Art Frames

[Art Frames]

Last year I met Trevor on a butterfly trip to the Cevennes in France and he told me about his diary here, and suggested I might join in myself. It has taken me a while to take up his challenge...please be gentle with me.

I thought it would be an interesting start to my diary to post a photo taken 2 miles from my home in Northants from almost exactly 3 years ago. It is a picture I didn't really look at until I imported it into Lightroom along with several thousand others and started to tag them late last year. I then had quite a shock because I was tagging all of the Small Tortoiseshells and this one popped up. It was clearly not right and I started to think it might be a variation, then slowly my brain started to be aware that it was more like a Large Tortoiseshell and finally surrounded by books and online pictures I realised I had surely seen a Scarce Tortoiseshell/ Yellow-Legged Tortoiseshell in Salcey Forest, Northants in March of 2014. It was an odd moment or two. feeling stupid and happy and not sure whether I should just keep it to myself... Or share my stupidity more widely??

[image]23299[/image]

Rather sheepishly I sought out the opinions of our county recorder and he told me that he was happy in my ID and he then set about several days of detective work and told me given my confidence in the date (which is embedded in the RAW and I have checked comprehensively with my diary) it would be candidate for the first one in the country since 1953! And as the nearest breeding colony (Finland) were coming out of overwintering at exactly the same time he said it would need to have had to have emerged and flown straight to Salcey from there; or made the journey the year before and over wintered in Salcey; or be a captive bred release. David did his best to track down any breeders or sales, and spoke to many people for their input. He thought it probably was a genuine migrant, possibly an overwinter survivor - but you can never know for certain. And there the story ends...I am really grateful for all of his efforts and for not mentioning my stupidity even once!

In my defence I would say I was in the Forest taking pictures of birds, which is why the image was taken on a 50-500mm lens. I only took the picture because it was sitting in a patch of sunlight, and I didn't really look at it afterwards

But I have taken a great deal of interest in every Tortoiseshell I've seen since then, but I probably am just as likely to miss anything...it is in my genes.

thanks for reading this

[bugboy]

Wow, what a way to start your time on here. Almost showing off with you first post! . I do hope you can keep up this impressively high standard!

[Art Frames]

Well not quite first post ...4 since I joined in 2008 (and a few photos in the gallery), but admittedly not a fast run-rate. Thank you for your generous welcome. I doubt that you will be impressed for long

[Vince Massimo]

Many thanks for loading the image and providing the story, Peter
I will be including your report in the "Notes and Views" section as it adds to the already interesting record of the Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell in the UK. I would also like to add the image to the Species-Specific Album with your permission.

Vince

[Art Frames]

Vince
I am happy to give full permission. I took 3 pictures, all very similar, none showing the underside. Peter

[Padfield]

I don't get back to my Suffolk home often, but in the last three years I've spent most of my free time when I do looking for yellow legs! I plotted carefully all the places I thought they might choose to overwinter, basing this on my knowledge of large tortoiseshells' habits, and have cycled around them all on numerous occasions. Not a fleeting glimpse! You were very lucky. And it is a good picture, too.

Guy

[David M]

Excellent reportage! Seems like a long while back now, but at the time it gave us all great cause for excitement.

[Wurzel]

A great start to your PD Art Frames (unusual name any story behind it?) My envy meant that your late identification was totally overlooked It's also meant that I've started going back through my back catalogue just in case...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

HI Peter,
So you've finally taken the plunge !, now there's no going back.
Trust you to hit us with a something exotic for your first posting.
Moreover, welcome to these diaries, and I hope you will post some of the quality
material that I was privileged to see whilst in the Cevennes.

Great to hear from you,
Trevor.

PS. I remember you laughed at my Tesco joke, if you look at my diary for July 2016
you'll see that I put one of their products to good use !.

[Art Frames]

Well I am overwhelmed by the welcome. I will now feel much more comfortable contributing to your own diaries.

