Pauline

[Pauline]

Cheers Wurzel - it is a very early site tho, sometimes the first in the country, so don't be too hard on yourself

Good to hear from you Allen - your kind comment is much appreciated

Thanks Paul - please do keep me up to date with the WLH scene at your end

Cheers Ernie - I would leave it a while before you go to Broxhead which is a much later site and doesn't usually deliver until after sightings have been reported from Iping.

Thank you Mike - the comment in your own diary has left me intrigued I shall be watching closely

Cheers Trevor - isn't the season just galloping on now. Only another 12 weeks and I'll be gone again

[Goldie M]

Hi! Pauline, I've just been enjoying your lovely shots. Love the pair of mating CB's and the SSB's are fantastic they bring back memories of a couple of years ago. Goldie

[Pauline]

We had a good day didn't we Goldie? Today wasn't so good as the vet confirmed this morning that Belle (hen) and pigeon will not make it. I have taken the decision to have them both pts before the weekend which I always find quite upsetting. I would not want to leave it until they were suffering. To take my mind off this I went back to Bramshott late this afternoon to see if any female SSB's were out. They weren't. But there were some lovely female Common Blues:

Not to be outdone the males were also rather resplendent, reminiscent more of Adonis with the bright vibrant blue they were displaying:

My attention was caught by a male trying to mate with one of the females. It seemed to me that she was raising her abdomen at him by way of rejection. I have only seen this behaviour in Whites so I initially thought I was mistaken but she clearly did it several times:

A rather splendid Grizzlie was begging to have his photo taken so I had to oblige:

Dingy Skippers were quitew active but I eventually found one settling down to roost - not on the seed heads I am used to seeing them roost on:

Last but not least, among the very many day flying moths, were a few Mother Shipton moths. The grotto, not far from Harrogate is worth a visit:

[millerd]

Excellent Skipper photos, Pauline, and I agree with you that the Common Blues at the moment seem especially vibrant and are gving the Adonis some real competition!

Dave

[Wurzel]

I also agree with you and Dave about the Blues Mind you that Mother Shipton gives them a run for their money - cracking that is I hope they offered adequate solace

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Those Grizzlies are amazingly fresh, Pauline. It's one butterfly that does seem to have a long flight period.

Sorry to hear about the birds. You did everything you could, I'm sure.

[Pauline]

Thank you David. I know she was only a hen but she was my hen, y'know? We'd sort of got used to each other but the cockerel is missing her even more than I am. I have spent most of the day (unsuccessfully) trying to source a new friend for him


Cheers Wurzel - not really. Went out a bit earlier just to take my mind off stuff (y'know how it is) but it didn't work too well. Thought I might as well post a few snapshots tho'.

Thank you Dave. Not just vibrant but the females are sooo variable in colour (i know you and others have already remarked on this but I'm sure it didn't always used to be this way).

Anyway, Bramshott is a nice place - a really nice place. It doesn't have all the attractions of Noar Hill - no Brown Hairstreaks or Dukes but it has the SSB's and the odd PE has been reported from there I'm told. There is always plenty happening there and it has the added advantage that it is even closer to me than Noar Hill (5 mins instead of 10 ). I thought there might be some female SSB out by now but if there was I couldn't find them. The numbers of males have increased as I saw about 10-12 in a relatively small area, most newly emerged I imagine:

It was the variation in the female Common Blues that caught my attention however. Everything from this:

... to this:

... to this - a 'proper' blue female who I subsequently watched laying eggs in quite a desperate fashion:

I thought I watched her lay 4 eggs but if they are all stacked up like this it could have been a whole lot more:

Tried to crop a bit tighter but not sure it works?:

I also saw my first Meadow Brown of the season but couldn't get anywhere close:

[Pauline]

The Puss Moth cat has to be one of the most interesting larva for a whole host of reasons. The camouflage and defence mechanisms of this insect are amazing, not least its ability to squirt formic acid at a perceived predator. Apparently it is this same formic acid which the butterfly uses to escape from the incredibly hard and well-camouflaged pupa. 3 years ago I reared one of these incredible creatures but despite having the pupa in a mesh cage over winter it was somehow predated, tho' exactly by what I cannot imagine.

