Category Archives: Featured photo

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A red butterfly with brown, black, white and blue markings on some brown vegetation

Peacock. Photo: Lynda Lambert

Lynda sent in this photo telling us:

I found this fairly pristine Peacock near Scotland Farm, on Hartland Moor yesterday, 11/11/2023.  It was the only butterfly I saw and to get a photo I had to follow it on to the heath from the board walk where it was resting and where I accidentally disturbed it!

Merveille du Jour. Photo: Paul Harris

Paul commented he had a triple scoop of mint chocolate chips in Weymouth on 30/10/23.

The delightful Merveille du Jour moth to be precise, which has one generation September-October and feeds on ivy flowers and over ripe berries.

A yellow butterfly with some brown and black markings on a white flower

Clouded Yellow. Photo: Gary Holderness

A blue butterfly with a white fringe to the wings

Common Blue. Photo: Gary Holderness

Two photos from Gary sent in telling us:

I went Southbourne Undercliff yesterday, 09/10/2023 whilst the weather was still good to see if there were any Clouded Yellows about. There were, including this lovely individual and also a Common Blue who both posed long enough for the camera. Nice to see fellow Transect walker Andy Martin there as well.

Convolvulous Hawkmoth. Photo: Paul Harris

On 18/09/23 in his Weymouth garden, Paul was delighted to see this  Convolvulus Hawkmoth feeding on the bank of Nicotiana, one of its favourite flowers to feed on.

As Paul commented the length of the proboscis is astonishing. He was rightly more than a little pleased with this sighting and his photo.

Well done Paul, not a sight many people get to see of this huge migrant hawkmoth.

A yellow butterfly with some black, white and brownish markings flying over some mauve colour flowers

Clouded Yellow. Photo: Tracy Whincup

 

A black, white and yellow butterfly

Clouded Yellow. Photo: Tracy Whincup

Tracy sent us these two photos of Clouded Yellows with the following comments:

Having already seen a few Clouded Yellow butterflies this year its always a highlight for me to see them close to home in Bournemouth. I only spotted one at Southbourne undercliff today, 09/09/2023 but it was one of my favourites, a female form helice.

A blue butterfly with black and white markings on the seed head of grass

Long-tailed Blue. Photo: Martin Warren

A brown butterfly with white, black and orange markings on the seed head of grass

Long-tailed Blue. Photo: Martin Warren

Martin was very definitely in the right place at the right time today and has just sent in these photos to share with us all commenting as follows:

I was amazed to find this very fresh male Long-tailed Blue at Worth Matravers this afternoon, 05/09/2023.  It stayed for 2hrs defending a sheltered patch of grass against all intruding butterflies. I knew immediately it was something different because it was zipping manically around, far quicker than other blues. Fortunately it settled once or twice on the end of long grasses, which swayed in the breeze, hence these far from perfect photos. I have heard of one seen in Devon and a few in Sussex this year, but I think this is the first for Dorset.

A resting brown and golden brown butterfly

Silver-spotted Skipper. Photo: John Woodruff

A resting brown and golden brown butterfly

Silver-spotted Skipper. Photo: John Woodruff.

Two images of these charming little butterflies sent in by John, both taken on his brief visit to Fontmell Down on 20/08/2023.  He told us that due to the strength of the wind they were all hunkered down under the pathways for protection.

The Silver-spotted Skipper, a comparatively rare butterfly found on chalk downlands in southern England is the last of the Skippers to emerge.