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Wall – Favourite Photo of 2017

Week 19 – So we enter the penultimate week of the 2017 Favourite Photo thread so think ahead ready for the Overall Favourite for next week.

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

My Wall favourite is of this female that I had previously watched fly into the territory of a male who mated with her after a very brief courtship. Post copulation, I followed her as she stopped to feed at various flowers.


More images from that encounter at http://eastsussexwanderer.blogspot.co.uk (click on "Wall Street" May 2017)

I saw these on three sites last year but my fav Wall shot for me is this underside from High and over in Sussex whilst in the company of B'rex. I've been after a good underside shot, showing the intricate camouflage detail for a while now, so when this one posed perfectly for me and I managed to get a couple of snaps before he darted off, I was over the moon with the result . A few hours later I also managed this shot of a female which I really like

Not as many Wall about last year, though I was probably off chasing something else when they were at peak. This female was on her own along an arable field edge dodging Speckled Wood and feeding up before she flapped off further down the track.

I saw two Wall Brown's last year, one was a huge surprise at Temple Ewell in Kent on the 25th July , I'd just chased down my very first Clouded Yellow Hellice , I turned round when my Husband shouted he'd seen this flash of bright Orange I hurried to get a quick shot of the Wall
My second, or should I say my first shot was at Southport in the Dunes on the 18th May, I'll try ( weather permitting ) to go a bit earlier to the Dunes this year may be I'll catch them on a flower if I do Goldie

I,ve posted my two favourite shots of Wall from 2017. the single female was taken on an early morning visit to Temple Ewell,just waking up
in the dew laden grass .
The pair (the first I,ve found ) were from a plant site near Wye ,I found several on the wing along a piece of "set-aside" land bordering a wheat field ,whilst looking for Arable plants,a great little site this,and one which I,m going to spend more time at this coming season.

After finally seeing a Wall in May at Wurzel's Wiltshire Hill, after several years of promises, I made a number of trips to Sussex to enjoy the third brood. High & Over especially lived up to its reputation as a reliable site on 7th September, when I was joined by both Trevor and Badger Bob.A further visit on 24th September (a very warm day) was also good. Dave

A very good year for Wall Brown around these parts in 2017 with a record one day count of 115 in July on my 4 mile circuit.
On 22nd July I came across a posing female that allowed several shots. In fact she posed for so long I ended up walking away from her and leaving her be.




On the 3rd October during a very locally strong 3rd brood a mating pair took off as I walked nearby, they settled briefly in a bush before being moved on when a 2nd male decided to join in the fun, they didn't go far so I was able to get a 2nd shot of them.


Signs for 2018 look pretty good with a count of 10 larva before the end of January.

The Wall is definitely one of my favourite butterflies. The image below was taken last May during a stroll around Slapton Ley in South Devon. When I returned via the same route some 45 minutes later the butterfly was still in the same position. Closer inspection revealed it had fallen victim to a crab spider

This species is not at all common in south Wales, but Kilvey Hill in Swansea is a nailed-on site for it, and I was lucky enough to spend a couple of hours in Wall Brown territory in early May, where I was treated to a rare sighting of a mating pair:

Not a species I see every year at home. In southern France they are common:

My first encounter in 2017 was on the Lizard in late May whilst looking for Marsh Fritillary. The butterfly was a bit tatty, understandable given the windswept location, but the photograph shows what the cliffs in Cornwall are like in Spring.

Wall Brown

This was taken on an excellent day out at the Hill. I was lucky this year to see several Walls so I had to think long and hard about the choice of my fave. This one won out as it turned up both ‘where’ and ‘when’ expected. The ‘where’ was at the bottom of the hill towards the far end of the site. I’ve encountered them here several times and always suggest to others that this is a good spot for them. The ‘when’ was because we were just taking a break for lunch when this Wall appeared and when I see this shot I can almost taste the Hot Lime Pickle sandwiches I was eating on the day.
Have a goodun

Wurzel