Pauline

[Pete Eeles]

or should I just leave nature to take its course?

Yes, this is normally the best course of action.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Pauline]

My favourite too Mike . Thank you for your comment.

Cheers Pete - probably good advice. I'd still be interested to learn how long a butterfly can delay emergence from a pupa before it dies (especially in inclement weather). I recall some years ago (another poor summer ) being present when someone asked Matthew O. that very question in relation to PE, but I think the answer was uncertain.

Anyway, despite recent awful conditions, PE were putting on a good show at Abbots Wood yesterday, with 3 males circling a Sallow, where a female PE sat undisturbed for the best part of an hour, entertaining a fair few visitors. Sadly, they (understandably) showed no inclination to descend so the only shot I managed was this - those present will know how high up this was:

I had stopped earlier to watch what I thought was a pair of courting GVW but I confess I have confused myself as I thought the females had 2 black spots and as far as I could see these both had one spot (the shots were taken at some distance). However, for 30 mins they went through the ritual - more than once - of gradually getting closer, oh, so, slowly and then with a flutter and a flurry they would separate and be further apart than when they first started - only to repeat the whole process again.... and again....and again!!! After 3 iterations I was even more fed up than the male and carefully moved on. Perhaps it was just a male bonding session - the sharing of minerals

Just about all the mistakes it is possible to make are encapsulated in this sequence - bleached butterflies, blurred images, heavily cropped etc but I found the behaviour interesting.

I was so intent on watching the GVW that I did not notice the Purple Hairstreak on the bracken at the side - until it flew up It is a while since I have done this but here it is in the Oak (if you can't find it I'll tell you soon):

[Pauline]

My attention today was caught by several stunning Small Tortoiseshells, one of which seemed to have a great deal of blue on it. As I watched she began ovi-positing on a nettle (in not the best of places). I managed a few shots without disturbing her:

At this point, as the pile of eggs grew, I couldn't help but think she looked a bit tired, a bit haggard even. However, it wasn't long before she flew off enabling me to have a closer look at her precious deposits:

Another question I have been pondering is how many eggs do butterflies lay? Does this vary with individual (presumably), species(most likely), temperature (probably), genetics (almost definitely) etc. I have been unable to find any information which gives rough guidelines on a species basis.

[trevor]

HI Pauline,

Lovely couple of reports ( the last two ). How many people have photographed an egg actually
being laid ?. Not many.

All the best ,
Trevor

PS. I am pleased those PE's managed to survive the recent gale and torrential downpours,
the last thing they need !!.

[Paul Harfield]

Just about all the mistakes it is possible to make are encapsulated in this sequence - bleached butterflies, blurred images, heavily cropped etc but I found the behaviour interesting.

They look fine to me Pauline . Nice Small Tortoiseshell sequence as well

[Pauline]

Thank you for your very generous comment Trevor, but actually 2 spring to mind immediately - Neil F. and Vince (and I suspect there are many more). I'm glad you liked them tho' cos I only photograph and post stuff that I am interested in and I have no idea whether it will appeal to a wider audience.

Thank you too Paul - I suspect we are all our own worst critics

Well, after 27 days my gorgeous Ringlet finally emerged. The frustration and disappointment that I felt at missing the emergence by about 7 minutes was quickly overshadowed by a sense of relief that the butterfly was OK. I know I am biased but this just has to be the most beautiful Ringlet I have ever seen (most likely because she was so fresh and looked like velvet). Within 2 hours she was back where she belonged.

I've only got the BH to worry about now - for this year at least!