As well as a record diary, I will try and tell the story of the pictures as I find that the most interesting. And Trevor will no doubt get to see some pictures he saw in real life. I think I have his hand in a few!

Guy is absolutely right. I was very lucky. My regret was that I didn't spot it at the time and let David know so that more people could have also shared in the good luck.

The 'reason' for Art Frames is I am an artist (at one time a wildlife illustrator) and also a (reluctant) picture framer since retirement from commercial work. I began to join a few forums and thought it wiser to have a nickname rather than my real name. I used it in a number of places.

I have a number of things I hope to see and do this year. It will be good to be able to share them here.

Thank you all

[trevor]

HI again Peter,
I've just had a look at your ' Butterflies of France ' flickr album. I have identified several images
where we must have been shoulder to shoulder and clicked at the same time. Namely...........
Chequered Blue, Spotted Fritillary on the Orchid, Queen of Spain ( where that lady did not like us on her land )
and one that you have named for me, the solitary Mountain Ringlet on Mont Aigoul. Just the one I seem to remember.

There are some beautiful images on your flickr site, highly recommended if anyone cares to look.

Trevor.

[Chris Jackson]

I've had a look through your photos on Flickr, Peter, and I must say I'm impressed by the quality of your overall photo coverage of nature.
Looking forward to hearing and seeing more from you.
Chris

[bugboy]

I agree with the previous voices, superb array of images! I am particularly envious of the Waxwings, A bird I have still to see in the flesh

[David M]

I've had a look through your photos on Flickr, Peter, and I must say I'm impressed by the quality of your overall photo coverage of nature.

I too have done likewise and am equally impressed.

Peter, if you post images on here similar in quality to, say, those you have taken of the waxwings, then this site will be all the better for it.

Wonderful stuff.

[Art Frames]

Thank you everyone for spending time to look at my photos. If you are on Flickr please add me and I will do the same. I have a few friends there who are very encouraging. It all helps me to get out more

I must say it is really the most astonishing welcome. Trevor was absolutely right. I will try to keep to posting butterflies here but the Waxwings have been spectacular. We have a flock of around 50 in the area and it has been magical.

I will have a think and then try and tell about one of my favourite butterfly days. It will probably be about France, because it has so many great memories. And who knows by then we could be knee-deep in butterflies and having a wonderful start to the season.

Thanks to everyone.

[bugboy]

Good luck with your trip tomorrow, my local forecast looks much better than today's, sunny spells and temperatures peaking at 16 or 17 but as usual so far this season, I'm at work!

[Art Frames]

Well my trip to Whitecross Green Wood was a memorable one (mainly for seeing at least four hares and also a harvest mouse nest - from last year) But there was one Red Admiral, several male Brimstones and at least a dozen Commas . But having seen everyone else adding pictures of Comma or Brimstone I delayed and thought maybe I'd get a better shot another day. Not really knowing 'the rules' and how things are done it has taken me till today to get a grip and post these two commas here.

Comma - Polygonia c-album by Peter Willmott, on Flickr

Comma - Polygonia c-album by Peter Willmott, on Flickr

But am delighted you can add straight from Flickr. That should help.

[David M]

Commas are such great photographic models, Peter, always willing to pose in that instinctive manner whereby they look ready to launch themselves like an Exocet!

It's such a great pleasure to see so many of them this spring after last year's paucity. I'm not at all sure how or why this has happened but I am grateful nonetheless.

[bugboy]

Fabulous Commas .

As to the rules, well since you are posting directly from your Flickr then there's virtually none. Just post what you see and let us all enjoy. Whilst the focus is firmly on UK butterflies, most of us branch out into other forms of wildlife as well, depending on our interests.

[Wurzel]

A cracking pair of Commas Art Frames I think the only 'rule', well more of a polite request really, is that people don't post multiple shots of the same butterfly in very similar poses which takes up too much memory. As for posting images of other stuff I think anything goes

Have a goodun

Wurzel