www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Week 16

So continues sequence of posts giving one and all the opportunity to showcase their favourite shots of 2014 (or the last time you saw one)!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

This female Silver-washed Fritillary was photographed in my front garden. Thats the forth one i have seen in my garden.

Took a trip out to Lower Woods, near Wickwar in Gloucestershire to observe this species early in its flight period on 22nd June 2014.

There were a fair few about, all looking resplendant prior to the inevitable bramble injuries that are progressively sustained as they get older.

A brief dull period allowed me to make an abnormally close approach to this basking male:

I like that picture David M
In my "neck of the woods ", the males emerge before the females, at this stage they appear to me to be more elusive but well worth tracking down. I have sometimes struggled with a slightly blurry image on a slow shutter speed because of the way they nectar on a hot day.
This was about the best I could do in 2014:
Best Wishes

Not the best conditioned individual, and not pinsharp but this crop from my first set of pics of Silver Washed stands out for me. Box Hill 22nd July.

I took a lot of photo's of the SWF in Bently Woods but these two have got to be my favourites. I took the shots on the 6th and 9th of July, I'd no good shots of these lovely Butterflies before that, so every I photo I took is special Goldie

This male SWF posed on a glass door in the Massif Central in France last summer, giving also an unusual underside shot. Chris

My favourite Silver-washed Fritillary photos of 2014 have to be these of a nice valezina female that I saw at Snitterfield Bushes in Warwickshire on 13th July.
Cheers,

Neil.

That valezina female will take some beating Neil. Thumbs up.
Chris

cjackson wrote:That valezina female will take some beating Neil. Thumbs up.
Chris

Agreed. That's a stunning specimen.

Thanks Chris and David. I am not sure if it was an illusion caused by the colour but she also seemed larger than a normal female, she sure was a beautiful example

Neil.

Wow - that's a stunning butterfly. I've yet to see a valezina female.

I didn't see as many SWF as I would have liked last year - they weren't out on my visit to Black Park, and rather elusive on my two trips to Botany Bay. Nevertheless, here is a male from that location on 25th June. A trip to Noar Hill on 9th August produced a few rather worn individuals, including this female - the only one I saw in 2014. Dave

The first,and best SWF i saw last year was while cycling to work-luckily i had the camera with me-i would have kicked myself if i hadn't! Five years ago to see one of these butterflies in Essex would have been a notable event, but they have recolonised many of our woods since then. Taken on 29 June.

I have never seen the "Valezina" form at the Bookham Commons. I don't know if that is to do with me or the local SWF gene pool ?
One challenge for me was to find an early, freshly emerged female. This "June" female spent some time tasting nettle leaves before eventually finding the bramble blossom and hopefully a mate. (The first Male I saw was on 13th June although there may have been a few on the wing a day or two earlier).
Best Wishes.

Seen in the grounds of Osborne House East Cowes last summer.
For some reason this is one of my most viewed photos at www.flickr.com/photos/lepreskil
Ian

This shot was taken during a cycle ride along the main bridleway in Bernwood Forest. i had stopped for a few butterflies that turned out to be Commas and then, here was the real thing! I like this shot because it brings out the silver 'washes' on the underside that give it its name.
Mike

Lovely photo's of the Velezena Neil, and your right the Butterfly I saw in Bently Wood last year ( photo's no way as good as your's) was quite large I thought in comparison to the normal female SWF. Goldie

Silver Washed Fritillary

I don’t know if it was a mediocre year for Silver-washed Frits or whether I just didn’t get out to the appropriate habitat enough but I didn’t get as many SWF shots as usual. I did find a fantastic valesina but this male pipped her to the post as my favourite because it really stood out and epitomised the ‘gorgeous ginger beastie’-ness of this species. Have a goodun

Wurzel

2014 was the first time I've gone out of my way to watch females ovipositing, and highly-rewarding it was too! Watching the females sniff out the violets before heading to a suitable oviposition site was quite something. And relocating a 1st instar larva was the icing on the cake!
Cheers,

- Pete

Impressive stuff Pete!