[Pauline]

Perhaps I should mention that the Chalkhills are out round here but with the weather being what it is there were no open-winged shots today:

[Jamie Burston]

Hi Pauline,

That is a rather special Ringlet, gorgeous!
Fantastic Purple Hairstreak photos, I found your Purple Hairstreak in the Oak canopy, it took me 3 seconds

All the best,
Jamie

[Pauline]

What sharp eyes you have Jamie! To be fair, you've had more practice than most with all the effort you have put in searching Elms for WLH and well done on that - great job. Thank you for your kind comment. Just in case anyone is wondering here is a close-up of the top left hand part of the original shot - should make it easier to spot the Hairstreak:

There have been a few times recently (tho' not many) when it was easy to believe it is mid July:

More often than not tho' the weather has been poor and butterflies have been hunkered down in the grass, more vulnerable to predators, and scenes like this have been more usual:

A variety of spiders seem to be present in large numbers everywhere. I really don't like spiders and only photograph them when there is nothing else around but they do have a certain fascination:

[Pauline]

Last night neighbours kindly allowed me to run the moth trap from their garden which backs onto woodland. They also have a couple of large ponds in their large, well-stocked garden so I was hoping to see moths which I might not have seen in my own garden. On checking this morning I don't think there was anything I haven't seen before - although there were probably a couple of hundred little ones so I can't be sure - but the good thing was that they were really interested in the moths . A few shots with mostly guesses at ID's:

Yellow-tail (or could it be Brown-tail? I can't remember how to tell the difference when the tail isn't visible).

Half a dozen Buff-tips in the trap and this lovely fresh Buff Arches

There were many Endotricha Flammealis, a funny little shape but lovely colours - pity they were inclined to fly off before any decent shots. This little one posed quite nicely - probably another long latin name and as there are so many that are similar .....

... but y'see, the little ones are starting to creep in

I really should know this one but it is one of those which are just so variable I am not sure - but I have tried to find out (not just being lazy!)

The strangest thing I suspect was not even a moth; perhaps a nymph of some sort given it was near water???. These shots are dreadful and don't show the true colour which was very much green, but what a queer little creature!

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Pauline,

I am well behind on keeping up with everyone's diaries at the moment and have just seen your Purple Hairstreaks...and the GV White sequence...and the laying Small Tortoiseshell...and your home reared Ringlet...

Great stuff

And the moths, love the Buff, I still haven't had one of those yet although I have had half a dozen Buff Arches now

I think the little one on the grass is Crambus pascuella although there are a few similar ones and I can't be sure. I have succumbed to temptation and bought the Sterling & Parsons Field Guide to the Micro Moths of Great Britain and Ireland...no going back now

All the best,

Neil

[Pauline]

Thank you for the comment and the ID Neil - much appreciated. I am not getting out too much at the moment - trying to keep on top of stuff here especially the mites However, whilst cleaning out one of the kennels I saw a white butterfly egg-laying all over the garden but in particular on my wallflowers and aubretia which are peppered with eggs. I am ashamed to say that from a distance I was not sure whether it was Small or Green-veined but I eventually managed to get a few shots of the eggs:

With regards to the pupae I recently found in the wild on Garlic Mustard (in my lane) - the Orange-tips and the other one; well, I was not entirely convinced that it was a GVW rather than a Large White, mostly because of the size. So, I went back to take another shot with a ruler, hoping that would help with a conclusive ID, only to find that the plants had all been cut down. A neighbour told me it had been done only hours before by someone local who had taken the branches and plants away on his truck. I set off in hot pursuit, hoping to be able to rifle through them but as I entered his garden I could smell bonfire smoke - yes, I was just too late again to save them. In fairness he is wildlife friendly and was totally unaware of the presence of the pupae and almost as disappointed as I was

On my way to B&Q today to get some paint I stopped off at Oxenbourne. No SSS yet but a lovely fresh SWF:

Chalkhills are now out en masse but this was the first mating pair I have seen - of anything this season which is a bit unusual. A second male barged in and they took off, landing a short distance away:

Well, off out with my torch and spray to search for more mites now

[Goldie M]

Hi! Pauline, I must say the shots you took of the Small Tort ovi-positing were great, I didn't realise they laid so many eggs, I was under the impression when reading some posts that one egg was laid which is silly when you think about it. May be it depends on the Butterfly species .Goldie

