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Large Heath - Favourite Photo of 2021

Week 9

Another week passes which just means that we’re one week closer to the new season…at least that’s the way that I’m looking at it .

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 and stay safe

Wurzel

I had just one opportunity to see this butterfly in 2021, and when I arrived at Fen Bog on the North York Moors under grey skies and with a temperature of only 15 degrees on 1st July, I was none too hopeful. However, having been cheered by a sighting of a nice Small Pearl and then even more by the extremely unexpected appearance of Philzoid, the day improved. After a flyby by the target species before Phil had to leave, I did another circuit of the bog and struck lucky. Just the one individual, and a slightly atypical one for the site as well, looking far more like the Scottish subspecies than those normally found here.Cheers,

Dave

Here are two Lincolnshire Large Heaths from 22nd June 2021. They were about in fair numbers in their usual haunts.

Nice capture, Pete....the bumblebee is the icing on the cake!

Not being able to visit France this year gave the opportunity to visit Whixall Heath, Shropshire, I had several times attempted to find the Large Heath in the Doubs, France without success so Mrs Medard and I made  the journey north with high expectations , the weather was overclouded and dismal, after several days without success optimism had faded but perseverance paid off,  eventually I did manage a few shots as shown, I must say this species is one of the most difficult that I have photographed, I returned home satisfied with my efforts.
Thanks to Dave, Dave, and Pete for your support and advice.
https://jamesgibbs6929.zenfolio.com/

In my opinion, Large Heath is THE trickiest UK species to photograph, Jim. I'm pleased you managed to find a few (Whixhall is teeming with them on a sunny day in peak flight season)!

Visiting Whixall was a great decision Jim! Lovely shots of the heavily-spotted davus form. As David says, they are not a particularly easy species to photograph.

I was lucky enough to have a short trip to Scotland with my son Matt this year in June, mainly looking for dragonflies, but we did see 2 Large Heath around Loch Maree, these were actually the only butterflies we saw in Scotland. The first time I'd seen the scotica race too.

Nice to see a scotica on these pages, Bob. They look superficially like pamphilus in an image, though I'm sure their size gives their identity away?

A visit to Meathop Moss in Cumbria on 12 June returned a dozen or so of the lovely davus form of this species: