Bugboys mission

[Wurzel]

Some cracking shots there Bugboy and those Cloudies from part 2 look resplendent! A very unusual Meadow Brown from a little it back - a double pupil, unusual markings on the fore wing and plenty of extra orange on the hind wing - a multitude of variation

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Your still finding some great Butterflies bug boy, lovely Cloudies in your last post. Goldie

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, Clouded Yellows do seem to reflect sun in a a very unique way don't they and yes, there was certainly a bit of variety in the Meadow Browns down there

Thanks Goldie but I do need to travel to see something now, my local patches seem to have dried up for the year !

3rd October, Autumnal Bookham Coppers

Another trip to Bookham Commons turned rather predictably in to a lovely coppery morning. I got there early and quickly located several Coppers, some looking a bit tired but most rather fresh. I think this is when Small Coppers look their absolute best, basking in the early morning sun of Autumns day .

Apart from the Coppers I saw a couple of flighty Comma’s, a few Speckled Wood, a single Red Admiral flying south at break neck speed and three male Common Blues.

I also checked on my Copper nursery where there were less eggs than last time, something's been eating the leaves !

A couple of easy 'spot the butterfly' pics

I left when things turned rather cloudy shortly after lunch but it was a very pleasant way to spend a few hours nevertheless.

[millerd]

I very nearly joined you, Buggy - but I hadn't quite enough time today and needed to have a proper go of my local patch. Great Copper photos - as you say, they are ideally suited to Autumn and the colours that come with it. With some decent amounts of sunshine, they'll be around for a little while longer I hope.

Dave

PS - Two Speckled Woods I'd say...

[David M]

These images are making me green with envy.

Such a lot still going on but none of it round my way.

[Wurzel]

Those Coppers make it seem like Nature saves the best til last Bugboy

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Hi! Bugboy, I may be seeing some Butterflies but your getting a good variety down there, great shots of the Copper, I love that little Butterfly! Goldie

[bugboy]

Thanks Dave, I saw my last Small Copper in this very meadow last year on 2nd November so if it stays warm we definitely have a few weeks left yet!
Sorry about that David, if its any consolation I am having to travel to find them myself
Thanks Wurzel, they are little autumnal jewels aren't they
Thanks Goldie, there does seem to be a very obvious north/south divide at this time of year as to which species are still on the wing.

14th October, Down South again

Work and rubbish days off have done a particularly good job at keeping me away from butterflies recently, but the prospect of a pleasant weekend meant I planned in advance and booked myself a return trip to Shoreham earlier in the week, which pretty much guaranteed the midweek sunny forecast wouldn't pan out quite as hoped. Sure enough, I was greeted with a nice blanket of grey at my first stop off, Trevors Shoreham Harbour Cloudie nirvana. Persistence did however find three roosting Common Blues. The promised sun taunted me a mile or two off shore but some kind of meteorological witchcraft made the cloud cover hug the coastline with just the occasional thinning getting mine (and the Blues) hopes up.

I cut my losses after a couple of hours and made my way to Mill Hill. Here if anything it was even Cloudier but in the same sheltered pocket as my previous visit the air temperature was enough for some activity and I managed to tick of eight species. I was really after Clouded Yellows though but given the lack of sun I wasn't holding my breath, until one stopped by and then began the all too familiar ‘Cloudie chase’. The weather was on my side though and he stopped regularly to feed and rest so I soon had a nice stack of images to sift through later.

A few Meadow Browns were still active

The Common Blues looked a bit more weather worn than their coastal cousins

Just the one Wall visited me today, a female

Thats a female Common Blue hanging underneath

3 Coppers were active

A mighty fine looking female

A little while later I came across another one, in better nick and so it begun again….

I was hungry now so I went back into town to satisfy that need and noticed things had begun to brighten up a bit. Back to the Harbour it was then (I still had a few hours before my train home anyway). I got back there to find my first real sighting of the sun all day but alas not a single Cloudie was seen. There were however enough to watch and while away the time including a particularly fine female Common Blue and a nice egg laying Speckled Wood. Trevor, what have you done with your Clouded Yellows?

Not quite the day I had hoped for but certainly not to be sniffed at for mid-October!

[trevor]

Sorry you missed the Cloudies at Shoreham, they do need the sun to get them active.
I called in at Shoreham on 12th ( last Thursday ) and about six were flying, including
a helice seen a week earlier.