Some might remember that last year I tried again and was successful at rearing the larva from the egg thru' to the pupa - a couple of shots of its development:

I have been checking the pupa daily since the beginning of May. I had already decided that if necessary I would keep the pupa for another year, given the recent Large White situation. However, last night I was delighted to see the moth had emerged and what a beauty it was:

I wish I had seen it emerge from the pupa which is rock hard. It seems to have left a little fur behind as it squeezed through the exit it had created:

[Wurzel]

It emerged into a fantastic looking moth Pauline The pupil case is really well camouflaged as well, to all intents and purposes it looks like just a another bit of bark

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Thank you David. I know she was only a hen but she was my hen, y'know?

Yes, I absolutely know it, Pauline, having 30-odd hens of my own. Always sad when one of them passes away.

Wonderful to see those Silver Studded Blues. Things really are emerging at a rate of knots right now!

[Pauline]

Didn't it just Wurzel! I was well pleased . I probably didn't post one of the better shots showing the antennae so another one below:

I really appreciate that comment David. I am pleased to be able to say that at last I have been successful in finding my little cockerel (Pickle) a friend. A totally different breed - a Swedish Flower which apparently almost died out in the 1970's but has been 'saved'. I called her Petal (yeah, I know!! ). The great thing is she has cheered him up and given him a new purpose even tho he is 15 years old:

[Pauline]

I spent 2 hours at Bentley this morning and although it was a little busy due to 2 different organised walks (nice to see you again Ashley) it was thoroughly enjoyable. My aim today was to get some underside shots of Small PBF and see the Argent and Sable moth. Met one, didn't meet the other:

We arrived at 9.30 and it was already quite hot with butterflies seeking shade and reluctant to open their wings so this is the only open wing shot I managed to get:

Given that I was only there a couple of weeks ago I was surprised at how few PBF were around and those that were seemed to be showing significant signs of wear:

There was no sign of the Marsh Fritillaries I saw on my last visit but I did see a single worn Duke whilst looking for them. I also recorded my first Large Skipper of the year. Other folk had seen a Small Skipper which I didn't encounter:

I had never realised there were so many day flying moths and if I had stopped to look at all of them I would still be there next week. Unfortunately I didn't see the Argent and Sable but I stopped to take a shot at this one:

I also came across a Brimstone larva and possibly that of the Pale Prominent (again ):

and this lovely Darter:

Well, the jury is still out on this one. A group of observers were having a debate as to whether it was Pearl or a worn Small Pearl. I think I know the answer but am I right????

[Wurzel]

Well you've got a 50:50 chance Pauline I reckon it starts with a 'P'...
I'm surprised the Marshies weren't about there were at least three there yesterday morning, one of which was fresh out of the box? Mind you those Small Pearls made up for it I reckon your moth is a Brown Silver Lines (if that's the right way round)

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[CallumMac]

Super underside shots of the SPBFs, Pauline - if that was one of your day's objectives then I reckon you can chalk it up as a big success!

I agree with Wurzel that your moth is a Brown Silver-line, and I think your dragonfly is a female Broad-bodied Chaser.

[Andrew555]

Love your SSB's Pauline, and the various blue's in general.
What a great looking moth the Puss is.
I'm sorry to hear about your birds.

[David M]

I am pleased to be able to say that at last I have been successful in finding my little cockerel (Pickle) a friend. A totally different breed - a Swedish Flower which apparently almost died out in the 1970's but has been 'saved'. I called her Petal (yeah, I know!! ). The great thing is she has cheered him up and given him a new purpose even tho he is 15 years old

Never heard of that breed, Pauline. She looks to have a bit of light sussex and bluebell in her.

The cockerel has reached an amazing age! Best we've ever done are two different hens who were eight when they passed away.

