www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Howdy! Lets just pretend we know each other for ages

I live in Sedliste, CZE; have been interested in b'flies since childhood, when I was pretty much obsessed with hunting Papilio machaon; recently bought a reflex camera.

Here's my start to the season. Lets say I'm learning (to shoot).



The biotopes (2010, 2011).



Since I've been sighting them in last 10 years, one my goals is to photo Nymphalis antiopa, Apatura ilia/iris, and Papilio machaon in one year without crossing the border of the village.

Also, I'm sorry for irritating you with Nymphalis antiopa

Good luck, and have fun,


Marek

Some nice shots there Marek.

I particularly like the Map Butterfly shot as I've never seen the first brood of this species, only the darker individuals later in the year.

Keep up the good work.

Lovely pics !! I hope we will see lots more

Pěkný den!

Charles

Dear Marek,

Personally I can't get enough of Nymphalis antiopa (Camberwell Beauty to me). It's quite a rare species in the UK. I've only seen them a couple of times in Austria (when I was 12) and recently in Southern France (overwintering individuals!).

Feel free to email more images or questions. I think you have a lot of species that are quite common in your area but either don't exist in the UK or are very rare, so we'd probably all like to see more of your local butterflies.

Michael

I see you want Chapter two, so here are another b'flies with Czech passport



It's all today's, saving Camberwell Beauty and Peacock. This day mightily rocked, some places were dead, but sometimes I didn't know what the hell shoot first. Achieved four new (not yet photographed) species in the sole biotope, which means I might get bored in the upcoming days.


Maybe it's a good time to make some things clear, eg. population density.

The Camberwell Beauty is always a solid catch, hard to find, although not being under conservation at all. As for the rest of species here, I was basically 100% sure I'll meet them, so CB is a pleasant bonus.

Peacock is ever-present, if not even dominant. Sometimes outbreaked, hit rock to the nettles and you'll certainly flush out one or two.

Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and Red Admiral (Admiral - finally some Czech and English names are matching) are common too, but much less than Peacock.

Map Butterfly is just like Peacock, but not so widespread; still can be dominant. Sometimes makes massive "perching" in woody biotopes. And since it hates and chases probably everything that moves, the Map Butterfly is far more often testing my patience than being my shooting target. And it's more and more abundant year after year, probably loves certain agrocultural changes, just like Swallowtail and Lycaena dispar (Red Copper, or so). (On the other hand, it looks like we definitely lost Big Tortoiseshell here in the region! Whatta whatta!)

Ain't sure what to say about rest of "guys". Just another beautiful but common butterfiles I expected to meet and say hello... Maybe the Speckled Wood is slightly problematic (fluctuating). It looks like Chequered Skipper is also having a comeback, although it's not exactly a garden type butterfly. As for the Yellow, I guess you're looking at Pale Clouded Yellow.


Here goes the biotopes. First one's the winning one, hosting a great Map Butterfly vs. Red Admiral vs. Speckled Wood dances (or fights); especially MB and RA was certainly not nice on each other. Photos 1, 2 and 5 are basically relevant for all b'flies posted here, saving Camberwell Beauty, that's tied to biotope #3 from my yesterday's post.



Hope you enjoyed my lil' spring comparison.

Nice butterfly shots and it is great to hear about them and see pictures of their habitat. It looks like beautiful scenery around your village.

Lovely shots, and of landscape I fear might not exist at all in the UK.

David M wrote:Lovely shots, and of landscape I fear might not exist at all in the UK.

You think the nature and landscape is that different?

Anyway . . . . .



I have no clue what's the moth in the bottom left corner. Any ID maniac here?

Around my village happened something you'd mourn for much more than me - the first generation of Map Butterfly is already dead! As usual, I'm preparing for a massacre - its black & white colored descendants

Chequered Skippers, who knows why so abundant, are fading away as well.

Presently, there's even more Small Heaths and Common Blues than earlier. I think I'm slowly starting to hate it.

P.S. I do love Siona lineata! Not just because of its crazy constitution. Generally, you beg majority of butterflies to sit the hell down anywhere. But this one? You almost have to ask it to fly A true stoic!

Enjoy the pics,


Marek

The Annoying Czech wrote:I have no clue what's the moth in the bottom left corner. Any ID maniac here?

