Butterfly walk Sunday 3 July at Southwater Woods, West Sussex

[pressld2]

Here's another batch of butterfly pics, starting with a couple of bedraggled specimens...


Speckled wood and small tortoiseshell


Large skipper


The ubiquitous meadow brown


A ringlet


A small copper


Two different brimstones (at least I assume so - these shots were taken an hour and a half apart and in different parst of the woods)


Green-veined, large and marbled whites. Hands up if you knew that the marbled white is actually one of the browns? I didn't.

Dave P.

[Deb London]

Originally Posted by pressld2

Here's another batch of butterfly pics, starting with a couple of bedraggled specimens...


Speckled wood and small tortoiseshell


Large skipper


The ubiquitous meadow brown


A ringlet


A small copper


Two different brimstones (at least I assume so - these shots were taken an hour and a half apart and in different parst of the woods)


Green-veined, large and marbled whites. Hands up if you knew that the marbled white is actually one of the browns? I didn't.

Dave P.

I did! Lovely selection btw. Now, hands up if you can tell me whether your Marbled White is a male or female.

[htcdude]

Excellent photos again guys, looks like a great day out!

I still don't get how you manage to get such good shots, I can never get anywhere near them before they fly!

Nige

[pressld2]

Originally Posted by Deb London

Now, hands up if you can tell me whether your Marbled White is a male or female.

Female, I think. Males are black and white underneath as well as on top.

Originally Posted by htcdude

I still don't get how you manage to get such good shots, I can never get anywhere near them before they fly!

It's partly just persistence. An awful lot fly away before I can get focussed on them and it's just a question of keep on trying. Approach slowly, watch your shadow and make sure it doesn't fall across them, and try to avoid disturbing the vegetation. Sometimes though, they'll be patrolling a territory and will keep coming back to the same perches to bask, or the same flowers to feed. Then you can get yourself in position, keep reasonably still and wait for them to return. I did that for some of the silver-washed frits and the marbled white.

Dave P.

[htcdude]

Thanks for the tips Dave, I'll try and put this to use next time I'm out

Nige

[Deb London]

I was trying to determine exactly what the fast flying butterfly was along the edge of a local playing field yesterday. Since the spot was secluded I decided to pick up a chair that someone had thrown away and sit and face the hedge with my monocular and just wait. The butterfly seemed to be a Gatekeeper, and it did indeed seem to patrol a territory. Back and forward it went, over a linear territory of several metres.

I could have watched this behaviour for hours, but should try and remember that people might think mine a little strange (the face of the groundsman must have been a picture if I could have seen it as, unbeknownst to me, he had been watching me, and it's a good job there was a blummin' great field between him and I - strange woman probably walking where she shouldn't grabs a piece of junk and sits on it staring into a hedge with one arm raised - yep, I'd have been staring like that too ).

[pressld2]

My last few pics from the day, starting with a butterfly that I forgot!


Red admiral


Large red damselfly


Scorpion flies, male and female


Tachina fera


The fabulously named Gasteruption jaculator, a parasitic wasp (first pic male and the other two female)


A soldier beetle.

Thanks again to Susie for organising such an enjoyable bimble!

Dave P.

[Susie]

More great photos, Dave, and you are right, it's a great name for a cracking wee beastie!

[Ukwildlifeo]

Just gone through the 600ish photos I took, a lot have been sent to rubbish bin but there are some nice keepers among them. Just need to edit them now....

[Susie]

I'm looking forward to seeing them