A few UK butterflies

[euston]

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This is the way to collect butterflies! It’s a wonderful set of pictures and so good to have the background information. This thread can go on forever as far as I’m concerned.

[wattsy]

Thank you, I'm very happy to oblige. There has been no let up in the butterfly season so here's another. The Black Hairstreak (Satyrium pruni) is one of the more elusive of UK butterflies and usually has a short flight season of around three weeks. This relative rarity has emerged during the last week in it's usual rather narrow range in a small band of woods stretching from Oxfordshire to northern Cambridgeshire. I visited Brampton Wood near Huntingdon earlier today. This is a reliable location which (perhaps too helpfully) has a couple of areas within the wood that are sign posted for visitors to find and view this butterfly. This year has seen a very large emergence both here and, reportedly, at other woods. I saw, I would imagine, 50+ in a couple of hours at the two signposted sites and, later, saw a further 10 or more in a clearing some distance away.

 

 

 

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[wattsy]

The end of spring and the onset of summer, whilst regrettable in so many ways, does bring with it the golden skippers. This is a Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus), a common species of grassy clearings and meadows. Difficult, however, to colour balance when set against a very green background bathed in early evening sunlight. M 240 and usual set-up.

 

Edited June 12, 2018 by wattsy

[wattsy]

A habitat specialist, the Silver-studded Blue (Plebejus argus). This is a single brooded species (at least in the UK) that is restricted to heathland, a habitat now found mainly in Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey and Suffolk. A few remnants of heathland remain in Norfolk and at least a couple have colonies of this butterfly. These were photographed at Buxton Heath near Norwich.

 

There are two main characteristics to identify this butterfly. The upper side of the wings has a thicker black border than the otherwise similar Common Blue.

 

 

The underside of the hind wings has iridescent blue studs inside the orange chevrons. These are the "silver studs" that provide the butterfly with its vernacular name.

Edited June 18, 2018 by wattsy

[wattsy]

The Dark Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja) is one of the UK's largest butterflies and a very strong flyer. Not a common butterfly by any means but frequently seen in high summer as a passing flash of orange in areas of unimproved grassland adjacent to woods and bracken. This was taken in limestone country at Arneside in Cumbria.

 

Edited June 25, 2018 by wattsy

[wattsy]

The UK's only true montane butterfly, the Mountain Ringlet (Erebia epiphron), is only found in discrete (though sometimes large) colonies in the higher fells of Cumbria and the mountains of Scotland. It flies low to the ground and, if the sun goes in, quickly disappears deep into the tussocky grass. It is one of those charming butterflies that, for me, is inextricably linked with a sense of time and place, part of the wonderful landscape in which they are found.

 

 

 

This one was one of only half a dozen I found braving late afternoon chilly conditions on Grey Knotts near Honister. Here's a quick landscape snap I took from this location.

 

Edited June 25, 2018 by wattsy

[pedaes]

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All great shots, but the Dark Green Fritillary is superb!

[wattsy]

We are now firmly into the Purple Emperor (Apatura iris) season which, for many butterfly enthusiasts, is what they wait the other 11 months or so of the year for. The male Emperor spends most of the time in the highest trees of the wood where it clashes with rival males (and any other flying creature – including birds – which have the misfortune to get too near) but often comes down to the ground during the morning to imbibe minerals. Obviously it is a lot easier to obtain a photograph when the butterfly is on the ground, especially when you are using a Leica RF. This is uncropped so you get an idea of the size of this butterfly (at max 1:3 reproduction ratio) which is large by British standards.

 

Edited June 29, 2018 by wattsy

[wattsy]

A view showing the more familiar upper side. The purple sheen that gives the butterfly its name is totally dependent on the angle of the wings to the light – sometimes you see both wings in purple, sometimes a single wing and sometimes the wings simply look black.

 

[wattsy]

The Marbled White (Melanargia galathea), a much more common species of open grasslands and one of a handful of UK species that is increasing its range each year. It is actually a "brown" rather than a white. These were taken on the chalk Gog Magog hills south of Cambridge where this butterfly was possibly the most abundant species there.

 

 

 

 

[wattsy]

It's been a couple of weeks since I last updated the thread. I've seen plenty of interesting species since (what a glorious summer it is proving to be) but have taken few photographs. Here's a couple from the weekend of the Chalkhill Blue (Polyommatus coridon) which brings the thread full circle since I started it last year. M 240 and 90 Macro Elmar-M with goggles.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 17, 2018 by wattsy

[wattsy]

Another Chalkhill blue, this time from Brook Down on the Isle of Wight.

 

[wattsy]

A White Admiral, a woodland specialist, and arguably the most elegant of UK butterflies with its mesmerising gliding style of flight.

 

[fotografr]

Great collection of butterflies, Wattsy. I'd much rather see them like this than pinned to a display board.

[wattsy]

I haven't updated this thread in a while. The final UK butterfly species to emerge – the Brown Hairstreak (Thecla betulae) has been out for a few weeks and should be around into September. This is the largest of the UK hairstreaks and, arguably, the most beautiful. Its arrival coincides with late summer fruit and other signs of autumn and is a species that, for me, really marks the end of summer. Whilst the larval host plant, Blackthorn, is very common, the species inhabits only a restricted range, mainly in southern England. The males tend to stay high in master oak and ash trees whilst the females are happier to venture much lower to ground seeking either nectar or Blackthorn shoots to lay eggs on. This photo of a female was taken in the MOD "roughs" just outside Shipton Bellinger, probably the best site for the species in Hampshire.

 

[wattsy]

Another female. This one was missing a substantial chunk of its right forewing – most probably the consequence of a bird strike – but was flying unimpeded.

 

[wattsy]

This is a view of the upper side of the female Brown Hairstreak. The rich brown and orange is a beautiful combination (the male lacks the orange) redolent of the arrival of autumn.

 

[wattsy]

The Scotch Argus (Erebia aethiops) is also a late summer butterfly and one of my favourites. Restricted in England to northern limestone country – there are well known natural colonies at Arnside Knott and Smardale Gill in Cumbria plus an introduced colony in the Yorkshire Dales – this is one of those butterflies that is inextricably linked with a sense of time and place.

 

Edited August 26, 2018 by wattsy

[wattsy]

A second brood Adonis Blue (Polyommatus bellargus) from earlier in the month. The second brood has recently peaked with some large counts recorded from its chalk downland strongholds in southern England. It is still on the wing and should be around for another couple of weeks.

 

 

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[wattsy]

And some of the more widespread and common species from the last month or so.

 

The Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas). A multi-brooded charismatic little butterfly that seems to be making a bit of a comeback in the last year or two.

 

 

 

 

 

The Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus). Quite common in a variety of habitats but has a much shorter flight season than other common browns like the Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper. It flies mainly in July and, perhaps, a week or so either side of that month.

 

 

 

 

 

The Gatekeeper or, as I prefer, Hedge Brown (Pyronia tithonus). One of those species that provide a dash of colour to any hedgerow from quite early in the morning (on warm days, I've seen them take to the air at 6am).

 

Edited August 27, 2018 by wattsy