Diacrisia sannio...

Beautiful pictures again, Marek . It's especially nice to see the Chequered Skippers, as here in Britain, we'd have to travel to Scotland to see ours.

Michael

Michaeljf wrote:Beautiful pictures again, Marek . It's especially nice to see the Chequered Skippers, as here in Britain, we'd have to travel to Scotland to see ours.

....normally in p1$$ wet conditions and 13C temperatures.

David M wrote:

Michaeljf wrote:nice to see the Chequered Skippers, as here in Britain, we'd have to travel to Scotland to see ours.

....normally in p1$$ wet conditions and 13C temperatures.

Yeah, even worse than Wales!

Michaeljf wrote:

David M wrote:

Michaeljf wrote:nice to see the Chequered Skippers, as here in Britain, we'd have to travel to Scotland to see ours.

....normally in p1$$ wet conditions and 13C temperatures.

Yeah, even worse than Wales!

Steady on! It's at least 3C warmer in Wales.

Thanks for the ID and so.

The weather, ha? 28C today. Chequered Skippers might love it. I myself don't.

There's actually still 18C, somewhat cloudy - in the midnight

It looks like I'll have to shift my great chocolate reserves before its meltdown

I returned to chasing butterfiles in the past few days. Good weather for me around here, lets say from 19 to 23 C. Not that good for butterflies, though.



As you probably noticed, I've met the first Large Copper this year - a lady (in a horse yard). Since the spring generation has never been abundant and those females have (allegedly) pretty damn big dispersion, I was just lucky and rewarded for being active. I'm about to watch this attractive species closely this summer.

And all the Map Butterflies and Chequered Skippers has been... replaced.

Looks like I'm falling deeper and deeper in chasing butterflies. I'm also planning some trips.



Today, I met Mr. Lesser Purple Emperor while hoping to see Purple Emperor. So there are two Apatura butterflies around my village, then. It was basically jumping from carcass to carcass. Absolutely shy, I was waiting for him between the worst shit of the carcass field, but the butterfly was even reacting on move with my Olympus. I also saw the first summer Map Butterfly this year.

And I'm very interested in ID of those four moths. (I do believe the Skipper on the left is Thymelicus lineola.)

I think the white moth with spots is a White Ermine (Spilossoma lubricipeda). I could be wrong.

I always have a soft spot for any Emperor Butterflies. You are lucky to have (at least) two types in your village!

Michael

I'm enjoying a fairly good numbers of butterflies these days. I saw four Emperors during my last three tours, two Apatura Ilia and two Apatura Iris (no Apatura Metis though; it's not Hungary ). All males. They seems to be solitary but widespread in the eastern side of the village where the character of the nature is more various. Now I completely understand where to look for. Don't know for now how to get a good/closer photos. And I didn't need any cheese.

Initially, I was seeking for a goddamn Poplar Admiral!

The Comma below was about to fight with Mr. Emperor for the territory consisting of a number of an young aspen-trees, but I believe it was still a bird that demolished Comma's right wing. I realized Apaturas are very often living on the one heap with Commas (seen 1 today), Red Admirals (seen two), and Small Tortoiseshells (dozens).

P.S. Thanks for the ID, Michael. I'm still highly interested in the rest of IDs of my beloved moths And of the catterpillar on the left (that I almost hit by a car doors). The beetle is here just for fun. Hey, it's my lucky beetle!


M.

Hi Marek,

I can understand your wish to see the Poplar Admiral. I am going to Bulgaria next week and have a vague hope that I will see one, but they are more difficult to see than the Emperors. Even some of our experts here have only seen them a few times after years of searching and seeing many, many other species of butterfly!

I'm surprised nobody else has picked up on your moths query. I think the one on the bottom right is the Barred Red moth (Hylaea fasciaria). The other two are more difficult - maybe someone else will have a go! Not sure about the caterpillar either, though it does remind me of a Brown Tail moth caterpillar (Euproctis chrysorrhoea).

Michael

Hiya Marek,

your lucky beetle looks like Rhagium mordax, but you've many more longhorns out there than we do here, so treat that as a very provisional ID!

Are there many folk in Czech republic who visit UKButterflies? Is there a similar Czech butterfly website?

Cheers,

Gibster.