www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Week 3.

Here is the opportunity to post your favourite photo(s) of a particular species taken in 2013 (or the last time you saw one!).

This is part of a series of topics which will grow over 20 weeks throughout the winter, eventually covering all 59 species which are regularly found in the British Isles. The intention is to showcase three species per week (in alphabetical order), so please wait until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos. Our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants.

Details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome and please feel free to contribute observations of behaviour, stories of personal encounters, anecdotes or other interesting points.

Vince

Comma

This is my favourite as it was an unexpected bonus. I’m in the habit of carrying my camera wherever I go (barring public WCs and changing rooms!) and on a late summer visit to stables near me this popped up. It was feeding on a low level Buddleia and I like it as it simply wasn’t tried for yet I was chuffed with the sharpness and detail despite that. Have a goodun

Wurzel

This is not a common sight down my way (perhaps 2 sightings a year if I'm lucky) so I was happy to see this one in the garden, AND it posed for a shot at point-blank range. Having 11 buddleias in a 60 m2 garden does tend to attract passing BFs.
Chris

Both of these were taken on the 16th July but in different locations. It was probably my most productive day of the year with some rare findings as well as pleasing pictures of several more common species, all within walking distance of home. http://bobsbutterflies.blogspot.com

I always find it hard to resist photographing a Comma. They can often be quite skittish but on 5th October at the West Williamston Brown Hairstreak site in Pembrokeshire, the weather was overcast and this Comma was easy to approach (note the antennae positioned in typical Comma 'alert' mode!):

This is an end-of -season shot and, although the butterfly is far from perfect, I enjoyed the spectacle of colour from the Michaelmas Daisies at Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire:
Mike

Being my usual indecisive self with regard to picking a favourite I am going to post a few.

The first couple were taken at Oversley Wood in mid July...
...and the next two were taken at one of my local spots near Solihull earlier this month on what was the last day that I saw butterflies in good numbers.
Cheers,

Neil.

Here are my two favourites.

The first was taken in Bentley Wood and the second was taken on Stockbridge Down.


Canon 5d mk3, 300mm lens mounted on a tripod. Settings f8 /1/125S and ISO800.


Canon 5d mk3, 300mm lens mounted on a tripod. Settings f13 /1/250S and ISO1250.

This is a hugely difficult choice - I see so many Commas on my local patch, firstly when they emerge from hibernation, and then even more at the height of the hutchinsoni emergence at the start of July.

Number one is one from 16th April - I liked the unusual angle for this one. The second is a typical summer underside with beautiful patterning from 5th July. Dave

That last one's more Map than Comma, Dave.

Most unusual.

I've been looking through my photo's of Comma's and decided I like this one becuse of the Sun lighting up the Comma as it does and also because of the flower which I think set's off the shot which seems yellow and gold, I took the photo in my back Garden Goldie

Here are a few of my 2013 Comma images.

The 5th March was the day the season started for me, with several species being seen in my area and this was my first Comma.
Earlier in the year I had added a commercial Hop plant to my garden (completely forgetting that it is one of the food plants used by Comma larvae). The penny dropped when I saw a Comma egglaying on it on 27th July. I counted approximately 20 eggs on that day, some of which had been laid by previous individuals.
An inspection on 1st August revealed 21 first-instar larvae which had begun to chew holes in the leaves from the undersides.
The larvae were easy to spot due to the feeding damage they caused on the higher leaves, but they all gradually disappeared during the course of the following week. The reason for this remains a mystery at present, but one I intend to solve next season.

Vince

Comma seemed to do reasonably well considering the very poor spring weather here in south east Scotland. I had 22 sightings of 25 individuals from the 6th of April through to the 14th of October. That is what I would normally expect. Perhaps a little late this year. The butterfly appears to be widespread but never in any great numbers. This autumn I found any Elder and Bramble on south facing woodland edges were good bets to find at least one with patience.

Iain

Here are my entries, Larvae and Adult from Shipton Bellinger a great day all in all and got some great shots of Brown Hairstreak as well.

Cheers

Andy

Great shot of the larva, Andy.

Thanks David, it was a pleasant surprise finding this on the day at Shipton Bellinger along with seeing the Brown Hairstreaks. Getting into photographing Larvae a lot more so hopefully will get out next spring for some Fritillary Larvae.

Cheers

Andy

I don't see many Commas in my part of the Alpes-Maritimes, but I managed to get a reasonable photo of this one:
--
Colin

Sankey Valley Warrington,at the back of my garden

Ah - spring!



Guy