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Gatekeeper - Favourite Photo 2022

Week 5

Well things are motoring along nicely and as usual as soon as the Winter Social is in the offing various rail workers decided to strike! Oh well if I set out on foot next week on Thursday I should get to the Old Forge by lunchtime on the Saturday! To cheer us up here are the next set of Favourites.

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

These had a reasonable year - we usually get a good number in the garden - but they were finished very early. Hopefully plenty of eggs laid and the new generation will have done well.

Holcombe, Somerset, 5 August 2022.

I managed to miss most of this species' season this year, but did manage to find bright new examples of both sexes at the start of July on my local patch. Dave

I saw my Gatekeepers at Sea Salter on the 16th of July, it was a windy day but Sunny. The vegetation was very dry and not many Butterflies were about, I was pleased to see this couple and came a way satisfied. Goldie

Hedge Brown

My summer trip to Wales once again paid off and allowed me to bear witness to the plethora of variation within this species. When it came to choosing my ‘Fave’ I could have gone for streaks or different number of spots on the underside, pairs in cop, dark individuals, excessa, post-excessa, pathological etc. However the one that I chose really stood out despite being in the autumn of its days as the ‘eyes’ look massive in comparison to all the other individuals that I saw.
Have a goodun

Wurzel

After several weeks abroad I returned to the UK on 19th July. Two days later, I saw my first home soil Hedge Browns on Old Castle Down, near Bridgend:

I didn't take many of them this year, I was probably focused on other subjects, but this unusual individual does stand out

Sharing a scabious with a bee in our butterfly garden, this shot of a female Gatekeeper nicely shows the beauty of the summertime meadow flowers before the heatwave struck!

Lots of Gatekeepers seen around my local patch this year and although I didn't get out as often as usual my impression was that they were having a good year.
Cheers,

Neil.

My favourite Gatekeeper photograph is of this mating pair posing nicely on a very hot day.


http://eastsussexwanderer.blogspot.co.uk