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Your photos just BURST with living colours, Goldie!

You really MUST come down to Dungeness next Summer and photograph the Small Coppers - The colours will be AMAZING!

Marvellous!

Hoggers

Thanks for your comments Hogger's, I will be down your way next year and I intend not to be talked out of going to Dungeness Has I was this year, must say though if I hadn't been I may not have seen the Empress So both places are on my to do list.

Yesterday was a lovely day up to about 2pm when the cloud came and it went decidedly cooler, untill this happened I'd been enjoying the Garden with a nice cup of tea and I'd done some washing which I'd just hung out. The Butterflies were out in force and I sat there enjoying watching them after taking a few shots.

Some of the Butterflies this time were the worse for wear whilst other's were pristine, they flew around my seat even landing next to me, one flew on to my Clothes basket another onto the washing I'd hung out, it was a day I won't forget in a hurry and has I write this their back in the Garden again Goldie

Shame you've had to wait till October up north to see so many butterflies, Goldie! They sure love that garden of yours.

Thanks Trevor and David, I agree David, it's been a very bad year for Butterflies in the North, it makes me a bit apprehensive has to what next year will bring, for instance, I saw only one Female Orange Tip in the Spring where as last year there was simply loads. Other Butterflies suffered as well, at Gait Barrows, the Pearl and Small PB Fritillaries were also hit, now it's fingers crossed they'll be back for next year. I must say we've certainly seen a lot lately but mostly RA, STS, SW, Comma, the Peacock although seen, as not been plentiful, I've just had a few in the garden, the Whites also have been few and far between.

Yesterday was another lovely day in the Morning and the Butterflies were back this time a Speckie came as well, to day although the wind wasn't too bad it was cold when the Sun went behind the clouds, ( cold enough for coat and gloves) the Butterflies were back, four RA, one STS, but the best was an ab Red Admiral.
We decided to have a walk at Rivington it's a must in the Autumn, my year always starts with a visit to Spring Wood at Whalley in the Spring, Gait Barrow in the Summer, Rivington in Autumn ending in Kent for Christmas Goldie

Loving the recent reports from your Garden Goldie, some smashing combinations of colour with the butterflies on the flowers

Cheers,

Neil.

Glad you like the reports Neil, thank you, I don't want to bore people with the same Butterflies but I'm counting the days that they're in my garden just to see how long they stay for before they take off South, which the Admirals seem to do round here, at Southport for instance they say you can see them take off from the Dunes in good numbers, I personally have not seen this but trust the reports.
The Small Tortoiseshell keeps returning has well to the garden and the Speckies, I've seen the Speckies in October before but the Tortoiseshell although not seen in the same numbers as RA's is usually gone by now, I can only put it down to the good weather we've had in September and October, hope fully I'll be seeing them for a few days yet. Goldie

Well! It's the 16th of Oct today and I think may be the Butterflies, if still here, won't be showing themselves because the weather has changed to a dull miserable coldness.
Yesterday I was out all day and the morning although brighter than today was cold, however I did get a glimpse of an Admiral before I went out circling around the flowers I didn't manage a shot but I can say I've seen them solidly now in the garden since the 15th of September until the 15th October and that's just the Admiral's, before they came to the Garden I saw lots of other's which include,
Peacock's
Speckled Woods
Small Tart's
Small White's
Large White
Painted Ladies
Comma's
All in all I've enjoyed the Butterflies who have certainly made up for a miserable Spring, the last photo's I took
were of just the Admiral on the 14th of Oct ,I hope they're not the last but with the weather going down hill I don't expect much more. Goldie

That final Red Admiral shot is a cracker Golide, a real comic gem

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Love those Red Admiral shots. Just what you need to brighten up a gloomy autumn day.

Regards Kev

Thanks Kev and Wurzel, they certainly brightened up my days Kev

I agree Wurzel, when I saw the RA , it seemed to be peeping at me, I was certainly sneaking up on it

I thought in my last posting that the weather would stop the Butterflies arriving, ( How Wrong Can You Be ) On Friday the Sun came out for about a couple of hours before reverting back through the cloud, that was enough though for a Comma and two RA's

One Admiral was in bad shape, the other one however was pristine. The Comma was very small and very dark but also in good condition, it landed on the garden fence to warm it's self up before flying onto the flowers.

The Admiral that was in poor condition stayed around even when the other's had flown off, the weather or rather the wind was very cold, I'll be surprised if this one could fly very far over a long distance. I keep hoping the Sun will arrive again I've still got some more tidying up in the garden to do and hope fully I'll see still more Butterflies before the flowers start to fade. Goldie

Lovely dark Comma Goldie I haven't seen a butterfly for almost a week now Hopefully the high pressure on Thursday will produce a final flurry

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel, the Sun came out today and I got some more shots of the Butterflies which I've yet to take off Camera , hope you got some more shots Goldie

You really are ending the season on a high up there Goldie. It's drab grey days down here since my last visit to Newhaven, haven't even tried to go butterflying!

Hi! Bugboy, I think we were late getting started up here, we had some awful weather , April , May , only towards the end of June did it pick up when we had that very hot period, we certainly had to pick our days My daughter who lives in Kent kept saying how nice it was down there, whilst we were stuck with rain and cold winds, it's making up for it now though, the weather has been great all September and Oct up to now, I think it's about to change though, so the forecaster's say.

Yesterday and today was once again great day's for Butterflies, I say great because the Sun was shining and what Butterflies were out I think paid us a visit

Yesterday I was convinced the two Comma's I saw were Different, one small and dark where as the other one seemed lighter in colour, today I was proved right , because whilst I was taking a photo of a Comma the other one kindly flew in and I got a twosome

My yellow flowers are fading a bit now but the purple Wall flowers are still going strong and still attracting the butterflies, I've put three in from yesterday(the photos are a bit different I thought) and three from today which I like Goldie

More great photos from your garden Goldie, you are certainly having a great end to the season up there

It has gone proper autumn now in my garden with the leaves steadily falling from the trees and the weather over the next few days looking like it may finish off the last couple of Specklies that have been hanging in there.

Cheers,

Neil.

Possibly the worst time of the year for me.

It's nice to see a few of the adult overwinterers before they go into diapause, but all other species are now on their last legs, and with the clocks set to go back this coming Sunday, we're all going to feel a little bereft before January shakes us out of our pessimism.

Nice to see the variation in the Commas in the shot with the two together

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks everybody very much I appreciate your posts

Wurzel, glad you noticed the diference between the Comma's, I think both are living in next door's bushes They cleared off in that direction every time the Sun went in.

Hi! David, I don't see any more species other than the four, C's, RA, SW, StS, the rest have long since gone, today I only saw the Comma's briefly and I was amazed to see them

Hi! Neil, I'm still amazed that I keep seeing the Comma's, glad to, they're still in good condition has well



I keep thinking I won't see any more Butterflies, the weather was awful yesterday and today, this morning was atrocious, heavy rain and very windy, I heard the weather man say it would be fine in the afternoon, it seemed, unbelievable , But the Sun came out every thing dried up quickly and although the wind was bad I was amazed to see the Comma's once again, the same two, as one was small and dark and the other one bigger and brighter, The darker one I managed to get a shot of but the shot is dark too, the other one was easier to photo , I'm wondering just how long I'll keep seeing them. Goldie

Goldie M wrote:I'm wondering just how long I'll keep seeing them.

Goldie, whilst your Bowles Mauve is in flower, I suspect you'll be seeing them practically whenever the sun comes out.