www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

http://www.flickr.com/photos/od0man/570 ... /contacts/

Colin.

Thanks Colin - that deserves to be tweeted

Cheers,

- Pete

Ok...I have a couple of questions (the obvious ones, naturally!) Firstly, why is it so very battered? Old age? Or has it been flapping at a window/mesh cage for the past few days. And reading down through the comments I saw this "Amazing, one was seen down the road in Clanger Wood ( by Nick Wynn) a few years ago." Does this kinda smack of a release? And are those woods on Isle of Wight being searched for larvae???

Gibster.

Sightings of this butterfly will always be treated with caution in this country, but I wouldn't have thought its battered state was necessarily due to it being held captive.

Still, an interesting discovery and a welcome one.

Gibster wrote:Ok...I have a couple of questions (the obvious ones, naturally!) Firstly, why is it so very battered? Old age? Or has it been flapping at a window/mesh cage for the past few days. And reading down through the comments I saw this "Amazing, one was seen down the road in Clanger Wood ( by Nick Wynn) a few years ago." Does this kinda smack of a release? And are those woods on Isle of Wight being searched for larvae???

Gibster.

.

While I was in France a few weeks ago there was a Large Tortoiseshell flying about the garden's wood pile in similiar condition. Near the very end of their flight period (and after surviving winter) surely it's no surprise if they look a bit tatty?
Michael

I found a Peacock on the lawn the other day, dying, sadly. It could barely move and was in much the same condition as the LT, worse in fact - all 4 wings were shredded like the left forewing pictured.

Cheers

Lee

Michaeljf wrote:While I was in France a few weeks ago there was a Large Tortoiseshell flying about the garden's wood pile in similiar condition. Near the very end of their flight period (and after surviving winter) surely it's no surprise if they look a bit tatty?
Michael

Ditto - LOTSW only saw one specimen in France; tho' the only photos we got were when it was hiding in the rocks, wings folded, behind the grasses! But it was not in prime condition either.....It is possible, I too would have thought, for the UK specimen to have been an immigrant - warm, southerly winds over the last few week- given that condition and the time. Equally, as Felix said, we know that some will be bred in the UK and released. I guess we will never know for sure....
N

For comparison, here's a naturally aged, 100% wild, geriatric large tortoiseshell photographed today (18th May):



Guy