RMweb Premium Claude_Dreyfus Posted March 29, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 29, 2014 (edited) New-born lambs are appearing in the field just up the road from us, and I have seen the first baby bunny of the season! Talking of butterflies - is this a Red Admiral? I am no expert, but would be interested to know what this is. Taken last summer... Edited March 29, 2014 by Claude_Dreyfus 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Yes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted March 29, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 29, 2014 Heres a useful site if unsure http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=atalanta Its the blues and skippers that cause me problems But why red admiral? Nothing to do with the Russian Navy... IIHIC it started out as Red Admirable and got corrupted Think the original name rather fits... Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Downendian Posted April 17, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 17, 2014 In Devon this Easter weekend - some walks the last few days in glorious sunshine. Orange tips out yesterday, saw four separate insects in about 30 minutes. Always a sign that summer has arrived- one of my favourite butterflies. lovely! Neil 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted April 17, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 17, 2014 Great - newly hatched pristine male Seem to be more brimstones around this year than I have seen for a good while - surprising given that survival rates of all species could have suffered after a wet winter, fungal invasion of the pupae is their worst enemy Phil 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Downendian Posted April 17, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 17, 2014 No Brimstones spotted yet - but also plenty of female orange tips (well without orange tips!) less photogenic. Will be out tomorrow with camera spotting birds and butterflies in the South Devon hedgerows. Neil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted April 17, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 17, 2014 Look forwards to seeing any more photos Neil Kind regards Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebottle Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Looking up the Red Admiral in my "Blandford mini-guide - Butterflies", I see that: "The Red Admiral ... sucks up the fermenting juices of birch trees in which the sap is flowing. It can become so drunk that it can be taken by hand." Do any other butterflies do this, or is the R. Admiral the sole P-artist of the lepidopteral world? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 (edited) Sping has really spung! Saw my first orange tips of the season yesterday - although they could be forgiven for giving it a miss - such a cold wind off the North Sea. Chaz Edited April 18, 2014 by chaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 This monster was on top of our fridge on 21 March. Didn't seem like it was going anywhere so I went and got the tripod and the long lens with a macro ability. 20 or so shots later, this was the best of the bunch. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Downendian Posted April 20, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 20, 2014 (edited) better shots of the Orange tips a couple of days ago. Managed some close up shots with the aid of a telephoto. also saw fresh hatched peacocks and a few small tortoiseshells, and a solitary Brimstone Phil! Neil Edited April 20, 2014 by Downendian 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted April 20, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 20, 2014 Smashing Neil Many thanks For anyone who wants to mix butterflies and railways the buddleia bushes outside the Engine House were swarming with vanessids last year - including fritillaries which I didn't get identified - I suspect silver washed, now they would be worth a shot or two! Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Bird watching yesterday at a few sites on Anglesey - saw lots of walls (Lasiommata megera). However failed to get a single snap - a warm sunny day kept them very active and I found that they can fly faster than I can run..... Chaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 I put this on ERs before I noticed this thread: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Not today in the Northern Marches of the Empire, it isn't! we had warmer days in mid-winter - and the forecast is for snow on the Bens tonight! Bloody Hell! It's nearly ruddy June! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Reichert Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 105 Fahrenheit here on the California Central Coast last week. Today's high will only be low 60's. Normally we only get onto the 80's this time of year, so the weather is a little bit unusual and breaking records. The marine layer mist keeps things cool most of the morning until it burns off. Then the afternoons warm up. Means we have to take more precautions about track and baseboard expansion, than in the UK. Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted July 17, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted July 17, 2014 (edited) Deffo Summer now not spring! Went out in garden with SWMBO the other evening - noticed this chap flying around looking for somewhere to perch so stood still with hand out for a few minutes - it didn't take him long to find me.... Sat there for 5 minutes and did not want to move! A special few minutes.... Phil Edited July 17, 2014 by Phil Bullock 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Deffo Summer now not spring! Went out in garden with SWMBO the other evening - noticed this chap flying around looking for somewhere to perch so stood still with hand out for a few minutes - it didn't take him long to find me.... comma.JPG Sat there for 5 minutes and did not want to move! A special few minutes.... Phil Was your perched comma taking moisture from your hand? High summer at Magdalen Hill reserve near Winchester produced a brown argus on my last visit.... Tricky blighters to snap as, like all the blues, they are so small. Chaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted August 1, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 1, 2014 Nice one Chaz! Think my Comma was just being territorial, no sign he was imbibing, Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 (edited) Definitely need to change the topic title to "late summer is sprung....." Visited Martin Down on the Hampshire/Dorset border to find adonis blues and got a few snaps of this little jewel. We saw several of this beautiful animal flitting about - quite unmistakeable in the sunlight - They really are this blue Edited August 18, 2014 by chaz 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted August 18, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 18, 2014 Now that's a butterfly! Super photo thanks for sharing Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Now that's a butterfly! Super photo thanks for sharing Phil Yes indeed! The first pictures I got of the adonis were like this one.... I knew it was a blue but wasn't sure which species (common blue was a possiblity), then the sun came out and it opened its wings to reveal that superb colour. Definitely worth an hour's drive across Hampshire to see! Chaz 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I put this on ERs before I noticed this thread: LgeTortoiseshellAAB.jpg I'm sorry to rain on your parade but I'm sure this is not a large tortoiseshell - these are generally accepted to be extinct as British breeders and are therefore very, very rare. Your picture is of a painted lady - itself a beautiful insect - and its upperwing looks like this... Yours is a nice photo though, I waited quite a while but couldn't get a shot of the beautiful underwing. My snap was taken last Friday at Magdalen Hill reserve nr Winchester. Chaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I'm sorry to rain on your parade but I'm sure this is not a large tortoiseshell - these are generally accepted to be extinct as British breeders and are therefore very, very rare. Your picture is of a painted lady - itself a beautiful insect - and its upperwing looks like this... Yours is a nice photo though, I waited quite a while but couldn't get a shot of the beautiful underwing. My snap was taken last Friday at Magdalen Hill reserve nr Winchester. Chaz Quite right. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Abel Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Ditto on the "didn't see this thread"... Summer here and it's time for the thrid cycle of Monarchs to develop. THis is the penultimate cycle, they will live about 6 weeks, lay eggs and die. The FINAL cycle, from their eggs, will be the migrating group, taking the several thousand mile trek from the upper-midwest to Mexico... The Mrs found a couple of the caterpillars on our milkweed plants (favourite of Monarchs) and we watched their development. Unfortunately, I don't have a good photo of one with wings spread, but here is one resting whilst drying its wings after emerging, and a frame-capture from the video of the release (sorry about the poor quality). 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now