Might be worth another trip.
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

A few for the Cloudies but that female blue is a real gem, dazzling

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

I'm glad you saw a couple of nice Cloudies at Mill Hill, Buggy - a bit of compensation for missing out by the seaside... Those blues are terrific, though, especially that last female. And a Brown Argus as well! I had hoped there might be an odd one local to me, but no joy.

Dave

[bugboy]

There was definitely enough sun in the afternoon Trevor, and given they were flying on Mill Hill in much cooler, greyer and breezier conditions I suspect the Shoreham gang have buggered off across the channel! Not sure if I'll be able to visit again this year, I'm very much dependant on good weather falling on my days off now with no more holidays left, and this week doesn't look promising, particularly for one of my long distance trips.

Thanks Wurzel and Dave, she really did sparkle in the sun that Blue



15th October, Bookham

As it so often does, Bookham beckoned me today. It was about as far as was likely to get anyway with several train lines closing for maintenance, it actually took longer to get to Bookham than it took me to get to the south coast yesterday! Anyway it was a bit brighter than yesterday and a few Coppers welcomed me on arrival.

Keeping in with the autumnal theme was a spiffing Comma who I found patiently awaiting a break in cloud cover.

There were about eight Coppers on the wing along the hedge on Banks Common along with a single Common Blue and a Speckled Wood who had seen rather better days,

But it was a couple of immaculate Red Admirals that really delayed my departure for further wandering. Both intent on gorging on some late flowering Alexanders.

There were a few more Red Admiral in the wood but the main inhabitant today were Darter Dragonflies, every sunny glade had dozens of them, mostly Common Darters as far as I could tell like these two synchronised baskers.

I also found this Mushroom, anyone know what it is, it looks like it is a relative of Fly Agaric?

At the Copper nursery many of the eggs have now hatched and some very careful investigation uncovered one larvae, the many 'windows' in the leaves hinted that many more were active.

Nearby I found a male Copper, perhaps even the proud father of some of the eggs, who had a generous amount of orange dusting around his blue badges.

Waiting for my train to arrive I killed the last half hour or so with some more Coppers and another Common Blue

A lovely, peaceful afternoon

[Greenie]

My best shot on your fungi would be Lycoperdon perlatum , assuming it was growing on the ground . The very similar L.pyriforme is found
growing on rotten logs or stumps , neither having common names to my knowledge .
Not related to the Fly Agaric , but to the Giant Puff-ball , L.gigantium , which can grow to 80 cms. across .

[Goldie M]

Lovely shots Bugboy, I love the Admiral's on the White flowers they really show the lovely darkness of the Admiral and set off it's red bands Goldie

[bugboy]

My best shot on your fungi would be Lycoperdon perlatum , assuming it was growing on the ground . The very similar L.pyriforme is found
growing on rotten logs or stumps , neither having common names to my knowledge .
Not related to the Fly Agaric , but to the Giant Puff-ball , L.gigantium , which can grow to 80 cms. across .

Thanks Greenie, it was indeed growing out of the ground. A google search comes up with several common names such as Common Puffball, Warted Puffball, Gem-studded Puffball and Devil's Snuff-box.

Lovely shots Bugboy, I love the Admiral's on the White flowers they really show the lovely darkness of the Admiral and set off it's red bands Goldie

Thanks Goldie, my pictures don't do them justice, they were both stunning in the flesh

[millerd]

A very good selection from Bookham, Buggy - Coppers going strong still, and some fresh ones among them.

Dave

[bugboy]

Thanks Dave, yep, looks like the Coppers will be around for a week or two yet . I notice you had some more activity on your patch this morning. I was on my patch around the same time and had just one fleeting glance of a Speckled Wood.

17th October The Marshes

Not much in the way of butterflies despite the sun and relative warmth but I did watch a Kestrel getting one over on a stroppy Crow

In the end it was the Crow that left in a hurry leaving the Kestrel playing in the breezy conditions. Good to see a Crow get a taste of it's own medicine for once

[Allan.W.]

Hello Bugboy ,
Meant to comment a day or two back . That's a stunning female Common Blue(5th to last shot 15/10 ) Nice find !!
Regards Allan.W.

[Andrew555]

Nice pics bugboy, love the Common Blue.
I went to Mill Hill for the first time this year, not made it to the harbour location yet.
Another thing on the list for next year.

Cheers

[David M]

It's nice that you're still seeing Blues & Coppers, Bugboy. As for the crows....we get the same here only it's Red Kites usually on the receiving end of their harassment. I've yet to see a Kite lose it's temper but I'm sure if one did its harasser would soon be an ex-corvid.