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Towlersonsafari

A female orange tip, perched if that is the right word, on a bluebell

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  • 3 weeks later...
melproffit

Teanaway WA 2011

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Towlersonsafari

We went on a walk organised by the local Butterfly conservation group-we are members-of the national charity, and had a splendid time-nothing like having experts to point out what you would have missed!

These first 2 were cheatin as they were moths caught in a trap (but not held back for all you fine young cannables) A Buff-Tip moth and a Poplar Hawk Moth

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Towlersonsafari

Then a butterfly I have wanted to see for a while-well ever since i learned of its exsistance last year-The Green Hairstreak a small butterfly that has a liking for resting on hawthorn and some species of ant respond to the pupae and take them to their colanies for overwintering protected by the ants!

 

Then another I have never seen-another small butterfly called the Dingy Skipper  and then another moth the Burnet Companion Moth

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  • 2 weeks later...
Towlersonsafari

Yesterday we took the 2 hour drive to Strumpshaw Fen, on a lovely warm sunny day and as well as the taret species, saw 2 Marsh Harrier food passes, a close up bittern fly-past and even a brief Cetti's warbler, but the reason for the trip was the Swallowtail buterfly, UK's largest and  very fast flying and frankly it just does not look likeit should be in the uk at all

We also saw , amongst others a Brimstone demonstarting why it is that colour.A spendid trip

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kittykat23uk

Aww @Towlersonsafari if only  you'd been there today we could have met up! :( altalthough you may have bumped into my friend Eric, who was there yesterday! 

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Towlersonsafari

Ha! I did wonder if I was sneaking into your territory!  @kittykat23uk it was The first time we have been there and a beautiful  place

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Towlersonsafari

That would be very jolly @kittykat23uk

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Lovely photos @Towlersonsafari and I see what you mean about the Swallowtail - looks showy and tropical. The Green Hairstreak has such delicate colouring. Interesting to see such a diversity of species.

 

The other day I was reading an article about butterflies in a Gardens for Wildlife Programme and I'm still trying to get my head around the following:-

 

"Butterflies have taste buds on their feet, so if they land on surfaces infected with insecticide or toxic substances it causes instant death."

 

Never knew that and "taste buds on feet?" seems a conundrum to me!

 

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Costa Rica 2016

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kittykat23uk

Swallowtails at Strumpshaw fen,  Norfolk. 

 

P6020264 Swallowtail Butterfly

 

P6020189 Swallowtail Butterfly

 

 

And Raja Brooke's Birdwing from Borneo:

 

P3294891 Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana)

 

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offshorebirder

@kittykat23uk - Raja Brooke's Birdwing is a stunner!

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Towlersonsafari

thanks very much @Caracal taste buds in feet? that is a strange concept

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Towlersonsafari

We were on holiday in the Morvern peninsula last week and saw, amongst other things this-the Chequered Skipper, found on the West Coast of Scotland but extinct in England save for a re-introduction scheme in Northamptonshire

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Towlersonsafari

And this-the  Pearl Bordered Fritillary, not to be confused with the same sized small Pearl Bordered Fritillary-apparently you can tell them apart because

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It can be distinguished from the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary by the two large silver 'pearls' and row of seven outer 'pearls' on the underside hind wing, and also the red (as opposed to black) chevrons around the outer pearls and the small central spot on the hind wing.

 

To make things more fun , if the ones we saw are anything to go by, they are very sy at showing you their underside hind wing!

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Edited by Towlersonsafari
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Towlersonsafari

Continuing this vague voyage among butterflies that last year I had never heard of, we wnent to see the Black Hairstreak butterfly yesterday-this is what Butterfly Conservation say about it-

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The Black Hairstreak is one of our most elusive butterflies. It is found only in thickets of Blackthorn in woodlands on heavy clay soils between Oxford and Peterborough in the East Midlands of England. 

 

And luckily for us a stronghold is a Wildlife Trust reserve Glapthorn Cow Pastures, and although they fly for only about 3 weeks they like sunney sheltered rides and bramble flowers.Once more they are easy to confuse, as the same organisation warns!

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The adults are easy to confuse with those of the White-letter Hairstreak and Purple Hairstreak which fly at the same time of year, care is needed to confirm identification of the underside marking, which has a row of black spots in the outer orange marking and may have a white 'W'.

 

this was really the first time I have used a macro lens so I am quite pleased with the results!

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23 hours ago, Towlersonsafari said:

Continuing this vague voyage among butterflies

 

I never pictured you as a vague voyager @Towlersonsafari but I'm thoroughly enjoying the ride. Glapthorn Cow Pastures - how great is that name - quintessentially English!

 

You're really opening my eyes to the fascinating diversity of butterflies in England - far more than I remembered seeing during my childhood and youth.

 

You've every right to be pleased with your photos. Looking forward to more.

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Towlersonsafari

Ha! thank you @Caracal for your kind words-but vague is my middle name! and thank you @Peter Connan @Zim Girl   for your kind "likes" this time last year I would have not really paid much attention to butterflies, to my shame,  but there are some very beautiful butterflies in the Uk and I think Northamptonshire seems to be a hot spot for several of them.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Towlersonsafari

And so  it is the staqrt of the Purple Emporer season-the butterfly that started our interset in trying to identify butterflies. I cannot belive that I spent a good 15 minutes staring at one as it licked dog poo, but there we are- the purple sheen is dependnat on how the light hits it and is only on the male.They need salts minerals etc to get into breeding condition and folk had come from as far as Cornwall to see them!

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Towlersonsafari

It is also the Silver washed fritillary season

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Towlersonsafari

And inally ere is a small skipper, and a large skipper (female) the small skipper has orange ends to the antenna

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@Towlersonsafari you are really getting into butterflies now!

Beautiful photos, and I know they are difficult to photograph 

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