This Small Tortoiseshell visited my garden today. I hope that it has found somewhere safe to go tonight, as the temperature is due to dip a few degrees below zero...

Hi Chris - here is a shot of a Silver-studded Blue from earlier this year.SSB8 160621.JPG The "silver" studs are not silver at all, usually a bright turquoise, and can be seen in the middle of the black marginal spots on the hindwing. They are quite prominent on this example, but can be p...

Chris, They all do look like Silver-studded Blues to me. Some of them do have "silver studs" (no. 3 especially), and No. 5 is a female with the chevron-shaped upperside orange spots that tend to characterise the female of the species. The heathery background fits nicely too. Dave Dave, Th...

We’re holidaying in West Cornwall and I thought I’d see if I can spot any Silver-studded Blues - a species I’ve never seen before. I think it’s a bit late in the season, but after the cool spring we’ve had, who knows? I’m aware of some specific sites down here for the species and hope to visit a cou...

Hi Chris, A few possible "quick wins" for you in terms of distance to travel... ..... Cheers, Dave Hi Dave Thanks very much for that info and for those suggestions. Very much appreciated and I'm tempted by all of them! The good news from the Govt today about overnight stays might open up ...

Apologies because this is possibly bending the rules as it’s not about actual sightings - it's more about potential sightings and is meant as a stimulus for a friendly chat about butterfly spotting. I’m in my 50s and have spent a relatively sheltered life as far as seeking butterflies is concerned. ...

They are different! :) Pararge aegeria insula: Somewhere between the northern subspecies we are used to seeing (tircis) and the southern European one (aegeria). A great image. :) Dave Thanks Dave, I’m now on a mission to grab some more images for the species pages! Got this underside one, but only ...

Speckled Wood in the Isles of Scilly. Supposed to look a little differentl?

zigzag_wanderer wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:40 pm You haven't just stuck lots of paper STs on there just to make me jealous have you Chris ?

It would take me 3 years down here to see that many !

D'oh! There's no fooling some people. It took me ages to cut all of those out. Where are you, ZW? Shame u don’t get many ST's.

In case anyone was wondering where all of the Small Tortoiseshells have gone. My Northampton garden on Monday. (Yes I know the fence needs painting!) Chris

My first Wall Brown for over ten years, seen last week on the Lizard peninsula, Cornwall.

Hi Walpolec, I was at Totterhoe on Thursday and Friday and only saw 25, along the whole of the path below the chalk cliffs. Was I in the wrong place or maybe a bit too early? Thanks Ron Hi Ron, If you mean yesterday and today (1st and 2nd June) then I think your timing was "spot-on". I sa...

Some brilliant video footage of Small Blues there Chris,think a trip to my local site may be in order !! Nice One !! Regards Allan.W. Thanks Allan! I think the site is pretty special and the Small Blues are out in pretty good numbers at the moment. I imagine that you're OK, but do you need any deta...

Visited Totternhoe Quarry (Beds) today, mostly to look for Small Blues. Well, I hit the jackpot! I saw a total of over 220 in two sections of the site. They really are stunning tiny creatures and it was thrilling seeing them in such numbers. At one stage when the sun went in and it was rather dull, ...

Just a couple of hours at Whipsnade/Dunstable Downs this afternoon to look for spring species including Duke of Burgundy. We saw nothing until the sun came out and then saw at least six Dukes/Duchesses within the space of 20m and 5 minutes. In total we saw at least 13 separate DoB, as well as Green ...

Me too please, Paul!

(I think you might have just favourited my pic of HIM on Twitter - you have a very distinctive logo!) [Thanks]

Chris

walpolec The Isle of Scilly Speckled Wood is a quite distinctive form with orange pale patches instead of the normal cream... It's only found on the Scillies This is subspecies insula - there is a description and a few images on the relevant species page on UKB. It looks like an intermediate stage ...

Just coming to the end of a gorgeous week in the Scillies. We have seen an unidentified white, several Speckled Woods, loads of Peacocks and a single Holly Blue. Today we spotted what we initially thought was a Speckled Wood, but when it settled it looked more like a Wall, but not quite how I rememb...

Padfield wrote:The first two are female Lang's short-tailed blues, Leptotes pirithous, and the last, as you suggest, is a geranium bronze, Cacyreus marshalli.

Guy

Thanks, Guy. I very much appreciate the confirmation of the ID's.

Chris

It was a little too hot and dry to see many butterflies during our recent holiday in the Costa Blanca, but the few flowering plants in our villa's garden had some visitors. I'd be grateful if they could be identified. The first two are (I think) different individuals of the same species (???? Tailed...