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Speckled Wood - Favourite Photo 2018

Week 18

The end of the Favourites is in sight even if the weather is still wintry - but as my lens is being serviced personally I hope spring takes at least 4 more weeks to get started Just another gentle nudge that soon it will be time to post your Overall Favourite shot from 2018.

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

This one is from a favourite location along the 'Roman Road', which is now a sheltered grassy track, leading onto Otmoor from the village of Beckley.
Mike

My favourite has got to be the shot I took at Hall-Lee-Brook, I spotted the Speckie through the Blackberry bushes and took the
shot quickly hoping it wouldn't fly a way it was the 2nd of August.Goldie

Nice one Goldie

This was taken on a dull and damp day in August at Steyning rifle range, when it was too cold for the Brown Hairstreaks to make an appearance
Steying rifle range, August 18 2018 1.48pm

Cheers
John W

Goldie M wrote:My favourite has got to be the shot I took at Hall-Lee-Brook, I spotted the Speckie through the Blackberry bushes and took the
shot quickly hoping it wouldn't fly a way it was the 2nd of August.Goldie

What a lovely image, Goldie. I feel it would make a splendid painting.

Goldie M wrote:My favourite has got to be the shot I took at Hall-Lee-Brook...

Absolute cracker, Goldie. It'll be hard to improve on that one!

This attractive specimen was one of several seen at West Williamston in Pembrokeshire on 25th August:

Goldie M wrote:My favourite has got to be the shot I took at Hall-Lee-Brook, I spotted the Speckie through the Blackberry bushes and took the
shot quickly hoping it wouldn't fly a way it was the 2nd of August.Goldie

As other have said, that is a lovely shot Goldie . That looks to be either a big fat juicy blackberry or a dinky little Speckled Wood.

For me Speckled Woods seemed to fair much better last year than the other Satyrids of more open grassland, possibly due to favouring shadier habitat where the grasses on which their larvae feed didn't get dried out so much in the summer heat.

A selection below from my garden...
...including a pair a mating pair,
I also saw plenty whilst out and about through the year,
and found that numbers increased in the late summer when they were often seen tucking into blackberries,
Cheers,

Neil

As usual these popped up on most of my usual haunts throughout the vast majority of the season. Here's a couple of fine examples of either sex: Then there was this one individual who whilst not being in such tip top condition, sticks in my mind just for sheer pluckyness!

Speckled Wood

There was really only one choice for me this year when it came to selecting my Fave Specklie and that was this individual. I chose it because it was wonderfully fresh and showed little purples and reds in the mosaic of tiles on the under wings. I reckon it had only just emerged as it was immaculate. It was also the obvious choice as it meant this species made a welcome addition to my ‘Butterfly in the Hand’ collection.
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Fieldwork took me the length and breadth of the country this summer in search of this species. Always fascinating to see how they vary - is it hardwired in the genes of local populations, or just a response to the wildly-differing environmental conditions they experience? Who knows! My favourite photo comes from Glasdrum Wood (of Chequered Skipper fame) on 7th August - this male half-basking, half-hiding in the undergrowth!