Pauline

[bugboy]

I'd go for Dunnock Pauline for your bird. The beak is all wrong for a yellowhammer, too fine. It looks a bit moth eaten so perhaps in the middle of a moult.

[Wurzel]

More lovely photos Pauline - especially the Painted Lady and the Chalkhill Blue on Hawthorn

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pauline]

I can see exactly where you're coming from Mike - that was my first thought too. However, I think Buggy is right (thanks Paul) as having looked online at some photos of juvenile Dunnocks there is one almost exactly the same, right down to that little 'crest'.

Cheers Wurzel, and thanks for taking the time to comment.

Well, the bees have finally gone - all 6,000 of them!!! And it cost me much more than initially quoted The reason for that was the job turned into an 'evacuation' as during their 8 day residency they had already produced masses of honeycomb (the white stuff in the photo). I am now left with some house repairs as many panels had to be removed to hoover out the bees:

The last few days outings have been brief or non-existent due to this tiny Goldfinch brought by a neighbour late one evening - it is such a sweet little thing but more hand-feeding and extra work:

So concentrating on the garden wasn't all bad - I watched Whites egg-laying and a Comma circled round looking for 'her' Elm tree which she has been visiting daily for some days - unfortunately, as it is potted, I had moved it into an aviary for the Goldfinch (having first checked that there weren't yet more larva on it). A couple of Holly Blues were behaving a bit strangely taking a liking to my strawberry plants and clearly after moisture, repeatedly returning to one of the bird baths. At one point I feared for the male's safety as he followed the ducks around the garden. I tried to stay between them to prevent him ending up as a small snack:

The last shot seems to show the butterfly standing on its tip-toes in the extreme heat, something that was mentioned recently by Dave I believe and not something I had ever noticed before until he commented on it. Being at home also gave me the chance to reflect on the Commas I recently reared. The last one emerged a couple of days ago giving me a 100% success rate with this little lot which all came from the aforementioned Elm tree. I have resisted posting shots as each individual emerged but have selected a few in summary (a couple even had the good grace to open wings for me before departing):

[Goldie M]

Hi! Pauline, see you've got hourly feeds again lovely little bird
I've been busy with the Comma's too,( love your Comma shots,) there seems to be loads of them this year at HLB near where I live,
I've not seen Holly Blues yet , it's great to know they're out and about again Goldie

[jenks]

You`re certainly kept busy with all these waifs and strays ! I originally read your message quickly ( too quickly as it turns out ) as "Well, the beeRs have finally gone - all 6,000 of them!!!" and thought " Crikey, that was one hell of a weekend " !. Then I re-read your message. That`ll teach me to speed-read.

Best of luck with hand feeding your latest arrival.

Jenks

[Art Frames]

Hi Pauline thanks for commenting on my pics, much appreciated. I like reading your diary but it does make me feel exhausted...

You do pack a lot in. Some clearly not as welcome as others. We just had our facias and soffits replaced. We repatriated about six bin liners of starling nests, a few solitary bee homes and one ex wasp nest. Luckily the guys thought that normal and all part of the job!

I have to say your Holly Blues are very attractive, I've never noticed how white the u/s is before. And Commas are definitely on my list of my most favourite butterfly, but so are lots of species....

[Pauline]

Thank you Goldie. I hope you see many butterflies this week in Kent - the forecast is saying 30 degrees!!

Good to hear from you Jenks. Now, that is the sort of weekend I SHOULD be having

Thank you too Peter. I thought I'd better take a quick break so you could catch your breath and recover Trouble is, there's now a fair bit of catching up to do. I think I'll just start by throwing it all in together so here are a few shots from my last couple of local outings:

A lovely fresh Painted Lady at Noar Hill gave me the run-around. I'm not sure if it's the same one as I saw a couple of days earlier - I thought it looked a bit smaller and I'm not sure of the gender of either. It landed on some of the most gorgeous flowers (for about 2 seconds) and if I could have got those shots I would have been well pleased. However, I had to start with a distant shot but eventually got closer:

There were numerous Skippers - only to be expected at this time of year:

A stunningly fresh Peacock was cruising around but I only managed a snatched shot. Likewise, there were several very fresh Red Admirals but the only one I could catch up with was showing his age (bit like me )

A couple of moths. I was going to try to ID these before posting but just taking a break from painting the living room so time is short:

I am puzzled by the proboscis on this Ringlet as I can't work out what that appendage is? Part of the insect? A bit of plant?

Lovely female SWF

oops! How did that sneak in here

Nice to bump into Mr T too - enjoyed our little catch-up

[bailey1409]

Hi Pauline

Try Pretty Chalk Carpet and Common Carpet.

Cheers

Maurice

[MikeOxon]

I suspect that your Ringlet has picked up some orchid pollinia on its proboscis. Many orchids carry their pollen in a little 'package' on a sticky stalk that attaches itself to a visiting insect and so gets carried to fertilise another flower. These may be Common Spotted Orchid pollinia. There's a description in this article (look down towards the end of the page) of finding 20 pollinia on the proboscis of a trapped moth!

