Friday 8th March was sunny almost throughout, but the strong easterly breeze kept the temperature down. However, in any sheltered spots it was very pleasant, and my local walk (more muddy than wet now) produced two more Red Admirals. Dave

Snow and Small Tortoiseshells - two things that are a real rarity in my part of southern England, Guy. Seeing the butterflies perched on the snow seems totally counterintuitive, but they make a lovely sight!

Cheers,

Dave

Black-Veined Whites. ...this winter i found some of Winter 2022/23 hibernation webs, which makes it look like offspring of a migrant female in 2022... ...Even BC have rowed back on their initial statement after LWT and other researched into it further... That's good to hear, Martin. Do you have any...

Cheers, Wurzel! :) Yes, that butterfly was very faded (certainly when compared with the one from two days earlier). Those white patches on the margins are pale blue in fresh butterflies, and the brown ground colour highlights the fact that the hindwings actually have a series of black spots. These d...

Thank you, Trevor - in similar weather for part of today I saw a few more butterflies. As I walked slowly along the flooded path again, I spotted a butterfly headed towards me. It passed close by, but headed over a nearby fence as the sun went in and disappeared. However, its close approach allowed ...

During some sunnier intervals it was quite pleasant again today, and after first being passed by a rapidly-moving but unmistakable, Peacock I came across two different Red Admirals. This is the second of those two. Dave

Yes, I'd feel disappointed not to see a February butterfly these days, David. Another Red Admiral today on my local patch, as after the overnight chill and uninspiring weather to kick off the month, the wind died, the sun shone and 11 or 12 degrees was achieved mid-afternoon. RA1 030324.JPG RA3 0303...

...11c, sunshine and light winds to get things moving... Well, today ticked all three boxes locally, and after another wade through even worse footpath flooding I spotted a Red Admiral keeping its feet dry up on the flowering willow. RA2 030324.JPG This particular tree always flowers ahead of its n...

One of my most memorable trips during 2023 was a walk along the southeast Devon coast between Branscombe and Beer in May. The weather was glorious, I had the company of one of my oldest friends, and there were Wood Whites. I had previously read that a population was supposed to exist in the sheltere...

Looking forward to the 2023 overview Dave 8) I'm with Neil bout lepidoptiferous - a cracking word that :lol: Have a goodun Wurzel I'm just waiting for that word to turn up in the Times Crossword now, Wurzel! :) I still haven't compiled a round-up of 2023 I'm afraid - it would largely be a rehash of...

After several hopeful local walks in surprisingly warm conditions over the last few days (and spurred on by Vince's remarkable sightings :mrgreen: ), I set out again today at around one o'clock. In common with other recent days there had been a lot of rain overnight, and the River Colne continued to...

As usual, my selection is largely from my annual trip to the Essex colony on the edge of Hadleigh Country Park. It is always worth the trip as the Heath Fritillary colonies are nearby too. The Hairstreaks proved a bit tricky this year, frequently offering just dark silhouettes against the brilliant ...

White Admiral ...even though I couldn’t get that close this was easily my favourite shot of this species from 2023... Wurzel Curiously, Wurzel, that very same butterfly was one of my favourites of the year as well. I got a little closer than you did, but the result of semi-immersing myself in the b...

My favourite of 2023 came from my visit to Cotley Hill in May aimed at seeing the Marsh Fritillaries. I was disturbed in my endeavours by the sight of a butterfly apparently twice their size - which turned out to be a very fresh female Wall. The shot belies my precarious pose uphill of the butterfly...

During a midday muddy paddle around my local patch today (the River Colne had overflowed across large sections of the path ) I spotted first a Comma and then a Red Admiral enjoying the 12 degree sunshine. Neither butterfly hung around for photos unfortunately.

Dave

Given that there has been an almost constant run of warm south-westerly winds for over a fortnight (and record-breaking temperatures in Spain), I suppose it isn't surprising that a few migrants have headed north with the wind behind them. Increasing day length may also be a trigger, so if the southw...

Small Skippers had a decent year on my local patch, emerging a week before their Essex cousins, but eventually being outnumbered by the latter (which had a longer season too). I ended up with a lot of shots of the species, the frequently dull July weather becalming them. However, this shot is from t...

Numbers dropped again on my local patch in 2023, both in the spring when the hibernators emerged and also in the summer when their offspring appeared. Here is one of the latter in a less usual pose, puddling for salts in a sunny spell following rain on 7th July. Dave

I see another species appeared in this Saturday's Jumbo Cryptic... (A fluttery type, Miss London SE5?)

Dave

Like Wurzel, I encountered this species on the Mendips at Priddy Minories as a side trip from the Large Blues at Collard Hill. It was a very warm and thundery afternoon and the butterflies were very active. They had just started to settle down a little when I noticed a major bit of weather approachi...