July 10th > Onwards

[jellyang]

In between showers, sun & wind I managed to see quite a few butterflies today.
My first comma of the year made an appearance.
Lots of Ringlets, meadow browns & whites.
Still no sign of painted Ladies or Red Admiral.

Angie

[Paul]

Fresh Red Admiral here in garden this evening!

[Dave McCormick]

4 small tortoiseshell, 20 or more meadow browns, numerous ringlets and 5 or more small whites here today. Good find.

[sahikmet]

Hi,

Today at Maple Cross Large white 2, Comma 4. Visit cut short due to rain.

Cheers

Sezar

[Susie]

It may not be much but in my back garden today small and large white. The large white was egg laying on nasturtiums.

Also, at a local garden centre, Red Admiral and my first Small Tortoiseshell of the year! Oh, how I wish I had my camera with me then.

[Shirley Roulston]

July 15th, one small photo left for to-day, a Holly Blue, 2nd batch of the season.In Nefyn, North Wales.

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[Annie]

Combe Hill Wood on the Poldens on Saturday 12th, only up there for a short time. One Small White, two very, very fast SW Frits and one rather battered Speckled Wood;

[Chris]

Did the North York moors circuit today, stopping off at Maze Park in Middlesbrough, Fen Bog on the Whitby to Pickering Rd and finally Ellerburn bank in the Danby forest. Saw Grayling, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Small Pearl bordered Fritillary, Dark Green Fritillary, Common Blue, Small Skipper, Large Skipper & Marbled White but no Large Heath (my target species at Fen Bog).

This was probably my best pic of the day:

150mm, 1/250 & f/8.0 with flash, handheld, ISO100

Kind regards,

[Jack Harrison]

Cavenham Heath West Suffolk 14the July
Small Skippers outnumbering Essex by approx 20 to 1. Again (as per last week) 50+ Small Coppers.

And this over the prime habitat. Competition entry for July with a difference Not really.

Jack

[IAC]

[quote="Chris"]Did the North York moors circuit today, stopping off at Maze Park in Middlesbrough, Fen Bog on the Whitby to Pickering Rd and finally Ellerburn bank in the Danby forest. Saw Grayling, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Small Pearl bordered Fritillary, Dark Green Fritillary, Common Blue, Small Skipper, Large Skipper & Marbled White but no Large Heath (my target species at Fen Bog).

Hi Chris,
Excellent Grayling snap, I know just how difficult they can be to track down....that one looks very obliging, top marks!!!
Cheers IAC.

[jellyang]

Yesterday (Sunday 13th) I went to Holkham Woods in Norfolk. Target was Dark Green Fritt and White Letter Hairstreak. I didn't manage to find either of those but did spot my first White Admiral
Due to the sunny weather it was very busy there so hope to return when it is quieter. There were lots of speckled woods, red Admirals, ringlets, meadow Browns, commas & whites. The most butterflies I have seen this season .

I have to go in hospital Friday for a major operation so do not know when I will next get any further than my garden . I will try & get as many fixes as I can in the next few days, after that I will be depending on you all to post lovely pics to keep me going !

Angie

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[Pete Eeles]

I have to go in hospital Friday for a major operation so do not know when I will next get any further than my garden . I will try & get as many fixes as I can in the next few days, after that I will be depending on you all to post lovely pics to keep me going !

We certainly will Angie - and all the best.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Neil Hulme]

Hi all,
Not long returned from a fantastic three day visit to Fermyn Woods. Photos of three different males below. Full details at http://www.thepurpleempire.com/whatsnew.html

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Neil

[eccles]

Marbled whites and a single small skipper are the new arrivals in my local patch for the week just gone. Also over a dozen southern hawker exuvia found in the local reserve pond. Two teneral dragons took off while I watched, two more were still drying near their emerged location and another individual was struggling in vain to get out of its exuvia skin. I kept checking on it for around two hours, and it was still alive but had got no further, so sadly (?) this one won't be decimating the local butterfly population.
Details: pic 1 - Sony A100, Sony 55-200 tele, iso200, 1/640, f8, pattern metering, hand held, natural light.
pic 2 - Sony A700, Minolta 70-210 with Canon 500D close up lens, iso200, 1/40 f11, pattern metering, hand held, natural light.

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[Shirley Roulston]

A sunny afternoon up in North Wales brought out a Small Copper, didn't realise how small it looked, but very pretty.

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[Matsukaze]

10 Small Skippers in Midsomer Norton (Somerset) today, in an area where none had been seen in similar conditions two days ago. Marbled White has also hung on in a couple of small and vulnerable colonies here.

Gatekeeper is strangely absent though - just one so far this year, well out of my usual area in Taunton.

[Matsukaze]

Looks like the Gatekeepers were just in hiding to taunt me - five or so seen today.

Had a look for Purple Emperor in apparently suitable habitat locally. No sign of the Lord of the Woods but plenty of his flunkies could be seen along the rides - numerous Ringlets, Meadow Browns and Silver-washed Fritillaries, and a fair few Large and Green-veined Whites.

Also of note, four freshly-emerged Small Tortoiseshells (but no sign of the new brood Peacocks) and a scattering of Red Admirals and Silver Y moths, as if a small immigration has taken place.

[eccles]

Gatekeeper present in decent numbers yesterday at Hazelbury, along with dozens of marbled whites and hundreds of six spot burnets. Also seen was a fleeting glimpse of a single DG fritillary.

The latter prompted me to head to Somerset today with Priddy as the first stop where I saw four DGF, several small skipper, and a couple of marbled white. Also seen were dragonflies: four spot chaser, emperor, and two rather tatty looking downy emeralds.

I then set off for Shapwick Heath, which was a disappointment as the sun was already getting rather watery and any dragonflies that were around had gone home. I saw singles: southern hawker, brown hawker, black tailed skimmer, common darter, plus a few azure damsels. I was pleased to see a mating pair of gatekeepers though, which means the later emerging females are on their way.
Edit: Matsukaze's post reminded me, I saw very briefly a peacock flash by at Shapwick.

On the way home, I stopped off at the Blackmoor Reserve near Charterhouse. This is the spot along the lane past the wind turbine and runs into the northern end of Velvet Bottom, and is a great location for DG fritillary. Despite the sun disappearing behind lowering clouds and a brisk wind I still saw three, and snapped one. (attached).

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[sahikmet]

A single gatekeeper, lots of Small spippers, lLarge skipper 3, still good numbers of Silver-studded blues at Chobham Heath, yesterday 15th July.

Cheers

Sezar

[Jack Harrison]

This Comma looks attractive enough but was photographed in the most unappealing place imaginable.

At one of the Cambridge Park & Ride locations, Purple And WL Hairstreaks were reported yesterday. I went along today but all I got was a fleeting glimpse of a (presumed) Purple Hairstreak beneath some oaks. Then at the edge of the car park, the unofficial rubbish dump was found - plastic, old palettes, cans, etc and there was the most incongruous of sites, this Comma.

We live in strange times. Small Tortoiseshells always used to outnumber Commas quite significantly. It's the other way round today and although I have seen about half a dozen Small Torts at various locations in the past week, I have seen a lot more Commas. But still no Painted Ladies at all in 2008.

Jack