It was clear this afternoon that a second brood of Speckled Woods were on the wing. All were fresh, and lively in the warmth. The Cuckoo Trail has been virtually free of Specklies for the last couple of weeks, and the last I saw of them they were all worn. Another butterfly of interest was a hyper a...

Possibly an unwise decision not to send the family on an extended shopping expedition
on a day when OT's and GH are behaving so well! Great stuff.

PS. Might try the Hill tomorrow, weather looks awful from Weds onwards.

That is a Wall ab and a half, Mike! . I wonder if Bob Eade has seen it.
I'm off to Cotley via Tilshead soon, lets hope there are some treats awaiting.

Some interesting posts on this page, Neil.
Five target species in one day is great by any standards .

An extra for the cropped GH shot.
We only saw one other PBF While watching the mating pair, so three in total.

A very worthwhile visit to Cotley Dave, but it's never complete without a Marsh Frit.
I'm heading that way when the weather gods permit.

Well done getting GH on bluebell.
But the mrgreens are reserved for the ' roosting ' shots , top notch.
I'm off to Wilts soon, hope to get similar shots at Tilshead.

Thanks David, Wurzel & Neil. Mating Pearls and Green Hairstreaks on bluebells, who could ask for more in one afternoon. A visit to Rowland Wood this morning found quite a few very active Pearls, including a female which was obviously busy depositing eggs, while others were busy nectaring on the ...

OOOH they look nice, plump, and juicy Ben.
Thanks for the update, can't wait!

A fascinating item above Ben. I had never really thought about WLH larvae walking down the tree trunk to ground level to pupate. I assume the same goes for Purple Hairstreaks, and would help to explain why I have never found an adult in my garden. There is a massive oak with about a third of it's ca...

Thanks Katrina. I don't think I've ever had so easy. If it was always that easy
it would take the fun out of our hobby. I've been after GH on bluebell, then two together!

Cheers Dave. As for Painted Ladies several have been reported in Sussex,
and elsewhere on facebook. The start of an invasion? Good to see them.

When the sun appeared this afternoon I headed off to Abbots Wood. On the way in I saw my first Painted Lady of the year ( the first of two ), then a fresh GVW. At the triangle I could see two people in the distance, when I got closer I could see it was Peter Farrant and his good Lady. Peter was kind...

Thanks Wurzel & David. Things were even better this afternoon.
Talk about easy, gift wrapped and handed on a plate!

A very mrgreen worthy selection of shots and species Dave,
For me the Green Hairstreak on buttercup takes first prize, stunning!

Thanks David. The best time of day given good weather. Yesterday 11th May I arrived at Rowland Wood about 7.40am in perfect weather. Katrina had a similar idea and came along about 20 mins later. For the first hour or so things were quiet but during the morning we were privileged to witness the beha...

A for that final Orange Tip shot. Great capture!
I'm waiting for that line from the sound of music ' the hills are alive '!

A commitment this morning meant an evening visit to see the Pearls. Possibly a few more were flying than yesterday, including a lovely female. She was not seen yesterday while I was there. As I was photographing her, she was ' noticed ' by a passing male, and after much wing flapping they both took ...

Thanks Ernie & Neil. Speckle Yellow moths are everywhere here too, they are excellent at distracting the eye when tracking a butterfly. It was a relief to learn that the first Pearl Bordered Fritillaries had been seen in Rowland Wood yesterday. I went along to see for myself early this morning. ...

Well done with the Pearls, Ernie. Never seen Lily of the Valley growing wild before.
And you have a very fine ginger mog, exactly my kind of cat.