[Mark Tutton]

Hi Pauline
Great spot of the two sets of pollina on the Ringlet and as David says they could be common spotted as they are described as being 'pale brownish pink to purple' in Harrap but it may be a little late for this species?
Noar Hill is probably one of the best sites in the country for orchids, as well as butterflies, and does have at least 13 species to choose from! I know Frog occurs here, is a purple colour and is flowering about now so this may also be a possibility?
The butterfly will need to find another orchid to shed them or find a bit of Mr.Muscle
Kind Regards
Mark

[Pauline]

Cheers Maurice - I appreciate that; saved me some precious time

Fascinating Mike! I have read that link and shall be checking moths now as well as butterflies There is just so much collective knowledge on this site I am frequently astounded Having said that, if anyone knows what this creature is, found as I was scrutinising Thistles I would be very interested to know:

I think I am getting a bit obsessed Mark! I spotted this GVW today. I think I shall be looking at them all much more closely! BTW, loved your Florida butterflies especially that Red banded Hairstreak which was really something special. I am guessing you might have had problems getting that shot?

[Mark Tutton]

Hi Pauline
More pollina!
I will post a trip report on Florida when I get time next week - need to sort the photos - Red banded hairstreak was probably the commonest lycaenid I came across and a very pretty butterfly.

[bugboy]

Your mystery bug looks like a Thistle Tortoise Beetle larvae, Cassida rubiginosa

[Wurzel]

Interesting set of shots Pauline with the pollina (perhaps you need to change your Username to Paullina ) looking at the two sets they seem to be quite similar in appearance so possibly from the same species?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pauline]

Looking forward to reading that Mark

I don't know how you know all this stuff Buggy but thank you!

You do make me laugh Wurzel I've been called a lot of things but never that!! And yes, they do look similar, don't they?

Well, this morning I spent some time briefly on Noar Hill trying to catch up with a Clouded Yellow which I know has been there for a few days (thanks Nick). I'm sorry to say I failed to spot it, but whilst searching for Brown Hairstreaks I came across this!!!! At NOAR HILL!!!!! Are there any Elms here???? Funny thing is, one evening last week I was chatting to an elderly couple there and the gentleman told me that a couple of years ago he had seen a WLH here and the report was published by BC. Unfortunately I didn't get any details of who the couple were but I assume BC has a record. At first I thought my eyes were deceiving me:

[Wurzel]

Cracking find there Pauline It seems that Whitters and other Hairstreaks often turn up where they're least expected - possibly because they're there but not seen?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Nice to catch up on your diary after my long absence, Pauline. Love the juvenile Goldfinch and the hedgehog and well done with that White Letter Hairstreak. This is a species I wish I could find a relaible site for near to where I live where they can be observed at close quarters as you did with yours.

[millerd]

That's a nice WLH find, Pauline. I forget how lovely Noar Hill is at other times, not just for the Duke. Clouded Yellows seem to seek it out as well!

Dave

[Pauline]

Cheers Wurzel. I am absolutely certain in the case of WLH that they are under-recorded as it can take a great deal of time and effort (and luck) to search out colonies not previously recorded (I am sure Paul H would agree). Some years ago there used to be Black Hairstreaks in Surrey. I was given details of location and Susie did a lot of legwork to try to establish if they were still in existence there (sadly without success, but who knows?). I have just been informed that there have been a couple of other sightings of WLH in recent years in the area where I spotted it so once I have some 'proper' time I will have a look round for Elm.

Thank you David. I am assuming there are no Elms on your patch? Incidentally, I have noticed on a few sites I have visited recently (in different counties) that a fair few Ash seem to be dying off. Hope they aren't going the same way as the Elm as I seem to remember reading they are being attacked by a fungus?

Thank you too Dave. Noar Hill is truly glorious at the moment. The colours of the flowers are just amazing, only surpassed by those of the butterflies. I should mention some of the other species I saw there yesterday as well as the WLH - 4 species of Whites and 3 of Skippers, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper; gorgeous velvety Peacocks, Red Admiral, SWF, and DGF, Small Heath (of course) Common Blue, a single Small Blue, fleeting glimpse of Brown Hairstreak, vibrant Small Tortoiseshell and quarrelsome Commas and Brimstone. I didn't see the Clouded Yellow but I saw my second Hummingbird-hawk moth of the season (no photo obviously !):

[Pauline]

I was a little surprised today to see a Red Admiral egg-laying on nettle - not on the leaf which I had assumed was the norm, but choosing to lay on the seed heads or flowers (whatever they are ). Great camouflage though

Whilst scrutinising the nettle patch for anything else of interest I came across this egg which is clearly more developed but I'm not sure whether it is Red Admiral, Comma or something else:

Noar Hill is always changing and today the Marbled Whites seemed to have been replaced by a myriad of Brimstones:

I watched a lovely blue female Common Blue egg-laying but these eggs are really so small this was the best I could do in the glaring sun:

Before leaving I watched a considerable amount of Small Blue activity, both male and female. They were all quite frantic and to get at least one shot I had to beat this individual into submission with an old twig as evidenced by the marks on the wings