www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Week 13.

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

Peacock

This was taken at Martin Down in May on that same fantastic day when I broke my Greenstreak nemesis. I’d been working my way along the tunnel from the Sillen’s Lane end car park and emerged into the blaring sun and onto the baked ground. There, almost at my exit, was this Peacock basking in this striking Bat-like posture. It’s my favourite because I like the shape that’s produced by the angle of the wings and the complementary angles of the antennae. This posture always makes them appear so long winged and I find this striking as, in my mind anyway, their usual posture makes them appear more box/square like. Have a goodun

Wurzel

Another shot from Otmoor, Oxon of this butterfly in 'high-summer' mode:
Mike

2013 was a fantastic year for Peacocks. As the 'sleepiest' of the adult overwinterers, they weren't too badly affected by the cold March and early April and I recall seeing abnormally high numbers at the beginning of May when the warmer weather finally arrived.

Fast forward to late July and they were around in numbers I've personally never experienced before (I saw approx 100 at Aston Rowant on 8th August and into the dozens at most other locations until most of them decided to estivate towards the back end of that month).

This one was observed in the Gun Club meadow at Alun Valley (the High Brown site) near Bridgend in south Wales on 25th July:

Great photos guys. I'm gutted because this is a beautiful creature that doesn't exist down here in the Marseilles area. Bravo !!
CJ

2013 was certainly a good year for Peacocks with good numbers on the wing locally from late April and building up through May. The following summer brood produced some amazing numbers, the like of which I don't remember ever seeing before
I also had a chance to rear some through when a female laid a batch of eggs on the nettles in my back garden, the first time that I had done this since I was a nipper in the 1970s

A few photos below from the many that I took of this species this year...

First off, a pair from late April. I watched them for a while but the female was not interested and she eventually took off and left the male behind.
Next, a photo from later in July on a day when I saw dozens on a walk around some local spots...
and finally, a nice fresh one basking on the path in my back garden.
Cheers,

Neil.

Nice photos Neil,
The Peacock is quite exotic for me. This one is from when I started butterflying in 2011 on holiday in the Haute Savoie region of France, and I havn't seen one since!
Chris

My photo was taken on the 2nd of August in my Back Garden I took lots of pictures of Peacocks this year but this has to be the best for me. Goldie

There were certainly a lot of peacocks around at the end of July. This picture's not great, but it's a bit different:



Taken at Fermyn (Lady) Wood, July 27th on a not very successful hunt for Emperors.

A visit to my sister in Yorkshire in early August coincided with the emergence of the Peacocks that had been previously chomping the luxuriant nettles she maintains in her garden. There were between 20 and 30 butterflies in the garden at any one time, mostly on the buddleias, but also on thistles and other (usually) purple flowers. They outnumbered everything else, even the Large and Small Whites that were eyeing up the nasturtiums. Here are a couple from 8th August. Dave

What a great shot from dilettante

Whilst out patrolling one of my local sites in May I saw a Peacock fluttering about in a nettle bed. It was exhibiting typical behaviour for a female looking for a laying site. While I watched she carefully selected a suitable leaf by rubbing her front legs on the surface. This was a quick motion, rather like a rabbit digging a scrape, and then, at 13.58, she commenced to lay. She finished at 15.08, producing what looked like a standard batch of approximately 400 eggs. The host plant was only 15cm high and fortunately located on the edge of the nettle bed adjacent to a path. This allowed me to crawl to within camera range and get some shots while laying flat on my stomach.
I had only witnessed such an event once before for this species. This was a few weeks earlier, but I did not try to get any shots for fear of disturbing the female. This time I waited for the first hour before getting into position. I have never got so stung in my life .

Vince

this year ive always had about a dozen peacocks on the budliha at the back of my house which joins onto the Sankey valley park in Warrington.

Peacocks from Noar Hill, August 2013. On this particular day we saw 100 plus nectaring on hemp agrimony, a never to be forgotten sight