www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Was just watching "The Nature of Britain" by Alan titchmarsh. It was the Woodland episode, and there is a beautiful piece of footage on the Purple emperor.

Anyone else see it,

If not, it's well worth it.

Nick.

P.S. The whole thing so far is great!

I read in the Hants and IOW butterfly report that, the PE that landed on Alan Titchmarsh came out the fridge I hate TV its all so staged, I'll stick to reading books

Gruditch

The photography and production on those programs are just brilliant - but I haven't managed to watch more than 10 minutes yet.
Am I alone in finding Titchmarsh condescending, irritating and unbearable?
Where was Attenborough?????
Roger Harding

No I quite like him, it could of been worse, you could of had the Bearded Tit

Gruditch

Gruditch wrote:No I quite like him, it could of been worse, you could of had the Bearded Tit

Gruditch

Don't be mean to the Odd one. He can't help it

I also find Alan Titchmarsh most condescending and irritating! The show would be so much better with David Attenborough.

Denise

I like Alan Titchmarsh, but not for too long, yes, David Attenbourgh would have been much better at it than him I think.

I have just watched this weeks program ( I record it now, so that I can cut out the Titchmarsh bits) and WOW. What footage of HB frits. Fantastic larvae and stunning butterfly. I haven't seen one yet, but I hope to next year.

Denise

The local program after it (in the Midlands) showed the work being done by the West Midlands group of BC to help preserve the silver studded blue

I watched Wednesday's edition Nature of Britain via the catch-up service on NTL/Virgin cable (via TV Guide), which seems to stay live for a week, so if anyone missed it and has (NTL) cable, it's still possible to see it.

Roger

I have just watched the final episode in the series of Nature of Britain. I take back all I said about Alan Titchmarsh. I thought that he and tonights episode were fantastic. Well done BBC.

The butterfly coverage was brilliant. I must go looking for Marsh Fritts next year. Perhaps Gruditch and Gwenhyfar could be my guides I would like to see one doing press ups! In fact, I'd just like to see one.

Adonis Blue, and was that Small Blue that were also shown?
I can't wait for spring,

Denise

I agree the program was brilliant and the photography was simply stunning. I would like to know where the motorway verges were that harboured the Adonis Blues as I visited three different sites last summer looking for them, without success How does the BBC find such unusual sites? Its a mystery to me.
Dave

A few years ago, I stopped in a lay-by on the A303 in Wiltshire (dual carriagewy) and started to explore the banking.
It was heaving with butterflies, including Essex Skipper.
A police car pulled up and told me I couldn't be there as I was a distraction to other drivers - one of whom had called up and reported me as behaving strangely.
Perhaps crawing on your hands and knees with a long lens on a camera is behaving strangely!?

Hamearis

That's "verging" on the ridiculous!

Bryan

I’ve just caught up on Wednesday’s Nature of Britain. It’s a great series and anything that gets the apathetic British general public alerted to the fact that the countryside is rapidly disappearing, has got to be applauded.

However, am I alone in finding Alan Titchmarsh’s commentary rather misleading? He seems to be implying that motorway verges are a great nature reserve, graciously donated by mankind. I concur with Dave Mac about the Adonis Blues. Perhaps we should ask the BBC on which verges should we expect to find them? Maybe where the M3 carves its way through Twyford Down? In the same vein, Marsh Fritillaries don’t actually need tanks to carve up the countryside before devil’s bit scabious can grow; they survived quite well before the invention of the tank. It all seems as if he is trying to put a positive spin on the impact of mankind, whereas he only briefly mentioned intensive farming (where butterflies “struggle to survive”) because the whole purpose of modern farming is to kill off everything that might eat crops (i.e. every living thing) and reduce the farmers’ yield and therefore profits.

It’s not to be held against Alan Titchmash, of course, as his high profile is probably necessary to get the programme made in the first place.