[Nick Tanner]

I've blown the photo up to maximum and spent 10 minutes going over it with a magnifying glass and I still can't find the PH, maybe you should sell the photo to one of those 5,000 piece jigsaw puzzle makers, you might make a fortune

Nick

[Pauline]

Now there's an idea Nick! I could do with a fortune right now (well, any time really ). Hope this helps - it was really high up - and thanks for your comment:

This morning I had to go up the road for some food shopping and then it was back home to do some painting but as I was so close to the Straits I decided there was no harm in a quick look before I got stuck into the chores. It was to be my last visit of the year anyway as the Brown Hairstreaks will be out soon and focus will change to Noar Hill.

I had not gone many yards before I spooked a butterfly on the ground but I quickly realised it was a Red Admiral. As I continued on I could see another butterfly some way in the distance, almost on the grass. I assumed it was another RA but as I got closer I realised it was a PE . Well, what followed was the most extraordinary 90 minutes . The butterfly was a little worn but who cares when you are treated - well, like royalty . After about 10 minutes I was joined by Hazel and it was great to share this experience with her. The butterfly continually landed on both of us, flying in a figure of eight between us, landing on our hair, shoes, hands, arms, back and in my case, as Hazel politely put it, my 'lower back'. I imagine she has photos of all of my body parts - and likewise!!

(Didn't realise I had such hairy arms )

After about an hour we thought the butterfly had had enough as he suddenly and for no apparent reason flew up into an Oak tree:

However, as we stood discussing the encounter within a very few minutes he was back - and this time his behaviour had changed, flitting onto various different foliage and then back to us:

I am sure that Hazel will not mind if I include just one of the many times he landed on her:

The second time he took off some 20 minutes later it was clear that this time it was final - he went right up into the canopy. Hazel had said that there was at least one other PE a bit further along - to be fair I hadn't got very far from the entrance - but it was time to get off for that shopping. What a morning; what an experience - it was prolonged and personal and very special and although I took many shots they will only serve as a reminder of an encounter unlikely to be repeated.

[trevor]

A very special encounter, Pauline. And I would have thought a bit late in the season for a grounding.
Lovely shots.

Trevor.

[MikeOxon]

I could do with a fortune right now (well, any time really )

Suggest you sell bottles of your perspiration as a PE attractant. If you dilute it 10,000,000,000 times and sell it as a homeopathic remedy then a little would go a very long way

[Pauline]

I had to sit down in a patch of nettles to get those shots Goldie Certainly, some species of butterfly lay only one egg at a time, sometimes on several plants, over a period of time. I cannot find any information on how many eggs are laid in total for these species or over what period - hours or days? Perhaps someone will enlighten us .

I can see one immediate problem with that business opportunity Mike - all types of insects are attracted (not just butterflies) including every species of biting bug, ticks, horse flies, mozzies I would have a queue of customers demanding refunds and compensation

Thank you Trevor. I can only remember one other experience with PE that matches that of yesterday and that was quite a few years ago. That got me looking through old photos and it seems that in Hampshire at least, groundings in late July are not that unusual:

21 July 2012:

25 July 2012:

20 July 2013

.... and the only Empress I have ever photographed:

I am having to remove an increasing number of moths from my bedroom including this one which I believe is an Old Lady - impressive by virtue of its sheer size:

..... and outside the Small Whites continue to lay eggs in quite a frantic fashion on many different plants in the garden including this one:

[Goldie M]

Hi! Pauline, I had the same experience with a Comma in Fermyn Wood, it landed on my hat took off and then came back again a few times I wasn't has lucky has you with the Emperor ( No shots ) only when it landed on the ground.
We must have an attraction for them, lovely shots by the way Goldie

[Maximus]

What a great experience, Pauline, what a brilliant species the PE is We found that their interaction with us to be almost magical, although we didn't have quite the same close encounter as you and Hazel! That's also a lovely shot of the Empress too - up off the ground showing her stunning underside