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Wall - Favourite Photo of 2024

Week 19

So close to the finale now…so close…in fact this is the penultimate week! Just a heads up that next week there will be Wood White, Vagrant and The Overall Favourite.

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Considering the amount of Wall I saw in 2024, I did not get many, if any, decent photographs. Most were record shots for my count, and even if I managed to take a photograph of the little blighters, most were in various stages of tattiness late in the year. I have a couple I like but mostly as a reminder of my trek around the Essex Saltmarsh Coast during September and October.

A female from the day after the discovery of a large colony of Wall at a new place for me along the Thames Estuary Path at East Tilbury - I had to add this one as it was such a happy occasion:
And a third brood male from the walk around the River Crouch as he is in relatively good condition, and he was behaving [for a change ]:

I found the Wall Butterfly as usual at Reculver on the 7th of May, unfortunately it didn't open it's wings fully for me . Goldie

David Lazarus wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2025 9:46 amConsidering the amount of Wall I saw in 2024, I did not get many, if any, decent photographs...

Being so twitchy, they're immensely difficult subjects. The only time I find them easy is early in the mornings on the continent when they're warming up on rocks.

My favourite was taken while lying down on a remote section of the coast path. Fortunately, I had plenty of time to observe the fine detail of the underside.

David M wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2025 12:04 pm

David Lazarus wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2025 9:46 amConsidering the amount of Wall I saw in 2024, I did not get many, if any, decent photographs...

Being so twitchy, they're immensely difficult subjects. The only time I find them easy is early in the mornings on the continent when they're warming up on rocks.

Third brood ones are easier, the lower sun and cooler mornings make for relatively easy pickings!

One of the few winners of 2024, the first two broods seemed pretty normal and the third brood we get in the south just exploded! Given that, I took hundreds of pictures of them but this well behaved male from the Essex third brood gets my vote

I agree with you, Paul - for some reason the numbers I found in almost all locations seemed to be very good. The population(s) on Salisbury Plain were especially noteworthy at all the sites I visited there. However, the individual butterfly that sticks in the memory was the male I found at Calley Heath near Pocklington in Yorkshire at the end of August. I hadn't see the species this far inland here for perhaps 15 years, and the last anywhere in the wider area was a good five years back at Kiplingcotes near Market Weighton. It was an unspectacular day weatherwise, and my target species for the visit (Small Copper) was proving elusive, so the discovery of an unexpected Wall was a real bonus.More conventionally, the third brood at High & Over in Sussex were in good form and produced this splendid underside view in mid-September. Dave

bugboy wrote: ↑Mon Feb 17, 2025 7:14 pm..Third brood ones are easier, the lower sun and cooler mornings make for relatively easy pickings!

Sounds logical, Paul. Trouble is, we don't get a third brood round our way.

Only saw one locally in spring, this female at Rhossili on 16th May:

Wall Browns seemed to be doing quite well down on The Lizard when we spent a few days there in early August. Most of my photos were taken around Enys Head or along the coast path to there from Poltescu.
I also had a sighting of a male on a buddleia growing out of a hedgerow just down the lane from our B&B.
In the past I have usually found a few Wall Browns patrolling the stone walls along the path from Lizard Village to the Lighthouse and sure enough we found four of five there on a nice sunny morning on August 6th.
Cheers,

Neil

Wall

I had quite a successful year with Wall Browns in 2024 and they seem to be continuing to do well inland in Wiltshire and the fringes of Hampshire. This meant that when it came to choosing my Fave for this species I had a bit of a job – I could have plumbed for various underside shots showing the miraculous markings reminiscent of a Mandelbrot fractual. However in the end I manged to whittle my choices down to two both of which were topside shots. The first came from my initial encounters with them at the start of the year. It made the cut as it was a lovely fresh male with some extra spotting around the eyes but also because it came from a cracking visit to Cotley with Dave. The second was came from a trip at this time at the tail end of the season and in Hampshire, Shipton Bellinger, whilst looking for Brostreaks with Philzoid and Dave again. This time it was a female which behaved impeccably and posed for all she was worth.

Have a goodun

Wurzel