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Wall - Favourite Photo of 2015

Week 19

The penultimate week! I always approach this part of the series with mixed emotions - sad that the looking back and reminiscing is soon to be over but excited as the new season is in the offing The final set next week will feature the remaining species, 'Vagrant' (for all those lucky LTB sightings ) and finally your overall Favourite Photo from the season that was 2015.

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

Thanks Wurzel,
When I checked my records for 2015, I was surprised to find that I had only kept one photo each of a male and a female. I can only suppose that I was focused elsewhere.
South of France :
Male Female Cheers, Chris

I took my only Wall Brown images of 2015 at Dan-y-Graig cemetery in Swansea on 20th May:

Found good numbers of Wall, locally last season, particularly around coastal sites in East Kent,and in the Wye/Crundale area where these two shots were taken.
regards Allan.W.

Particularly like the first image, Allan. The butterfly blends in perfectly with the wood.

After probably 20 odd years of not seeing a Wall it was great to re-aquaint myself with this pretty little thing and be reminded just how flighty they are! I chose the patch of downland between Eastbourne and Beachy Head as a good place to find them, based soley on it looking like a promising place on google maps! I spent a few hours stalking them once I found a sheltered sun baked path and managed a fair few pictures once they had calmed down a bit in the afternoon.
This one posed nicely and may even be an ab. with a few extra eyes on the forewing: I also found a few second brood at malling down but managed only one picture, but it brings a smile to my face as it epitamises their flighty nature and how difficult they are to approach in the heat of the day

Only a record shot but as it is the first time we have ever had one in the garden I'm not complaining!

I saw the Wall twice last year, both times at Southport Dunes , both shots were taken quickly has I came upon both unexpectedly, the first was 23rd May, the second the 30th August, Goldie

There's only one place that I can reasonably expect to see these in South Hants, and that's where this pic was taken, I only saw them once in 2015 (9th August) and this is the only pic I kept.

Wall

This was my fave Wall as it was my first ever sighting of a mating pair and so could go in my ‘in cop’ collection. It was taken at Lulworth during a family trip in may and offered great consolation for missing out on a Lulworth Skipper.

As I was checking my usual Skipper hotspot there were several Walls around basking on the narrow tracks. All of these were jittery having been disturbed innumerable times by other walkers; capturing any shots was a tricky business. So I was quite relieved when one took off and flew much more slowly and landed only a short distance away. As I approached it seemed much bigger and from a short distance away it looked like it had damaged wings as I could see both an open fore wing upper and a lower hind wing at a different angle? Once I’d gotten even closer I was chuffed to find that it was a mating pair and not a struggling individual. Have a goodun

Wurzel

These are two of my best ever images of the Wall Brown.
Normally decent images of this species are hard won, camera shy and speedy sums them up.
But at Windover Hill I found some that allowed close approach. Only occasionally would they
forsake their sunbathing for a skirmish with another Butterfly.

Trevor.

I only saw a few Wall Browns in 2015, the first ones down in Cornwall in early June where there were a few first brood still around on the coast paths around the Lizard, and a couple of very flighty second brood down in Dorset in early September.

The best photo I managed was probably this first brood female,
Cheers,

Neil