[Pauline]

Well, d'you know Wurzel, that's exactly what I told them! (Honest! I have a witness ) But with 4 against 1 they convinced me I was wrong Thanks for the ID. I'm surprised that 3 dozen pairs of eyes (and feet) were not able to locate a single Marshie but I guess it was just too hot for them (I'm assuming you're referring to EC and not other place where 8 were seen?)

Cheers Callum for both the compliment and the ID's. Much appreciated

Thank you Andrew for your very kind post. Neighbours have called me 'eccentric' as they know I can get excited about a moth or a larva! They probably think I need to get a life but I think they need to spend more time in the countryside

I had 2 Khaki Campbells that went on til nearly 22 years David but Belle was only about 5 years . I don't know whether it interests you at all but here is an extract I found about the Swedish Flower:

"Swedish flower hens emerged as a landrace several hundred years ago, the product of a now forgotten mix of primitive breeds that were brought to Sweden by settlers and conquerors. As a landrace, this breed was not intentionally created by a breeder carefully selecting birds as part of a structured breeding program. Rather, this breed was created through natural selection and random pairings as the breed adapted to the climate and conditions of the Sydsk??nska Plain in southern Sweden. Even more impressive is the personality and hardiness of this breed. They are poised and confident around people, but the roosters are never aggressive toward their caretakers. They are independent enough to make excellent free-range birds, but they seek and seem to enjoy human interaction. Swedish flower hens are relatively calm but never to the point of being inert or inattentive. They seem to possess all the positive aspects of chicken personalities and none of the negatives. Our experience is that they are also unusually hardy, rarely falling ill or acting dumpy. Swedish flower hens display a level of vigor and mastery of their environment that other breeds –and quite a few people– would do well to emulate. " LOts more if you do a Google.

[Pauline]

Just a quickie tonight as I've finally been putting together that budgie aviary all day and I'm pretty shattered! The Orange Tips have started to pupate so here is a few shots:

Preparing to pupate:

Pupated a couple of hours ago:

Pupated the day before:

I tried to take hourly shots to monitor the changes but with everything else going on I wasn't able to do it with these ones. Perhaps I'll manage it with one of the others. I had always assumed that the silk girdle supporting the larva and pupa was strung around the body but looking closely it seems that this actually emanates from each side of the body - is that correct or do I need a stronger hand lens?

[David M]

I had 2 Khaki Campbells that went on til nearly 22 years

That really is incredible, Pauline. Best we've managed is a Mandarin Duck that hit 12!!

Swedish flower hens emerged as a landrace several hundred years ago, the product of a now forgotten mix of primitive breeds that were brought to Sweden by settlers and conquerors. As a landrace, this breed was not intentionally created by a breeder carefully selecting birds as part of a structured breeding program. Rather, this breed was created through natural selection and random pairings as the breed adapted to the climate and conditions of the Sydsk??nska Plain in southern Sweden. Even more impressive is the personality and hardiness of this breed. They are poised and confident around people, but the roosters are never aggressive toward their caretakers. They are independent enough to make excellent free-range birds, but they seek and seem to enjoy human interaction. Swedish flower hens are relatively calm but never to the point of being inert or inattentive. They seem to possess all the positive aspects of chicken personalities and none of the negatives. Our experience is that they are also unusually hardy, rarely falling ill or acting dumpy. Swedish flower hens display a level of vigor and mastery of their environment that other breeds –and quite a few people– would do well to emulate. " LOts more if you do a Google.

This breed sound absolutely divine to keep! I will have a scout round to see if any are available in south Wales. I'd love to have half a dozen of these in the yard!

Well done getting the aviary sorted and thanks for sharing those delightful Orange Tip pupation images.

[Vince Massimo]

Hi Pauline,

Love the Hen storey

The Orange-tip larva is suspended by a silk girdle that runs around the body. In your case it is partially hidden because it is tucked in the segment joint. When the pupa is formed, it effectively expands and sometimes envelops the part of the girdle that it is in contact with. This will not affect the development of the adult.

Vince