July 2012

[Pete Eeles]

Strewth! What are they feeding on? Whatever it is, it has to be pretty potent!

Cheers,

- Pete

[NickB]

Looking for PE bait, Pete?

[millerd]

Nothing more than Crotte de Chien à l'Anglais I think. Every little heap fresh enough to still be damp held a small gathering. This particular one (which I think on studying the photo does have over fifty on it) was so completely obscured that any defining characteristics were not visible.

Anyone visiting Denbies over the next few sunny and warm days should look out for this behaviour. The dinner parties are given away by several butterflies hovering close to the ground together (this is the queue for a table), generally over or next to a path.

Dave

[Pete Eeles]

Looking for PE bait, Pete?

Nah - just wondering what the coridon bait is! And its "vintage"

Cheers,

- Pete

[Perseus]

Mill Hill has been terrible for Chalkhills since 2003 when there were up to three per square metre (average) over an acre. I don't know why the population has collapsed. The Adonis population has remained stable at a much lower density.

[Susie]

Great photos of the masses of chalkhills, Millerd! It doesn't surprise me in the slightest looking at the roosts tonight. I think there must have been a mass emergence over the past few days because all the chalkhills I saw were in really really good condition. They were a great sight to see. I must go back soon!

[Philzoid]

Two (late) posts in one
20/07/12
Arriving home after work I was surprised to see a butterfly in my front garden. When I identified it as a Small Skipper I was even more surprised because my garden amounts to a small 10ft by 6ft patch of grass in a mid-terrace suburban house on a council estate: more concrete and cars than herbaceous. As I'd neglected to cut the grass partly due ot the weather and partly due to too much UKB and butterflying there were plenty of plantain seed heads and dandelions for it to perch on. During the photoshoot the butterfly flew off only to return a minute later back to the same spot, where it remained and roosted overnight .

That night I did some moth trapping around my friend's house. Notable catches were these two Swallow-tailed moths which were not posed for this shot.

Swallowtail symmetry

Moth trapping meant I slept in and missed following Wurzels's advice for early morning checks for roosting Silver-studded Blues . By the time I arrived at 09:30 at Chobham Common it was already quite sunny and warm. Over 2 hours searching got me three SSB males, which were well past their sell by date.

By the car park was an area of thistles, nettles, brambles and lots of wild flowers. The thistles had me remoniscing of my childhood days when similar patches would be covered in Small Tortoiseshells. Sadly no torts, but plenty other species seen:- Meadow Brown; Small Skipper; Ringlet; Cinnabar moth larvae and only my second sighting of a Gatekeeper (and first photo). Won't be long before these are out in abundance and distracting me with their Brown Hairstreak impressions. False Hairstreak is an apt name

Disappointed with the meagre showing of SSB at Chobham I decided to move onto Dawney's Ridge nr Brookwood, Woking which turned out ot be a good move so thanks to Dave (Millerd) , I should've done it ages ago . This is a lovely heath, reminding me of how parts of Chobham looked not so long ago. It was teeming with SSB and I also saw a couple of Grayling there too . Came back later in the afternoon when photograhy was easier (evening roost)

Female SSB catching the sun

What intriqued me about the SSB was the underside variation between individual butterflies. These three females illustrate the point. I would assume it is normal variation for this species

'Normal' female

'Abnormal' female

'heavy spotted' female

Another thing noticed was a large, ground, spider's web of about a foot square in size. When I went over to look at its occupant, I noticed something not spiderlike, disappear down the silken funnel part. When it re-appeared I saw that it was a parasitic wasp about 2cm in length . I watched it amazement as it walked around th web not getting tangled up in the threads . It then took off and the web owner re-appeard from its hiding place at the other side of the web. Unfortunately I forgot the old adage: shoot first ask questions later and don't have a picture of the wasp . Perhaps someone could identify the spider?

A visit today to Straits drew a blank on a grounded Emepror. though we were treated to them flying around us, wing beats clearly audible and flashes of purple visible. Saw my first ever female too, egg laying in a Sallow

[Wurzel]

Cracking shots those SSBs do look different from the norm Philzoid Sorry you didn't get a grounded PE but at least you got to see a female

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Ian Pratt]

Still lots of skippers around near home in Sandown IOW, but what really pleased me was a small copper this afternoon in perfect condition. Let the good times roll! Ian

[ChrisC]

angelena labrynthica for your spider Phil and surely 2 of your SSB must be aberrations as opposed to variation.

[Philzoid]

angelena labrynthica for your spider Phil and surely 2 of your SSB must be aberrations as opposed to variation.

Thanks for that Chris. Such a lovely and apt name. Perhaps it's labyrinth helped it escape out the 'back door'.

No. 2 SSB reminds me a bit of the Adonis Blue Aberrants, (lots last year) where the spotting was reduced or absent. That was (I think) caused by the hot spring .. we've hardly had that this year.

Cracking shots those SSBs do look different from the norm Philzoid Sorry you didn't get a grounded PE but at least you got to see a female

Thanks for your comments Wurzel. I've got the day off today to look after the kids and I bet you guess where I'm off to this morning? .... straight back to Straits (picking up some bribe sweets on the way ).

Hope his majesty likes banana

[Jack Harrison]

A_T
Your SW Frit photos are in a class of their own. Superb. Camera and other details please.

Jack

[NickB]

More People than PE's at Fermyn today!
Saw about a dozen or so down on the tracks
(I missed spotting a Matthew Oates by minutes!)
Saw no females down myself; one or two spotted elsewhere....
At one point I had 5 males down in front of me; it settled down to just 3 in the scrum....

[David M]

Seems this warm spell is finally luring the Emperors to the ground. Five in one go! That's pretty impressive.

[PhiliB]

I missed spotting a Matthew Oates by minutes!

It's a shame you missed him Nick for 2 reasons. Matthew found a female ab. semi iole and you may have been able to prevent him from committing a crime (rumoured) so heinous, which if true, renders his life forfeit.

[NickB]

Not quite the mass emergence I witnessed with PhilB and Sussex Kipper last year - but not bad!
Phil stopped me treading on one......which turned-out to be this abs...

With females around now, the males were quickly up in the trees after picking up their salts from....well, you know!
I think you should have been there today Phil - given your record of saving abs....

[NickB]

..... renders his life forfeit.

iole bait, perhaps?

[PhiliB]

iole bait, perhaps?

Indeed!
I don't think an ab. was the victim of this particular alledged crime but we had better wait until we hear the full story from the horse's mouth before we pass final judgement.

[A_T]

A_T
Your SW Frit photos are in a class of their own. Superb. Camera and other details please.

Jack

Thanks for your kind words Jack. I've edited the post and added the relevant info.

Seen locally, here's my contribution to the July thread's Gatekeeper collection



Adrian

[Wurzel]

3 Purple Hairsteaks, Silver Washed Frits ( including a valesina), whites (large and possible small), gatekeeper, large and Small Skippers at Bentley Wood this morning.

Oh yeah almost forgot...at least 3 males and a female Purple Emperor grounded too

Have a goodun

Wurzel
(photos on pd later if my excitement didn't cause too much camera shake)