Allan.W. wrote: ↑Tue May 07, 2024 5:47 pmI had a couple of hours at the (probable ) last local site which i felt may produce one or two .I found one almost immediately ........hopes were suddenly high ! but it took about another hour before i found another .

And both were taras? That's remarkable!

Guy

Wonderful stuff, Pete, and congratulations on the inky! We all know that surreal feeling when a mythical butterfly materialises nonchalantly in front of you and for a moment you don't know if you're waking or dreaming. If you close your eyes or look away, you think, you'll wake up - then you look aw...

Only just catching up with your diary, Buzzard. I'm so glad you had a great trip to Gibraltar. It was my first home outside Suffolk (back in 1983), and though it has changed in many ways since I was there, the Mediterranean Steps have changed the least (apart from the fact you now have to pay to acc...

You're right, Rob, though I have a deep love of Suffolk, too. I will always return to relive memories. Recently, the weather has been grim again and yesterday visibility was down to a few metres, with cloud clinging to the mountain: https://www.guypadfield.com/images2024/3may2024c.jpg The snowline h...

Hi Rob. I was born and bred in Suffolk, where altitude just isn't a thing (there is no English word for dénivellation :D ), but have lived most of my adult life in the Alps, where it is everything: the mountains define existence here. In fact, 'nostalgia' (' la nostalgie ') was originally recognised...

Brilliant shot of the mating Duke and Duchess, Maximus.

What has ten legs and four wings?

Guy

I had to go down to the valley yesterday morning, to do some two-way interpreting for a friend at a council meeting in a different commune. He dropped me back at Aigle Dépôt, right by the vineyards, where there was no snow and flowers were rejoicing in the sunshine. But no butterflies. It was very s...

I do remember, Mike! In fact, I pre-ordered a copy at the same time as you and then, like you, gave up on it. Now I have a copy and will be posting a full review soon. Well done on photographing andromache! It's always nice to find endemics, especially when you go on once-in-a-lifetime trips.

Guy

Hi Paul. Winter always has a sting in its tail and it is completely normal for there to be snow in April. In fact, by school folk wisdom, 50% of summer terms begin under snow. What is different this year, though, is the intensity and duration. I first moved to Switzerland in 1989 and can't remember ...

Hi Rob. I'm on planet winter at the moment. It has snowed every day for ten days and temperatures have been down to -11°C at night. David asks about the small tortoiseshells: it's the violet fritillaries I'm most worried about at the moment. They began emerging in the local meadows about two weeks a...

Actually, that's a good point - these cameras are not waterproof. They're OK getting splashed and I even left my previous PowerShot outside overnight in the raing (in its carry bag) without damage; but then I accidentally dunked the same camera in a cattle trough last year and it appeared to die com...

Hi Nick. I feel a certain responsibility now! First, for butterflies, I always use the P setting on the wheel - never automatic. For long-exposure star shots &c., I use TV. The P setting lets you configure exactly what you want. It’s good to know how to navigate quickly to all the various settin...

A couple of pictures of males (both taken in Suffolk) to show that sex brand:





At the right angles, and on fresh specimens, it is easily visible as a grey sheen.

Guy

I do sympathise, Mr SpOck, and if aspersions were cast on named individuals I would moderate. But at the level of ideas and opinions about sites, isn't it better that they should be aired and countered than centrally censored? I've learnt far more about Hutchinson's Bank from your responses to criti...

I was woken by the sound of snowploughs at 05h00 this morning. Winter is back, for at least the rest of this week ... https://www.guypadfield.com/images2024/17apr2024a.jpg (morning walkies) https://www.guypadfield.com/images2024/17apr2024c.jpg (afternoon walkies) https://www.guypadfield.com/images20...

Hi Rob. I'm not really a connoisseur of wines (more a beer man), but I think those vineyards must belong to Henri Badoux, as his logo is a lizard (I'd noticed it on the bottles, but not previously in the vineyard). If you want to browse the wines, they are here: https://www.henri-badoux.ch/fr/les-vi...

Good job the house owner wasn't in her bedroom or I'd probably still be locked up :wink: :D I've been there - and missed some lovely photos, just because someone might have got the wrong idea! Unlike Paul and Trev, I've never seen a UK Camberwell beauty. I had the same childhood dream, but it will ...

In 1985, during the university long vacation, I was earning my pocket money gardening on a farm in Melton (Suffolk). The farmer and his wife were both away, and on leaving I was to lock up and pop the key through the door. As I weeded and dead-headed, a large tortoiseshell casually flew in and began...

I was able to go further east along the Rhône Valley today, where more Camberwell beauties were flying. I was hoping for de Prunner's ringlet, but it seems they are not on the wing yet - surprisingly. I've seen them as early as 15th March in previous years. There was just one grizzled skipper there ...

I like the way Minnie's alert ear directs us to the butterfly. :D You're right - she was twisting her head from side to side trying to pick up any sounds from the butterfly. But her right ear can no longer stand fully erect, since she suffered a haematoma in it a few years ago. She's lost her symme...