalensis. The change, fortunately, need only be that of a single letter; and in Homo Rapiens we shall have a strictly accurate term, applicable alike to ancient and to modern man—to all, in fact, whose, habits are of a rapacious kind. I trust that this proposal will commend itself to anthropologists.
Henry S. Salt
19, Highdown Road, Brighton

http://www.henrysalt.co.uk/bibliography ... mo-rapiens

Guy

[Padfield]

Another working Saturday morning but the weather was not conducive to butterflies so I didn't mind. In the afternoon I popped down to the woods to look for Tiberius. He was nowhere to be found but I have every hope he is still alive - perhaps a little higher up the tree. He disappeared for some considerable while earlier in the autumn then reappeared on his resting leaf as if he had never been away. I suspect he will suddenly turn up back in his home patch next spring after the leaves have burst. Aurelian returned to his birth twig in May after hibernating some way away.

On the way home I searched some oaks for purple hairstreak eggs - also without success. 2012 was a poor year for purple hairstreaks so this didn't surprise me. I hope 2013 will see a revival of their fortunes.

Finally, I checked out the one, tiny blackthorn patch in Huémoz for brown hairstreak eggs. I've never seen a brown hairstreak here but every year a wandering female leaves a handful of goody-bags in the bushes and this year is no exception. On the few twigs not encrusted with lichen two or three pure white, precious gems gleamed in the dull light:









It is a continuing mystery to me where these come from. However, this summer I was walking a friend's dog when she (the dog) dropped her ball down a hillside and I had to climb a fence and find the ball. I noticed a meadow on private land where it looked, from a distance, as though there might be some dense blackthorn. I might do some more research this winter while there aren't any animals about and the farmers are all inside watching telly.

Guy

[David M]

Nothing like a bit of clandestine trespassing, eh Guy?

Things must be bad in Suisse if butterfly eggs are the only fare on offer.

Count yourself lucky; from dawn till nightfall it has persisted it down in the UK today. The next person to mention 'drought' should be summarily executed!

[Padfield]

I have, of course, seen the scenes of flooding on the news and wondered about the butterflies. For all the extreme weather we sometimes get here, flooding is never an issue - at least, not on the mountainsides or terraced vineyards where I habitually search for butterflies.

I find looking for butterfly eggs in winter a very therapeutic pastime. It requires a certain single-minded concentration that enables you to forget anything else and the reward of finding those little bundles of future joy is exhilarating! Furthermore, white-letter hairstreak and purple hairstreak eggs can be found over most of England (though not so easily in Scotland, I fear). It surprises me that more pictures of these are not posted on UK Butterflies during the cold months ...

The current forecast for next weekend here in Switzerland is wintry so it looks as if that is all I will be posting here for the forseeable future ...

Guy

[David M]

According to the papers, we in the UK are also set to experience unseasonably wintry conditions over the next week or so.

Personally, I'll be glad to see the back of the rain.

[Susie]

There is an interesting group on facebook I read called stormchasers and their forecasting skills seem better than those of the met office. They have been forecasting an icy blast at the end of november/beginning of december for quite a while now. There is the possibility of a bit of snow too so all the hibernators need to be locked down somewhere secure.

If you cant provide more pictures, Guy, i'd be happy to read more poety. I'm loving both in your thread.

[Padfield]

Thanks, Susie! It's pictures for now, though ...

It was bitterly cold in the Rhône Valley today: -5°C in the morning rising to a maximum of 2°C after lunch. At 1.00pm I sat in the sun in the vineyards with a beer but had to move on because it was too cold to do nothing. Despite this, my walk turned up seven or eight clouded yellows and a couple of Queens of Spain. Doutbless there were many more of both species on the terraced slopes as the low temperatures meant things were really not very active.

The first Queen, pressed flat onto the earth:



That was only my second ever December Queen, the first being last year (December 11th).

This next one was the only butterfly I saw nectaring today:



There was plenty of foodplant (heartsease) if females wanted to lay:



The first clouded yellows I saw were lying flat on their sides against the earth:



Later in the day they adopted more natural postures:



This is a helice female, though she is actually yellow rather than white. In flight she appeared the shade of a very pale, washed-out, male Berger's pale clouded yellow:



This helice female appeared pure white in flight. Here, she is in the shadow of my hand and camera (she was on the edge of the ledge I was sitting on so I couldn't distance myself from her):



Grapes missed by the reaper were withering on the vine but some bunches were still very good to eat:



At 2.00pm the snow still had not melted in the shade:



By the time I was heading back for the train, at about 3.00pm, it was very, very cold:



Guy

[Cotswold Cockney]

Clouded Yellows and Queen of Spains still about in the cold Swiss sunshine. Remarkable.

