Kev Ling

[kevling]

Another favorite butterfly, is the Silver Spotted Skipper. These were photographed during my first visit to Box Hill in Surrey. A great place for Butterflies with a number of other species seen too, including Marbled White & Chalkhill Blue.

My local White Admiral colony was less numerous in 2014, compared to the previous year, but hopefully this will pick up again in 2015. Before that, I'll go searching for larvae, as I am yet to see early stages of White Admiral.

Regards Kev

[bugboy]

Great Silver Spotted Skippers. I was there taking pics of them at Box Hill this year as well. Never seen them before but made 2 trips specifically to see them. I presume these were taken on that bank next to zigzag road on the east side of 'The Whites'. I bumped into a chap from BC doing a survey for a rare moth, for the life of me I can't remember the name of the moth! Anyway he pointed out some S P Skipper eggs and said that they had recently started managing the rest of the bank with grazing cattle and that the Skippers were already moving into these new areas .

[kevling]

Thanks for the comments Bugboy.
Yes the skippers were located by the zig zag road, with the Chalkhill blues emerging just a few metres further up from them.
I think the moth you are referring to may be the Straw Belle Moth.
Will certainly look forward to returning there, it was a top location.

Regards Kev

[bugboy]

Straw Belle, thats the one, thanks kev.

Yes it was my first trip to box hill this year and I have already planned a few visits next year, hopefully catch some spring species. I've read that Dingy and Grizzled are reasonably plentyful there. Fingers crossed thats not old info.

[millerd]

Hi Kev - Silver-spotted Skippers are also easy to find on the viewpoint slopes at Box Hill, as well as the less-frequented hillside to the east of them.

Dave

[kevling]

Bugboy - I was'nt aware that Box Hill was good for Dingy & Grizzled Skippers. Thanks for the heads up.

Dave - I thought the SSS were confined to the eastern slopes, good to know about the other location too.

Regards Kev

[bugboy]

Kev, I've only read it somewhere, not seen them so I don't know if it's still a current site for the Dingy and Grizzled. There seem to be a few sites along the south London/Surry borders which I plan to investigate this year.

The Silver Spotted eggs are quite easy to find once you know what you are looking for (as are many things related to butterfly spotting), a couple were pointed out to me then as I walked along a saw loads more.

[Wurzel]

Lovely Silver Spots and White Admiral Kevling How many months to go now, it feels like ages?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[kevling]

Thanks Wurzel, just three months until the Orange Tips

Regards Kev

[kevling]

HOORAY It's March 8th and I have my first sightings of the year in a sunny Ipswich.

After a very fast flypast over my house yesterday by a Peacock, I was treated to a much more relaxed Small Tortoiseshell at my nearby wood this morning, which was sunning itself on some bracken. Close by another flew by, followed not long after by a Peacock.

I was at Wherstead Wood, close to my home, on the search for White Admiral Hibernaculam. Following some hints by Guy I set out with an open mind but came across one or two very promising possibilities on honeysuckle which was yet to have any new growth. I have attached the images and would welcome some expert opinion.

When I returned home, I enjoyed a Swallowtail, sunning itself on my shed wall.

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist this one. A colorful addition to my outhouse.

Regards Kev

[kevling]

I have seen my first Brimstone of the year (2.4.15) and this is the earliest I have seen them. Albeit that I was nearly 100 miles from home in sunny Bedfordshire. Several fresh examples were seen patrolling the hedgerows close to Luton Airport where I stopped for lunch.

Back at home, I have noticed some developments with the Large Whites that pupated under the fascia boards of my house.
All of them looked very similar in colour and appearance than when they first pupated 5 months ago, with the exception of my first picture below. I would be interested to hear from anyone that might be able to explain what has happened. It has turned a dark bronze colour and shows no visible signs of parasites. Do some just perish in this stage of development?

This was taken yesterday

This is another example close by (quite a difference)

Kind Regards
Kev

[kevling]

A nice lunchtime walk yesterday at a local nature reserve close to the office.

Several Small Tortoiseshell were seen, including five involved in an aerial spiral right around me (wonderful ).
Also seen were a Brimstone and three Peacocks.
This is also a reliable site for the first Orange Tips of the year, but they are not quite ready to put in a appearance yet.
Managed a photo on my mobile of two Small Tortoiseshell.

Regards Kev

[kevling]

My travels took me to Middlesex and apart from a stiff breeze at times, what a cracking day of sunshine for Butterflies.
I enjoyed my first Orange Tip sighting of the year, but the flypast was so quick, blink and you would have missed it.
Also seen were Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Green Veined white and the highlight for me, several Holly Blues (my first of the year).
After several failed attempts, a female eventually settled, allowing me to get some photos. Then, with amazing good fortune I observed her laying an egg (I'm not sure what the plant was, possibly dogwood?).

Holly Blue Ovipositing

Egg successfully laid

Regards Kev

[bugboy]

Great pics of the Holly Blue, still waiting to get close to one this year. Just males teasing and taunting me so far. Agreed it does look like Dogwood she is laying on.

[kevling]

Thanks Buggy for your comments. I was sat in one place for a long period and got lucky. I did'nt know it was a female until she started doing her thing.

Regards Kev

[kevling]

I returned to my local wood near Ipswich today in search of White Admiral Larvae, having seen a couple of likely looking hibernaculam in early March. After drawing a blank on the Honeysuckle I had marked, a dead leaf caught my eye elsewhere and sitting atop was this little fellow.

Earlier in the week, I also came across these Brown Tail Moth larvae

Regards Kev

[Padfield]

Hi Kev. I'm delighted to see your white admiral cat piccies, because I really wasn't convinced by your earlier hibernaculum pictures!! No doubt about this little chap though - so well done!

Once you get your eye in you'll start seeing them everywhere. They fly at a very low density in my local woods but I spot the cats all over the place now. I'm fascinated to see they fly near Ipswich. In my youth they were just moving back into Suffolk and I used to cycle up to Tunstall to see them (I live in Woodbridge).

Guy

[kevling]

Thanks Guy. It is nice to see them in my local area, as they were certainly not a species I saw during my youth.
Thanks to the advice on UK Butterflies, I'm certainly honing my detective skills and seeing things I never would have discovered before

Regards Kev

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Kev,

Great photos of the White Admiral cats and also the Holly Blue one in the previous post, great stuff.

Cheers,

Neil

[kevling]

Thanks Neil

Fortunate piece of timing to see the Holly Blue ovipositing. As for the White Admiral larvae, I can't believe I would spot something the size of a grain of rice in a wood. But it is all about knowing where to look and when I suppose, something I didn't know 12 months ago.

Regards Kev