Nice pictures Allen, I wonder if that was the same one I saw (the only Swallowtail I saw all year). I was there in the 12 June. I was attempting to go for a context shot (Padfield style) with the coastline in the background to contrast with the usual fenland/doctors garden shots I have thousands off...

And it's all just there, waiting to be given the chance to burst forth, so simple.

Thanks Rob , It’s still very much a southern thing all this late season activity (and the odd Heat Island further inland like the large Airports). Reading Neil Freeman’s PD is like going back in time 20 years with the start and finish of the season. Thanks Ben . I’m glad you’re enjoying both my roun...

Looking at the 'official' description of both excessa and crassiexcessa there seems to be enough cross over for it to fit into either one tbh. The only difference seems to be that crassiexcessa mentions both upper and underside whereas excessa only the upperside is mentioned. Tithonellus also seems ...

Ok, just to throw a little (tiny) spanner in the mix (and I freely admit I may be seeing what I want to see) there does look to be the barest hint of the top edge of the hindwing on the right hand side which does give the impression of being sharply angular?

Thanks Wurzel , I take it your sighting was a rear end vanishing into the reeds :roll: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ October , once a month for winter woollies, raincoats and wellies is now just another butterfly month if you know where to look. I managed to amass fourteen species last year...

Far be it for me to question someone with way more experience of European species than me (I've never seen a weavers Fritillary in the flesh) but that was my first reaction when I saw the picture. On closer inspection there's a few things that still make me question this butterfly, the shape of the ...

Thanks Wurzel , I think they were in many places, they came out on top on the big butterfly count last year. Thanks David . For good or bad, these days September is just another good butterfly month, a last hurrah for all the regular migrants and those species who can now routinely fit in a third br...

Wurzel wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:53 pm Cheers Bugboy Should I put that down as ab.semilugens

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Go for it, I created ab. tripupilata for my Small Heath ab

You sound like me at work, in a job that's often touted as one of the best, I do seem to spend an inordinate amount of time wading through pointless emails and sitting in brain meltingly boring meetings. Oh and group chats in whatsapp :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: everyone knows not to add me becaus...

I'm not sure anyone had a good year with this species, in complete contrast to 2022 when plagues of them decorated the countryside in early summer but this one on Box Hill was a very welcome splash of colour back in July.

I see your double act Allen and raise you a trio

Easily my favourite picture of the species last year, snapped on a mostly cloudy day at Bookham

Gutted to have got there later than intended but the mating pair (even if they were at an awkward angle in the Oak) did give some compensation. Still, a phenomenal season for them at numerous sites!

Me neither Guy , those Kingfishers do help me get through the winter :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ September arrived with plenty of butterflies still to bag. Several Abs. stick in my mind. The third brood Small Heaths did rather well after a mediocre at best rest of the season and on a w...

Thanks Wurzel , your Gatekeeper in your most recent post looks like a halfway house between this one (ab. lugens ) and the standard issue. Thanks David , only another eight weeks at worst :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ January 2024 Friday 19th , was the first time I’d left the flat in a w...

I'd say that Gatekeeper is a halfway house between standard version and my ab lugens I found in August[.

Mating Red Admirals..... in January , I hope you splurged on the lottery!

Some great memories there Neil and I'd be more than happy to help with some counting again this year, it's hardly a chore after all! Hopefully you've had some luck moving some more projects forward

Thanks Trevor , yes, I picked the Uckfield posse which had been very well photographed over the previous few weeks and exact places to see them were well publicised, I was not disappointed! Thanks Neil . There's at least three facebook groups dedicated to Waxwing sightings if you're that way incline...

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.thegua ... ords-began

Not hugely surprising!