Bugboys mission

[Pauline]

Wow!!! You have rendered me speechless - and that doesn't happen often!!! Great shots

[Padfield]

Outstanding pictures - and very interesting, too. Well worth the wait!

Frowhawk states (perhaps on the basis of relatively few, captive observations - maybe even just the one he is describing - see http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=iris) that the skin is not eaten after the final moult. Padfield is obviously tucking into his discarded skin with relish!

Guy

[millerd]

Great observations, Buggy! They could even be a unique series of photos in the wild in the UK. Once again I hope you continue to track this little chap down through to pupation at least.

Dave

[trevor]

Right place, right time and a great pair of eyes !. Well done/ found/ observed. .

Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Fantastic documentation of behaviour Bugboy Nature leads the way as usual; nothing is wasted

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Art, yes Mojo found and very well used last week
Not sure if that's a good or bad thing Pauline
Looks like your namesake is re-writing the textbooks Guy . Reading Frohawks account it does seem like it was based on the one individual. Padfield scoffed his skin in about 10 minutes and nothing was wasted!
Thanks Dave, could well be, I imagine observations like those are scarce in any species
Indeed Trevor
Thanks Wurzel, yep we could learn a lot from nature if we just all sat back and observed couldn't we

15th May, Mill Hill

Tuesday arrived and looked set to be another gorgeous day. Having heard Neil's reports of the first blues appearing down at Mill Hill, and chatting to Millerd the night before about the prospect of maybe a few more season debuts down there such as Small Copper and Brown Argus, an early start was again on the cards. I arrived at 9 to find Dave already there who showed me evidence of a couple of male Adonis on the wing. Dingy & Grizzled Skippers, Small Heath and a few Green Hairstreak were also around, and another enthusiast said at least one Common Blue lurking in amongst all the other species. It didn't take long to find my first Adonis of the season.

And not long after my first Common Blue of the season was also located.

As the morning progressed both Skippers, Small Heaths and now Green Hairstreaks began to turn up with increasing regularity.

a bit more Millerd whispering

An hour after arriving Dave called out 'Copper', and there taking up residence in the far bottom corner of the slope was another season debut, picking fights with anything and everything including another Common Blue.

In the scrub near the top car park Dave had located a few Walls who, in the heat were being typically problematic to get close to. I’m glad I had my zoom lens with me

I took a wander along the lane that goes of past Mill Hill, finding a pair of Brimstone and an egg laying Red Admiral but it was a bit breezy up there so very little else was about so I returned to the slope to find Adonis numbers seemed to be exploding. I saw several still excreting meconium as they flew up from under my feet.

Skippers and Small Heaths were also all over the place now and I watched a Dingy Skipper lay an egg on some Horseshoe Vetch, giving me the chance to add another species to my egg collection.

Also appearing now were a few female Adonis and the one I managed to photograph was a real pin up for the species!

Dave was still around and together we found an equally attractive female Common Blue

I left Dave around 1pm to check out the harbour area. I’d noticed good amounts of Kidney Vetch there last year, so I was curious if any Small Blue were present. Shortly after I left I got a message from Dave that yet another species had turned up, a Brown Argus meaning between us we got a days tally of 18 species!

The only butterflies I found at the harbour were Small and Green-veined White who were both very active so I turned my attention to the bird life who seemed to think there was some sort of professional photoshoot going on!

A great day to end my break from work

[millerd]

Some great shots from the day at Mill Hill, Buggy. I am particularly envious of that beautiful female Adonis, which you found while I was elsewhere on the hillside. She is quite something!

Dave

[essexbuzzard]

Mill Hill is a great site, isn’t it? Great selection you have there. I’m hoping to find my way down there in the very near future...

[kevling]

Bugboy - Those shots of the Adonis Blue are lovely. They are such a striking species when fresh. Well done with the female too, she's mighty fine.

Kind Regards
Kev

[Wurzel]

That is particularly fine Adonis Blue female Bugboy A great set of shots and those Adonis males practically leap out of the screen I see you had the assistance of Dave, I had that pleasure today, they seem to flock to him

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Andrew555]

Fantastic shots Bugboy, lovely females there. What a place!

[Goldie M]

Love that Adonis Blue Bugboy, what a fantasic colour, you've really caught the Blueness of the Butterfly Goldie

[bugboy]

Thanks for all the comments, sometimes those Adonis are so blue I worry the pictures look as though I've 'touched' them up!

21st May, Bookham - Caterpillars & Pauline

I was in two minds whether to go to Bookham this afternoon, it's a little bit of a rush on a half day from work and the sunny morning had deteriorated to a muggy, overcast afternoon. In the end I gave in to temptation based mainly on the fact I was after larvae rather than adults and just hoped I wouldn't get caught up in one of the predicted sharp showers that were possibly loitering in the general area.

The first 'thing' to be found as I entered the site wasn't a 'thing' at all but a lady brandishing a camera who, guessing who I was, introduced herself as the one and only Pauline (hope you weren't waiting outside the station for too long ). After introductions Pauline showed me a couple of Brown Hairstreak larvae she'd found in an area I'd not even looked for eggs over the winter.

