Pauline

[Pauline]

Thanks for the ID and re-assurance Buggy. I tried about a dozen bee-keepers but none able to help as the swarm are in the cavities behind the wood. They did however, provide me with the number of someone who might be able to remove them. Apparently I have a couple of weeks before they settle down and start chewing things and building things! Perhaps I should take up bee-keeping!

That's great Wurzel - I looked there once (by a bench or monument) without success. I expect to see your shots about September Great Marbled White shots btw.

Thank you David. I think the Skippers are such cute, photogenic creatures but my favourite has to be the SSS. Looking forward to seeing them this year.

Yesterday, whilst watching the bees, I spent some time monitoring my Holly Blue pupa. I have no idea when to expect the butterfly to emerge and will probably miss the emergence as a result. However, I find the subtle and changing colours of the pupa to be very appealing, and it certainly seemed to darken as the day progressed. Just because I shall probably never see another one I am including a variety of shots from different angles:

[MikeOxon]

I know very little about bees but, if they're honey bees, I'd have thought they are a valuable asset! I'm sure you would enjoy bee-keeping, to fill up all your spare time

That's an interesting series of photos of Holly Blue pupae.

[Pauline]

Cheers Mike You know what it's like here! I can miss out on food but I need my 7 hours kip Bee-keeping will have to wait even tho it's going to cost £65.00+ to have them removed!!!!

A bit of a sad day today as I made the 3rh round trip to collect Merlin's ashes but I did manage to spend some time watching the Holly Blue pupa before I left. I was surprised at the subsequent changes in appearance over about 2.5 hours. First the pupa darkened some more and the blue became almost electric before fading to a very pale cream:

[bugboy]

Interesting development in the Holly Blue. Looks like it's going to be a girl though

[Pauline]

I would have been having a little panic by now Buggy, thinking I'd killed it, if it hadn't been for something Martin told me a while back, warning me that this happens in some species. I have subsequently found it to be true. Prior to emergence the butterfly seems to 'detach' from the casing and move down the 'canal'. In some species it is evident only by becoming translucent, as though a cling film coating is lifting from the pupa.

First off, thank you to Vince for the ID of my last strange creature - a picture-winged fly. I didn't have much time this morning (and I was determined to fit in a pub lunch ) so it had to be quite local. I can confirm that Chalkhills are out at Chalton:

It wasn't just Chalkhills I wanted to see. I wanted to see DGF and there were 5 or 6 in various states of wear, including and egg-laying female

Of course there weren't just Chalkhills and DGF. There were Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Gatekeeper, 3 Skipper species, Marbled White, a single Small Copper, Brown Argus (my first of the year!), Common Blue (singleton) and a Red Admiral fly by - all this accompanied to the purr of Turtle Doves but try as I might I couldn't spot them:

[Goldie M]

Great shots Pauline, you've given mr hope I'll get to see some CH's in Kent next week and hope fully the Marble's won't have disappeared , no sign of the Gate keepers yet up here.
Sorry to hear you've been sick hope your much better now. Goldie

[millerd]

Looking forward to your new Holly Blue, Pauline - one of my favorites as you know. Lovely Chalkhills - and new broods of all those others too! I feel a trip to Denbies coming on...

Dave

[Pauline]

Thank you Goldie - I'll keep my fingers crossed for the Chalkhills

Thank you too Dave. You've produced some amazing images of Holly Blue this year - a result of great observation and field craft. I won't keep you waiting any longer but I'm afraid my photos of the adult are not a patch on yours. She didn't even have the grace to open her wings for me after all the care and attention I lavished on her However, I did get some shots of the actual emergence which show more detail than my usual efforts. She emerged about 90 seconds after I took the last image of the pupa (so you were right again Vince ). Looks like someone crawling out of a sleeping bag :

She was keen to depart. After 15 mins I turned my back momentarily, assuming wrongly that I probably had about an hour to get some decent shots. Not a chance. As I turned back I watched her take off up into the trees - the quickest drying wings I have experienced to date!

[Art Frames]

Pauline

I was entranced by the earlier pictures of the Holly Blue pupa but that emergence set is wonderful

What a shame she flew away so quickly. But what you have is a fantastic story already. Very impressed and would have loved to have seen it.

best wishes

Peter

[Pauline]

I'm so pleased you liked them Peter but I would be embarrassed to tell you how many hours I have spent watching various pupa over the last couple of years to get such shots. In comparison this one was relatively easy because of the very apparent changes which signaled emergence was imminent.

Reading a forecast for heavy thunderstorms I thought I would have a crack at the moth trap, hoping I might find one of those large, impressive Hawk moths or similar which I like so much. I did not get a hawk moth but I was not disappointed as I found my first ever Scarlet Tiger moth. I had no idea they were so big - or so docile:

I am always pleased to see the Buff-tip and on this occasion there were several:

This little Festoon is one I hadn't seen before and although I have seen Black Arches I hadn't realised what a colourful abdomen they have:

There were many, many others including Snout, Common Footman, Rosy Footman, Beautiful Hook-tip, Clouded Border but I only had time to photograph a few more - the gorgeous Buff Ermine:

what I think is a September Thorn?:

and a couple of others which I have as yet failed to identify but wonderful camouflage on this one:

It is good to know there is such quantity and variety around the garden which may well be due to the fact that I am surrounded by a variety of different types of habitat.

