RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted March 15, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 15, 2017 That's great Chaz....as you say in good nick, and demonstrating typical Comma territorial perching too... Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted March 16, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 16, 2017 Very warm here yesterday afternoon. Held a meeting outdoors with a refreshing glass of the house white. No butterflies yet but birds very active this week as per Chaz' report and some bees out and about. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 Back to late winter here today. Yesterday was sunshine, shorts and t shirt, lunch outdoors listening to the birds all shouting away, Brimstone, Peacock and Speckled wood butterflies flying about. Could almost watch the hornbeams coming into leaf, they started the day with bare twigs, ended covered in a fuzz of pale yellow-green. Put new protective feet on the aluminium garden furniture using some parts from a Texan manufacturer that 'really work' according to a US based cousin. I can definitely use some more of that sunshine. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Co-tr-Paul Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 On the same date as last year, first of seasons' sighting, one Small Tortoiseshell in Helston. Summer is here ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold DaveF Posted March 25, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 25, 2017 On the same date as last year, first of seasons' sighting, one Small Tortoiseshell in Helston. Summer is here ! Snap. First small tortoiseshell in Northumberland this year in the garden at lunchtime. Plus my small pond is very full of frogspawn, a few days ago there were at least ten frogs in the pond. David 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 Don't know a thing about butterflies, but one was flying around my garden in Ayrshire not long after the frost had melted this morning. The wings were brown with orange patches, or it may have been the other way round. Perhaps someone might know. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted March 25, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 25, 2017 Sounds like a tortoiseshell Duncan http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=urticae Saw my first one this year today too - at Croome in Worcestershire , along with a male brimstone, another one of which was in the garden in Churchdown earlier today. Spring is here for sure! Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Clive Mortimore Posted March 25, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 25, 2017 I saw my first butterflies this afternoon, they were in the distance, all I could see they were dark coloured. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetmorgan Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 Do keep us informed about the size those Buddleias want to grow to! Whatever the opinion of the supplying nursery, I don't think there has been much success in curtailing Buddleia's world domination tendencies. At least it takes no harm from brutal pruning to keep it in bounds. Well the Buddliea Buzz's have survived the winter and are now putting on some new growth. Which is a miracle considering how badly I tend to treat plants that I've bought for the garden!!! I can't put them into the large pots I was hoping as these are full of soil that I've dug out of the back garden for the raised flower bed & wildlife pond that I'm building. So what I'll do is leave them in the small pots for the moment and re-pot them later in the year...probably early autumn time in bigger slightly bigger pots with fresh compost to give them chance to get bigger before I put them into the large pots that I plan to use for them. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Co-tr-Paul Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 Mine get a regular chop back to 1 -2 feet every Feb to keep them under control, compact but bushy not spindly and plenty of flowers from mid jly to late sep, dead heading to give more flowers. Still manage to seed well - got four more to "release" soon... ! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted March 26, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 26, 2017 Buddliea Buzz's got a trim here too And went out for a stroll this afternoon around Westbury Court gardens....no butterflies but these are fritillaries and just as beautiful.... Phil 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetmorgan Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 Buddliea Buzz's got a trim here too And went out for a stroll this afternoon around Westbury Court gardens....no butterflies but these are fritillaries and just as beautiful.... Westbury Court fritillaries.jpg Phil I saw some of these for sale at my local Waitrose (other supermarkets are available of course) But as is Waitrose, too expensive...and the problem of spending far too much money at the London Fest show this weekend. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted March 26, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 26, 2017 Picked some up at B&Q a couple of weeks ago ....have tried them in the garden before but they are a bit fussy and I have never got them to establish Unlike the hellebores which have gone great guns this year.... Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 (edited) A warm morning and bright sunshine - you have to get out there. A walk down to Eastleigh Lakeside and I saw a comma - vanished before I could photograph it - a couple of jousting butterflies - possibly speckled woods - and then, perched on some hawthorn blossom this rather battered looking specimen.... Small tortoiseshell numbers were significantly down last year, let's hope they bounce back. Chaz Edited March 27, 2017 by chaz 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted March 27, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 27, 2017 Guessing that's an overwintered specimen Chaz Your photos are always superb Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Co-tr-Paul Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Isn't that Blackthorn ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashcombe Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Spring in La Sarthe, Pays de la Loire 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Picked some (fritillaries) up at B&Q a couple of weeks ago ....have tried them in the garden before but they are a bit fussy and I have never got them to establish... My wife is the gardener. She gathered seed from those in our previous garden (and from many other plants of course), and slung it round all the locations where they would be desireable in our current garden. The fritillaries 'took' and are thoroughly established in two places, and are going a storm this year. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeOxon Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Butterflies were out in force at my local nature reserve yesterday (Sunday) . See my other (non-railway) blog for more information. Mike 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted March 27, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 27, 2017 Spring in La Sarthe, Pays de la Loire FullSizeRender 11.jpg IMG_2159.JPG FullSizeRender 12.jpg Enchante! Est-ce que Papillion venez chez vous? Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted March 27, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 27, 2017 My wife is the gardener. She gathered seed from those in our previous garden (and from many other plants of course), and slung it round all the locations where they would be desireable in our current garden. The fritillaries 'took' and are thoroughly established in two places, and are going a storm this year. Butterflies were out in force at my local nature reserve yesterday (Sunday) . See my other (non-railway) blog for more information. Mike Great to hear that the fritillaries have worked - have grown some from seeds in pots but never succeeded in naturalizing. Shall plant out this years bulbs once the flowers die and hope for next year.... And thanks for the butterfly forum link Mike - had not seen that one before! Kind regards Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeOxon Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 .................... And thanks for the butterfly forum link Mike - had not seen that one before! ..................... I find UK Butterflies is a very useful site for all sorts of butterfly information and has a very friendly forum - like this site 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 (edited) Guessing that's an overwintered specimen Chaz Your photos are always superb Phil Oh, I think that's pretty certain Phil, and it would account for the tatty state. Thanks for the comment (Nikon had my new 300mm lens on the front - it's a bit good!)* Chaz *PS - posted snap robbed of its sharpness by the need to compress it - the original RAW file is rather better. Edited March 27, 2017 by chaz 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Isn't that Blackthorn ? Dagnabit, I think you are right. There is a lot of it down there... Chaz 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 Very warm this afternoon although the sun was hiding most of the time. I did my usual beat south along the Itchen. Chiffchaffs, wrens, long-tailed tits, blackcaps and dunnocks all singing. Also saw a couple of small tortoiseshells, a very dark job that flew over my head - probably a peacock and three brimstones one of which obliged me by perching for a while. Even with my 300mm lens this image is a hefty crop. I waited about twenty minutes hoping it would fly lower so that I could get closer but it stayed put. Transects start next week - fingers crossed for some warm sunny conditions. Chaz 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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