Very cold in Gloucestershire the past few days. Too cold for any insect flight. One or two dead Bumble Bees on the garden path. Frozen to death. They were nectaring on the Arbutus only a few days ago. Very little rain now and plenty of sunshine.

I'm expecting a harsh winter this time. There are reports of large flocks of Waxwings, Fieldfares, Redwings and a few Bramblings all over the county for the past couple of weeks or so. These regular winter visitors are much earlier and in larger numbers than most winters.

It's a sign ...

...

I'm wondering what they know that we don't.

These images of the beautiful Waxwings from the Gloster Birder web site :~





One flock of 125 reported in Cheltenham closeby the office where my wife works :~



In all my three score years and ten observing wild things in the British Countryside, it was only a few years ago that I knowing saw Waxwings for the first time. A Flock feeding from the Rowan Berries on a small tree in a neighbour's garden.

[Padfield]

Thanks for those pictures, CC. I hope I might see some waxwings myself this winter.

It began snowing in earnest last week but as my pictures showed, most of it was melting in the valley in the radiant heat of the sun. Today there was no hint of sun. Here are two views taken by the school swimming pool:





Anyone fancy a dip?

I spent this afternoon supervising exam revision study in one of the boarding houses. This was the scene outside the window:



The cleaners have made a splendid job of the glass ...

Not surprisingly, no butterflies to report. I suspect the last few days will have closed this season off - but then again, I am often surprised.

Guy

[dave brown]

Guy.
Your doing it again. Trying to cheer us up lately with stunning winter scenic shots. I particularly like the last one which seems to have some special Christmas time magic, perhaps saying its warmer inside. I did notice that there is no queue for the swimming pool despite the success and enthusiasm generated by this years Olympics. On a more serious note you say that there is still a chance of a Butterfly or two. That is really interesting with that depth of snow and that cold a temperature. I think here in Kent there is no chance of any more butterflies this year (tonight is forecast minus 6 in rural areas).
Dave

[Padfield]

On a more serious note you say that there is still a chance of a Butterfly or two. That is really interesting with that depth of snow and that cold a temperature.

I think the chances are very slim! But the clouded yellows I saw last weekend must still be alive and not being hibernators will fly if conditions allow it. On south-facing banks in the valley, if the air is still, it can sometimes feel quite pleasant in the sun. That said, it has snowed all the way down to the valley and at the moment any living butterflies will be buried deep beneath our white gold ...

Guy

[David M]

You seem to have far greater extremes than in the UK, Guy. Whilst the downside is that you are under 6 inches of snow before most of us here have seen a flake, the upside is that you could be back to 12c in a week with Clouded Yellows cavorting in many of the 'hotspots'.

The east of Britain has been grim today but here in Swansea it has been relatively benign. No snow and only a slight frost. My car is going in for its MOT tomorrow and I may yet check out the bottom end of Cwm Clydach as a butterfly or two cannot be ruled out.

[MikeOxon]

two views taken by the school swimming pool:

I've recently returned from Iceland, where outdoor hot tubs and pools are very popular, even in Winter. Here is a photo taken at the Blue Lagoon on a day when there was a howling gale with rain and sleet. This did not deter these intrepid Japanese (I think) tourists, who even had a waterproof camera with them. NB I was inside the restaurant, taking the photo through a rain-lashed window.

'Always take a Camera'
Blue Lagoon, Iceland, 15 November 2012

Mike

[Padfield]

Thanks Mike. I used to take a cold bath every morning - until I moved to a house with no heating (and no bath in mid-winter either, as the pipes freeze)!

It has snowed almost without pause since my last post and the stuff is piling up in huge quantities for so early in the season. My hanging bird food has become a great hit with the local tits, which I hope keeps them away from the sallow branches where Tiberius and his friends are hibernating:



I've been trying to get a similar cocky pose from a crested tit but they keep turning their heads away at the last moment:



I'll get one! Must clean the glass too...

Guy

[Padfield]

A few winter views:


(My church in Villars)


(The walk home)


(View towards le Grand Muvéran from Huémoz)

I am convinced la Dent Favre, the cocky rock just to the right of le Grand Muvéran, is the inspiration for Magritte's Domaine d'Arnheim. I have always seen this as an eagle with its wings outspread (and perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not, it appears particularly aquiline as you approach the town of Aigle). Here is my eagle:



And here Magritte's:


(from: http://surrealitesvirtuelles.blogs.nouv ... 90722.html)

Magritte spent much time in Switzerland so I wrote to the Magritte society some years ago and asked them. They said they didn't know.

Guy

[Padfield]

It didn't snow at all today, for the first time in a while! The sun shone brilliantly, though the air temperature never reached anywhere near zero and there was no possibility of any insect flying. The valley is under deep snow and temperatures even there have been in the negative teens at night and in the early morning.

View of the Dents de Midi from my balcony, over the new chalet that sprang up next to mine...



Trees in Huémoz:



Guy