[Goldie M]

Lovely Moth shots Pauline, Goldie

[bailey1409]

Hi Pauline

First moth is a Garden Tiger.
The other two are Poplar Grey, I think, and a Dun-bar.

Cheers

Maurice

[Wurzel]

Maurice beat me to it Pauline, I've still to photograph one of those Lovely Chalkhills as well, just when I thought I'd caught up

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Delightful Holly Blue sequence, Pauline. The undersides are a beautiful, clean white that I suppose wears off by the time most people get to observe the butterfly in the wild.

[Pauline]

Thank you Maurice, Wurzel, Trevor, Martin and Andy for correcting my Garden Tiger moth ID. Don't know what I'd do without your help and guidance. Take that Dun-bar for example that Maurice and Andy kindly identified. I looked it up and there is such a huge amount of variation in the colours and tones it seems, I'm not sure how it is possible to get a handle on these creatures - but I shall keep trying if you keep helping me

It was an absolute joy to watch that Holly Blue emerge David. I'm so glad you liked the bits I was able to catch on camera.

Thank you Goldie - there are just so many it is quite overwhelming. I think that's why I don't put the moth trap out too often.

Thanks for the compliment Wurzel - those Chalkhills are stunning when they're fresh

Today I found myself watching several female Essex Skippers egg-laying and it occurred to me that I have not seen that before. I've seen loads of Small Skippers ovi-posting but the Essex seemed to be a bit more secretive - which made it harder to get shots of them without disturbance. I had read that the oviposter is specially designed/shaped to probe and unfurl the sheath of the grass to deposit the eggs inside (same as the Small Skipper) but I had never managed to capture it on camera before:

A closer view:

It looked to me as if these eggs are more oval shaped than those of the Small Skipper but perhaps that was just the angle I was looking from. I know I have siad this before but if anyone is tempted to take a look at the eggs of these Skippers please do remember that they are not anchored to the plant in any way - they are loose, they roll about and could be lost if great care is not taken:

Small Skipper eggs below by way of comparison:

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Pauline,

Just been catching up on your diary, I am really behind on keeping up with what everyone else has been up to this year, the time is absolutely flying by.

Some amazing images in your recent reports...the Hairstreaks, Fritillaries, Chalkhills, that Holly Blue emergence sequence to mention just a few. That final Holly Blue underside is amazing, I never realised they were looked like that when freshly emerged, all the ones I have seen have had the pale silvery underside.

Great moth photos too . I love the Garden Tiger, brings back memories of finding 'Wooly Bears' when I a nipper and keeping them to rear through. Sadly, they have become somewhat of a rarity around here these days. Ironically, Scarlet Tigers used to be a rare here but they have been spreading in recent years and there have been sightings all all over the place in Warwickshire this year (although not in my garden yet), my son Chris had 14 in his garden trap in Stratford-upon-Avon last week, a trap I hasten to add that he has borrowed off me so I could claim them as mine

Maurice is right with the Poplar Grey. They can be confused with Knot Grass, I have had a few of both and when you see them together you can see the difference.

Had a few Dun-bars too and no two have them have looked the same...the wonderful world of moth variation eh!

All the best,

Neil.

[Pauline]

You really do say some of the nicest things about my diary Neil Please do feel free to comment any time, as much as you like Seriously, I'm glad it's not just me that can find these moth variations a bit confusing. I'm tempted to put the trap out again tonight but the bee-keeper is coming in the morning to try for a second time to get these bees out of the house! The Old Lady I have been caring for emerged yesterday and flew off without so much as a 'by your leave' but co-incidentally, there was one in the house today (not for the first time) and I managed a quick shot of that one

Today I had a quick look round Noar Hill. The Hemp Agrimony is fully out and alive with butterflies but I couldn't spot a Brown Hairstreak - fresh Red Admirals, SWF, Peacock, Painted Lady, lots of Skippers, Large Whites etc etc

[bugboy]

Lovely Large Whites and Painted Lady, both species that have been short thrift this year. I'm very surprised we haven't seen more PL what with all the warm weather that we keep getting from the continent

[Pauline]

Cheers Buggy. Never mind PL, I'd love to see a few Clouded Yellow this year

Yesterday I quickly checked out Oxenbourne for SSS. I have previously expressed concerns about this tiny colony which seems to be getting smaller each year. No sightings yet but it's still early days so I won't get too pessimistic just yet! Lots of Skippers, moths and a few Chalkhills:

What I'd really like to know is what is this bird? I hope the photo is good enough for ID (it was quite some distance). It looked a bit Dunnock coloured but what I found strange was that it seemed to have a bit of a crest. An immature?

[Maximus]

Hi Pauline,looks like it could be an immature Yellowhammer.
Nice shots of the Holly Blue emerging and lovely shots from Noar, especially the Silver-washed Frits

Mike