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Speckled Wood - Favourite Photo 2016

Week 18

The end of this series is fast approaching but that means the season will soon be upon us !

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos - just to make it easier to organise and keep everything on track so that we can enjoy this throughout the winter months? 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

It was a very bright afternoon on Otmoor when I spotted this back-lit butterfly against the dark eaves of the woodland. I took several 'ordinary' photos but chose this one because it's a bit different:
Mike

A male in May on the downs and a female nectaring on grass flowers in August on Pevensey Levels in East Sussex

I've chosen two SW, one from the 7th May and one from 26th July both shots were taken at Hall-Lee-Brook,
It seemed to be a slow start for the Butterflies but the season ended very well for them. Goldie

Not a species often seen nectaring so getting one posing on a Daisy at Hadleigh Country Park in April makes for a nice change A second favourite picture is this male basking picturesquely on some Bracken at Bookham in June

Numbers were definitely down in my part of the world in 2016, particularly with the late stuttering start to spring. Things were better later on and my favourite of the year was this one on the rotting late summer blackberries oozing juice. A fresh individual: I like the almost purple underside colouring. Dave

Here's one taken by mrs. celery in Dordogne in mid-september. The typical southern european 'orangey' form.
Shafts of sunlight filtering through the dense woodland canopy = bokeh!

Speckled Wood

This was taken at The Devenish in early June. It came out really well and I discovered it in a tiny part of the reserve which I’ve often ignored – hence my choice of it as my Fave. They are much more subtle butterflies than the showy Frits and Aristocrats but no less beautiful for it.
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Both an early spring and late summer species, one is never truly without Speckled Woods.

This pristine specimen seen at West Williamston in Pembrokeshire on 25th August was probably the pick:

Ahh yes! Specklies

This is a species that seems to do well in cool cloudy years and indeed this appeared to be the case around my patch in 2016. I saw the first one in my garden on 4th May, which was a couple of weeks later than usual, and the last worn but still feisty male holding his territory on 9th October, which was also my last butterfly of 2016.
As usual, I took loads of photos of these in 2016, not least in order to identify different individuals in my garden so that I could keep a count of them.

The early brood are often noticeably brighter than those appearing later in the year as exemplified by the nice male below,
Throughout the year I would usually have two or three males in the garden at the same time plus the odd female passing through...
but in late September numbers increased to the point where I would have 6 or 7 together on the small clump of brambles at the bottom of my garden...
I also saw plenty of Specklies at most other places that I visited during the season including up on Arnside Knot in early August where i took the underside shot below,
During my week in Cornwall in early September there were also good numbers at Upton Towans where I was surprised to also find them on the more exposed sandier parts of the dune system, not a habitat that I am used to seeing them in.
Cheers,

Neil

Great range of Specklies there, Neil, as I would expect from you!