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Large Skipper - Favourite Photo of 2020

Week 9

Not long to go now! I reckon it'll only be another week and the Easter Eggs will be in the shops!

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.

Just a reminder - it might be a good idea to select your Overall Favourite Butterfly Photo of 2020 now so that you’ve got something to post when the series of threads culminates in 20 weeks time…


Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

A mating pair in an East Sussex wood.


http://eastsussexwanderer.blogspot.co.uk

Large Skippers at the Sweet Trak, Shapwick Moor NNR,
Avalon Marshes,Somerset.
https://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com/

The Lady in waiting

My earliest record for this species was this year at Battlesbury Hill, Wiltshire.

I didn’t take many photographs of Large Skipper this year, but I did photograph the first one I saw in my garden on 27 May. He sat on a leaf and obligingly allowed me to approach close from several angles. Great eyebrows.

I can add my effort for a pair in cop this year, a first for me

I took my shots at Hall-Lee- Brook CP, in June , the park had been a disappointment being over grown with Black Berry but it didn't seem to hinder these two. Goldie

Large skippers started appearing around my local patch at the end of May and numbers built up quickly during the first half of June. They seemd to have a good season here albeit a fairly short one this year with just a few faded stragglers hanging on later in the summer.
Cheers,

Neil.

Unsurprisingly, given the warm spring, Large Skippers were out and about in late May this year on my patch, but my most memorable experience with them came at Bernwood Forest on 20th June.

The weather was warm but there was a near constant blanket of light cloud obscuring the sun. This meant that most of the Large Skippers were basking on foliage on each side of the track, attempting to warm up. I must have seen 200+ that day, including many instances of several individuals in close proximity, both males and females:

Large Skipper

This was the first one that I saw in 2020 and came from a new local and regular site for me – Grovely Wood but I didn’t choose this particular shot for those reasons. I actually chose it as I was happy with the angle it was taken from and the pose that the butterfly was adopting. To my mind the butterfly looks to be on high alert and is just about to take to the air to intercept any marauding intruders.
Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

My first Large Skipper of the year was at Shipton Bellinger on 25th May and the last was at Noar Hill on 30th July.

This male was taken at Pitt Down, Winchester, on 2nd June.

A poor season on my local patch, though they seemed to do okay elsewhere. Local examples from the first week of June: a nice female and one in classic X-wing pose...I also liked this particularly fresh golden example from Bookham from late July. Dave