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Ringlet – Favourite Photo of 2017

Week 14 – Or should that be week one? Here we go with the first Favourites for 2018.

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

Not a very exciting photo, I admit. This male Ringlet had seen better days but it's the only photo of this species that I took in 2017. In addition, it was part of my 'haul' on a remarkable afternoon at Bucknell Woods, Northants.
Mike

My fav is this ab arete. It was a rare dry day (although still overcast) on the afternoon I arrived in Edinburgh and found during my failed attempt to find the small colonies of NBA at Holyrood Park. With the forecast pretty dreadful for the weeks stay, I'd dumped my stuff at the hostel and shot off up to Arthurs seat to find the target species for the trip. It was a decent compensation in the absence of any NBA that day.

My photo was taken on the 16th Of July in Blean Woods Kent, there's always loads of Ringlets in the woods there but I still find them tricky to get shots of, they no sooner land when they take off again Goldie

You beat me to it Bugboy....my favourite Ringlet is also of an ab. arete. I have always found this aberration in the Ringlet hard to come by in my local area in East Sussex. I took this photograph at a colony in Cumbria in July and I estimate that up to 5% of the Ringlets were either complete or partial arête. By partial, I mean that the forewings were normally marked and only the hindwings bore the dots.


http://eastsussexwanderer.blogspot.co.uk

I don't take enough photos of Ringlet and am guilty, as I am with say Meadow Brown as well, of pretty much disregarding them as worthy subjects to photograph. Familiarity breeds contempt, and that should never be the case with any of our species these days, as it is obvious to me that the common species, or the ones we have always considered common, are now not quite so common, and in some cases, are slowly disappearing from the countryside. The Ringlet is reasonably stable in the Scottish Borders, but there are signs that the numbers and the spread of the Butterfly are in decline, though not as marked a decline as the Meadow Brown on my patch. I can't really see any reason for this threat to these grassland mainstays as other grassland species seem to be thriving....but those species that are thriving are all relatively newly established in the Scottish Borders, for example, Small and Large Skipper, and Wall Brown... I was very pleased to see high numbers in June at Gordon Community Woodland of this species where every single umbellifer was decorated right royally by their presence.

I can't match that splendid array of Ringlets!

However, they were the single commonest species on a visit to Fermyn Woods on 30th June. Despite the high numbers, they were really difficult to approach and this pair (no doubt distracted by other matters) were all that would keep still.There is a very small colony on my local patch, with only a handful each year, so I was pleased to get a shot of this one on 22nd June. Dave

IAC wrote: I was very pleased to see high numbers in June at Gordon Community Woodland of this species where every single umbellifer was decorated right royally by their presence.

That's some image, Iain, particularly given that your area is outside the range where Ringlets would be considered commonplace insects.

They are ubiquitous in my neck of the woods, but I've never seen them en masse like in your image. Meadow Browns can occasionally be seen feasting similarly, but I don't recall seeing Ringlets do so in those numbers.

Thanks for sharing.

I agree David ,I,ve certainly never seen a large gathering of Ringlets like IAC,s excellent image ,and unless I,m mistaken
the very top insect is another AB;Arete .......nice find !.
Regards Allan.W.

Some excellent Ringlet shots folks, saw many myself in 2017' but took very few shots,very envious of the AB;Aretes
that have been posted ,nice finds ,hope I,m lucky enough to find one myself oneday ! I,ve posted my two favourites.
Regards Allan.W.

That's some image, Iain, particularly given that your area is outside the range where Ringlets would be considered commonplace insects.

I agree David ,I,ve certainly never seen a large gathering of Ringlets like IAC,s excellent image

Well...how interesting. I can say that the Ringlet is an extremely common and numerous Butterfly during its roughly 6 week flight period throughout the Scottish Borders. I am guilty of not really grasping the situation elsewhere throughout the UK as I m so focussed on my own backyard. The congregations of Ringlet are actually common place up here, and after your replies I may have to count myself really , really lucky to be able to experience it. I will repeat though that the Ringlet seems to be on the decline up here, though it will easily be the most recorded Butterfly again in 2017 as it has been for a decade and more. I should be appreciating my Ringlets a little more after this.

Although I saw many hundreds of Ringlets in 2017 I didn't take too many images.

On 26th June, at Alun Valley near Bridgend, I photographed this pair mating in the grass:
Here's the female resting after the male had flown off:

Loads of Ringlets around again in 2017.

One from my garden...
One from the Heddon Valley when the damp meadows alongside the river were alive with them...
and one from the park by my moms house...
Cheers,

Neil

Ringlet

This was taken on the same day as my Purple Hairstreak and is my favourite as it’s my best ‘arete’ to date in terms of lack of spots. Also it was taken during an interlude/intermission from photographing a White-letter Hairstreak. Mind you when it came to selecting Ringlets I didn’t have an awful lot to choose from as this is one of those species which after the initial finding I seldom bother with unless it’s stand out different
Have a goodun

Wurzel