Butterflies & Moths 2020

Germain said:

Hi Paul, it does look good for a Large Heath, they are quite a variable butterfly, where about are you?

CinJ

I'm up here in central Scotland, so that would tie in with their range.

When I first spotted it there were lots of Common Blues around, so I had initially though female Common Blue until I managed to get a photo and have a closer look. :-)

Paul A said:

I'm up here in central Scotland, so that would tie in with their range.

When I first spotted it there were lots of Common Blues around, so I had initially though female Common Blue until I managed to get a photo and have a closer look. :-)

Oh fun, throw a Scotch Argus into that mix and you really do need the photos to help :). -  that's when you need the brain to say "why is that butterfly flying/acting differently to the others"

Hope you are getting fab butterfly weather as well 

CinJ

That's a fine looking butterfly, Paul. Not one I'm ever going to see down south.

Nor I TJ since that I'm even further South ... have been waiting for butterflies to find my big blooming Buddleias but very vfew & far between, a Red Admiral  & few Whites up til now ... saw this today but a bit wiggly vid due to the very welcome breeze

Your Buddleias are miles ahead of ours, Wendy. I reckon we need another 5 weeks minimum to get to where you are. On the bright side, I did find a very small mono-caterpillar in the Cabbages in my Butterfly bed today, and there was also a white Butterfly flitting in and out of them.
I suspect he next generation are beginning their journey. :-)

Top and bottom of a male Common Blue. :-)

Only had a couple of tiny Holly Blues here plus a fair number of Whites ... talking of blooming Buddleias, here is the giant flowered one I have let 'do it's own thing' this year & pleased how its spreads & droops over the grass as well as standing tall in the middle ... been relying on this to attract all sorts but, although it has been in full bloom for over a week now, there have been few takers ... until the Red Admirals discovered it today, here's one of them plus a Small Tortoiseshell from yesterday (all closed up of course!)

Obviously hoping for HBHM's next!

WOW, love your Large Heath Paul, I've never seen one but looked up it's range over here & its only in NE France. It's name (over here) indicates it is found on peat moors, so I guess that ties in with Scotland.

Our blue Buddleia has been out a while but the white has just started.

We've been butterfly walking recently & had a Large Blue in one place, not common over here

It wouldn't play ball & open up to show it's lovely blue spotted topside, not like Pauls lovely Common Blue that gave 2 for the price of one!

Also been trapping late in the woods, so home around 02h30 in the morning 3 nights running & then did slug & snail hunt when I got home. Found around 30 on my Dahlias not to mention the veggie garden....

Busy, busy H, where do you get your energy from? Hope we've got lots of lovely pics on the way!

Can anyone ID this moth which was in Yorkshire Dales Kestrel nest last night?

Left side waggling antennae ... there's one on the right too but not so clear!