Pictured is an additional visitor asleep today, 13th July 2023, in one of the bedrooms of Ann Hathaway's Cottage, Shottery nr Stratford, in spite of sun (!) through the windows. Surely at least a partial reason why summer STs are not often evident. This will have emerged in June as a first-brooder, ...

Just something I observed last week: near Lake Maggiore, on the edge of a small town, I watched a female Valenzina Silver-washed Fritillary gliding about, obviously on an egg-laying mission. She flew right underneath a concrete bridge nearby, spending quite a few minutes in a rather dark space. Then...

Thank you Mark - that's most interesting. That would make the ST a bit like the Comma, with some first generation butterflies saving their sperm/eggs for the following year, and living for 10+ months as adults. But of course you can't tell which version of the ST is which, since they don't have ligh...

Yesterday I came upon a Small Tortoiseshell that was flying around the inner rooms of a local antiques centre in the mid-afternoon. It found a crevice behind a wooden picture rail, flew in...and that was that. Today a Peacock was exploring the nooks and crannies of our lounge - blazing hot sun outsi...

In our Leicestershire close there is a glut of all three common whites. As well as laying on nasturtiums, both Large and Small Whites have been laying on night-scented stock - hundreds of eggs so far. Small and Green-veined Whites have also been constantly using water-cress; and I have watched a Gre...

Hello after a bit of an absence. Firstly I'm now Loughborough/Leicester based. Secondly, I've got a few successfully overwintered Camberwells, if anyone who's never seen one would like to see/photograph them. Best wishes!

I had some continental Swallowtails once and they laid on lady's bedstraw.
I've seen 2nd brood Holly Blues lay on hop flowers in the garden. Peacocks also do well on hop, which is less painful for the breeder!

Thanks v much to you both - I'll give it a go!

Simon

Hi. I have a couple of photos I'd like to insert, but can't find any instructions as to how to do this. Can anyone offer a step-by-step guide to inserting photos, please?

At St Woolos Cathedral, Newport, South Wales, Saturday 23rd April 2011 at 4.30 pm: 2 male Red Admirals disputing adjacent territories. Rather early for this sort of thing! Early migrants (given the exceptional weather)? Hibernators? Emergers from overwintering caterpillars/pupae? Any thoughts? Simon...

Hi all - just joined. Interesting to read all the posts. I reared some Camberwells last year, and most of them lived several months, as expected. I've still got one that is very much alive 12 and a half months on - it emerged as an adult right at the beginning of July 2007. Even for a hibernating sp...