Small Heath - Favourite Photo of 2014

[Wurzel]

Week 17

So continues sequence of posts giving one and all the opportunity to showcase their favourite shots of 2014 (or the last time you saw one)!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year 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

[MikeOxon]

I'm always pleased to see these feisty little butterflies as they flit across a grassy slope. They are especially attractive when backlit, as in my photo:

Old Castle Down,S.Wales - 21st June 2014
Nikon D300s with Tamron 90mm macro lens - 1/250s@f/8 ISO400

Mike

[Goldie M]

I'd not been too lucky before taking photos of the Small Heath so I was happy when I got at least two decent photos last year both shots were taken in the Southport Dunes on the 21st May Goldie

[Neil Freeman]

I saw Small Heaths at quite a few places during my travels in 2014, sometimes in large numbers, although they did seem a bit down in numbers at a couple of my local spots. My first ones of the year were on Bonchurch Down on the IOW in late May,

Small Heath - Bonchurch Down 28.05.2014

One local site where I did see this species in fairly good numbers was Castle Hills near Solihull,

Small Heath - Castle Hills 08.06.2014

Small Heath - Castle Hills 08.06.2014

There were plenty about at Warton Crag when I stopped off there on my way to Arnside,

Small Heath - Warton Crag 11.06.2014

The most that I saw in any one place was on Irton Fell where there were hundreds of them but I was too busy trying to get photos of Mountain Ringlets on that day

In early September when I was down in Dorset, Small Heaths were probably the species that I saw most during the week with good numbers nearly everywhere that I went,

Small Heath - Portland 03.09.2014

Small Heath - Osmington 03.09.2014

A species that is often overlooked but one that has a certain understated charm of its own.

Cheers,

Neil.

[millerd]

This is a species I can see within ten minutes walk on any day from mid May until early October most years, in three overlapping broods. As they can be a bit troublesome to approach closely, I do sometimes pass them over in favour of more cooperative targets. However, they have a certain variability (the number of spots on the hindwings for example) and every now and again, if you are lucky enough to catch them nectaring, they will flash their wings open. No such luck in 2014, I'm afraid, just a few from my local patch or from Bedfont Lakes, which is not far either - being close to work.

Stanwell Moor: 17th May (first of the year)

Bedfont Lakes CP: 19th May

Bedfont Lakes CP: 22nd August

Stanwell Moor: 26th September

Stanwell Moor: 3rd October (last of the year)

It's interesting how they are all facing to the left - as are all of Neil's above (bar one)...

Dave

[bugboy]

Chobham Common, 30th July. Mike beat me to the backlit shot!

[David M]

I was at Lulworth Cove on 1st July looking for more high profile species, but when I saw this pair in cop, I realised that it wasn't something I'd seen too often:

[Chris Jackson]

The underside colouring of this species seems to vary greatly.
Here is one individual from Bradgate Park in Leicestershire when I was home in June:

And another from the South of France in May:

Cheers, Chris

[Wurzel]

Small Heath

This was my favourite Small Heath shot of 2014 as it was one of those serendipitous shots. I shouldn’t have bothered stopping really as the weather had been cool and damp and it was September with the season seemingly drawing to a close (or so I though at the time, it actually went on for over two more months!). But I did stop and there nestled down amongst the grasses was this Small Heath clinging onto the blade of grass and possibly existence as well. It was an absolute cracker with the flash highlighting all the dew/rain drops making them glisten like Rhinestones.

Have a goodun

Wurzel