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Wall - Favourite Photo 2016

Week 19

The penultimate week! I'm looking forward to these fave selections in particular as I saw all three of the species featured this week but wasn't able to get photos of any of them

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

A male from 25th July 2016.

One of several found during my hunt for the Lulworth Skipper.

As usual I left it about as late as possible to see Wall Browns in 2016, finally catching up with them at High & Over on 24th September. I particularly like the effectiveness of their camouflage against the stony path here:...and the general intricacy of the underside:A shame such an attractive butterfly is so much more restricted in its haunts than it used to be when I was younger. Dave

These didn't seem to have too bad a year at my site (it's ridiculous I have to go all the way to Eastbourne to see them these days given that they used be practically in my back garden in north east London 25 years ago, I'm sure there must be some closer!?) Anyway here's a spring brood male and a summer brood female

I watched this male for some time holding territory at a site on Pevensey Levels, East Sussex. It was seeing off any potential rival that flew past which accounts for its very alert posture.

My only shot of a Wall last year was in Southport Dunes, the Butterfly was missing part of it's wing so I can't claim it as a favourite but being as it was the only time I saw one last year i've posted the shot. It was the 24th May and I think the weather for last Spring is summed up by this Butterfly. Goldie

Like Goldie, I too only photographed one Wall Brown in 2016, at Dan-y-graig cemetery on 22nd April in Swansea:

Not a brilliant photo, not even a pristine insect, but this quadriocellata is probably my favourite wall of last year (with the tiny apical spot as a fifth, this might even be a new aberration - quinquiocellata ):



I photographed her in the Rhône Valleyon 22nd October.

Guy

A simple choice of one photo for me too in 2016. Also a sentimental one as it was the first I've seen on a transect in 8 years of monitoring. This one on the last week of the season, on the sea wall at Ramsey Marsh, Blackwater estuary, Essex.