I then showed her my rescued eggs and we quickly found one of the resulting larvae, at least a couple of instars behind the ones that had spent the winter on site.

Next I offered to show Pauline Padfield (assuming I could still find him), well it would be rude not to introduce the two of them! I was very pleased to find him, not too far from where he'd moulted and still quite low down. I was pleased, Pauline was ecstatic about seeing her first ever Emperor caterpillar!

After that I offered to show Pauline where my Purple Hairstreak larvae live and after searching for a few minutes I found a nice chunky final instar, Pauline’s first wild sighting.

We parted company at this stage, with Pauline practically skipping off to her car (I later found out she inadvertently took the 'scenic' route ).

I stopped for a few more snaps of Padfield and then some snaps of the brown Hairstreaks Pauline had found. A quick search of nearby Blackthorn turning up another 3 of my own.

It was just about warm enough for some adult activity mostly Green-veined Whites, but also seen was a single Peacock, an ovipositing Red Admiral and a nice male Muslin Moth.

Nice to finally meet you Pauline and I'm glad I helped make your year !

[Pauline]

Actually Buggy, I was loitering in the car park for hours hoping to catch a glimpse of you!!

Seriously, your photos are great Buggy and once again a massive thank you . I am sure that actually seeing one in the flesh so to speak will help in my future searches. Please do keep us informed of any progress. Just as an aside, I am fairly certain that your Muslin Moth is a female having photographed one recently in the wild - the male (brown) turned up in my moth trap the other night.

[bugboy]

It's definitely a female Pauline, I knew the instant I saw it. Apart from the colour there's no feathery antennae. Schoolboy error from rushing the report

[Padfield]

More great pictures, Buggy!

In my experience, the 5th instar purple emperor cat spends 17-18 days in 5th instar before beginning the process of pupation. During these 17-18 days he might or might not wander in search of pastures new. At the end, whether or not he has been moving about previously, he will start looking for that perfect place. When he finds it he will crawl over the top of the leaf and rest head-down on the underside for a day or two. During this time he will change his appearance somewhat, then he will pupate. Some caterpillars head up to the light and warmth of the canopy but some pupate just a few feet above the ground.

Guy

[millerd]

More brilliant reportage and photos of the various larvae, Buggy. I hope you'll be able follow them all as far as is possible...

Dave

[bugboy]

Thanks Guy for the information, I shall do my best to keep track of him, hopefully he'll stay low down for me although the bush isn't too tall so I may still be able to find him if he tries to reach for the sun
Thanks Dave, following the youngsters does add an extra dimension to butterflying

22nd May, Green, Blue, White & Copper. Part 1

Today's outing turned into a bit of an epic event, although not entirely all of my own making. I’d arranged to meet up with Suzie at Denbies where we’d move on to Chiddingfold after a bit to get my fix of the Wood White, one of last year’s lifers for me.

I left early since I didn’t want to keep Susie waiting but the wonders of the rail companies and their marvelous rearrangement of train times combined with delays meant it took significantly longer to arrive than planned. The next surprise was the discovery of travelers who have set up home on Steers Field at the top of the site, complete with lots of loud, rather intimidating dogs and busy dumping garden waste, just the kind of hideous selfish human behaviour I do my best to escape as often as possible in my many trips out of London !

Thankfully they had left the hillside alone, the steepness most likely saving it, and it was here I saw someone in the undergrowth doing a bit of Hairstreak bothering .

Walking up to the steps where the Green Hairstreaks can normally be found the first of the days season debuts showed itself to me, a Brown Argus.

Susie was enjoying herself with the Hairstreaks who were posing rather well, I went all artistic with some soft-focus framing. Small Heath were also rather numerous, flitting around.

Further out onto the hillside the Blues started to make their presence felt, both Adonis and Common as well as several more Argus. The occasional Green Hairstreak was also seen, this one giving me a nice view of some upper side courtesy of a large missing chunk of hindwing.

It was already very warm and the Blues were all rather active, but some did settle long enough to allow photographs including one rather attractive ab striata. This particular individual settled often and was followed around by the pair of us, giving the chance to get shots of both sides, illustrating the asymmetrical patterning of the forewings.

A few fresh Common Blues (who ironically but predictably were far less common than the Adonis) posed well.

A pair of Adonis posed exceptionally well with absolutely no help whatsoever

Whilst a nearby pairing were being molested by a very persistent third party .

I only saw a couple of Dingy Skippers, Grizzled were a little more numerous and we watched a female lay on some Salad Burnet giving me the chance to add that species to my egg collection

We ended up wandering the hillside for a couple of hours, enjoying the sight of half a dozen or so species going about their business. A few fresh female Blues were seen and before leaving we couldn’t resist a final bit of Hairstreak action and then some more Brown Argus.

The final snaps here were of an Orchid which neither of us were familiar with, I’m quite sure there’s someone reading this that can put a name to it though

[Padfield]

Hi Buggy. Your orchid is a white helleborine, Cephalanthera damasonium.

Guy

[Pauline]

I do like your creative, artistic GH shot Buggy but what really caught my attention was the Grizzlie egg - never seen that before