Cinnabar Moth. Photo: George McCabe
George spotted this daytime flying Cinnabar Moth on 23/06/19 while walking around Weymouth.
A striking moth with an equally striking caterpillar which can be readily found on Ragwort ,sometimes in large numbers. the caterpillar has bright gold stripes around a black body. The moth has one generation and is in flight mid May- early August.
Posted on: 11 November, 2019
Red Admiral. Photo: John East
We were sitting in the dining room today, 10/11/2019, when my wife noticed a butterfly flying in the back garden which then settled on an Artemisia plant – we both said it must be a Red Admiral which proved to be the case and it stayed on the plant just long enough for me to get this photo. Shortly before we saw this butterfly we had both remarked that we didn’t think we would see any more butterflies in the garden this year and then this one appeared just to show how wrong we were.
Posted on: 10 November, 2019
Speckled Wood. Photo: Brian Arnold
Brian, like the butterfly, took advantage of the sun this morning 10/11/2019 and ventured into his garden where he took this photo which he has sent us with the following comment:
The sunshine here at Harman’s Cross this morning has brought out a Speckled Wood and a Red Admiral. The Speckled Wood posed on one of our apple trees in the sun, however the Red Admiral was not so obliging!
Posted on: 10 November, 2019
Chalkhill Blue. Photo: Shona Refoy
Chalkhill Blue. Photo: Shona Refoy
Shona has just sent us a couple of photos she took on 23/07/2019 commenting as follows:
Back in the summer, I watched this pair of mating Chalkhill Blues at Tout Quarry as they moved around. The female isn’t very obvious in the first photo – she is dangling upside down with her legs facing us. The second photo shows that she eventually got her feet onto something more substantial than air! Roll on Summer!
Posted on: 9 November, 2019
Large White. Photo: Shona Refoy
Several weeks ago Shona sent us this really beautiful photo taken in the Kitchen Garden at Kingston Lacy on 17/09/2019 – I thought it was a lovely, colourful and crisp photo which would brighten up any gloomy winter’s day so held back on adding it to the Gallery until now.
Posted on: 8 November, 2019
Grayling. Photo: Lyn Pullen
Lyn describes this as a lovely memory from August, finding the first Grayling on the transect she had seen for a long time. Taken at Tadnoll DWT Reserve on 21/08/2019.
What amazing camouflage!
Posted on: 6 November, 2019
Red Admiral. Photo: George McCabe
Comma and Red Admirals. Photo: George McCabe
George tells us that he ventured out yesterday afternoon 03/11/2019 on a beautiful, warm, sunny day after a very stormy night. He went up the Old Coach Road at Upwey, Weymouth where he spotted four Red Admirals and one Comma on 2 Ivy bushes. The first picture shows the Red Admiral still looking great after all the stormy weather and the second photo shows a Comma in the foreground and Red Admirals near the top of the Ivy plant set against a clear blue sky.
Posted on: 4 November, 2019
Speckled Wood. Photo: George McCabe
For those of you following George’s ongoing saga of the Speckled Wood which is reluctant to leave the warmth and comfort of his house he has just sent us this update on 04/11/2019:
The the Specked Wood is still with us. It decided the floor was the best place, but we had a near miss when the postman opened the door and nearly stood on it, so we keep it in a plastic insect viewing tub my son had, and take the lid off when it is safe. We leave a window open for it to go but it won’t.
Posted on: 4 November, 2019
Small Copper. Photo: John East
John took this photo of a Small Copper nectaring on a Cosmos flower in his Hinton St Mary Garden on 06/10/2019 but delayed publishing it in the Gallery until now to try and brighten a grey November day. A reminder of a good butterfly summer and the hope of another one next year.
Posted on: 1 November, 2019
Box Moth. Photo: Judi Woolven
Judi sent us this photo on 18/10/19 of a Box Moth she found sheltering from the elements on her front door in Parkstone.
I have purposely turned her photo to make it easier to see the resemblance to a bull’s head that Judy spotted.
This is an immigrant moth, feared by gardeners as the caterpillar can defoliate Box plants in no time.
Posted on: 26 October, 2019
Fox Moth Caterpillar.Photo: George McCabe
On one of George’s daily walks on 23/0/19 he spotted this large Fox Moth Caterpillar at Southdown Ridge.
This species overwinters as a fully grown caterpillar on or just beneath the ground in moss or leaf litter .This one is probably searching for a suitable site as it feeds until September ,only emerging briefly without feeding to bask in spring sunshine before pupating near the ground and emerging as a moth from May to June.
Posted on: 26 October, 2019
Peacock. Photo: George McCabe
George came across this Peacock on the Old SW path on the Ridgeway Hill near Upwey, Weymouth on 24/10/2019. After a morning of rain the sun came out and he told us he just wanted to get out to enjoy the sunshine adding that it just shows that if the weather is right there are butterflies to be seen.
Posted on: 25 October, 2019
Speckled Wood. Photo: George McCabe
Following on from the earlier recent posting, the saga of the Speckled Wood which has taken up residence in George’s house continues. George has sent us another photo of it taken yesterday, 24/10/2019, showing that it is still in the porch of his house. He tells us that his wife put out a slice of apple out for it and the butterfly spent the night on it. It was then rewarded the next morning with another fresh slice of apple – what a very lucky butterfly to have found such a good home.
Posted on: 25 October, 2019
Comma. Photo: Brian Arnold
A photo to brighten up a wet and grey October day. Brian sent us this photo taken on 22/10/2019 in his Harman’s Cross garden in sunshine which had brought out several butterflies including this quite fresh looking Comma. Brian commented that despite looking so fresh it seems to have part of it’s left rear wing missing. However, bearing in mind the recent weather conditions it would have experienced it’s not too surprising that it may be a bit weather-beaten.
Posted on: 24 October, 2019
Red Admiral. Photo: Shona Refoy
Red Admiral. Photo: Shona Refoy
Shona sent us these photos of a Red Admiral which she took at Ulwell yesterday, 22/10/2019. The first photo shows it nectaring on Ivy and looking rather lovely against the blue sky. When it had finished Shona told us it flew away a short distance, then flew straight back towards her and sat on her leg for a little while. She added that It’s not the first time that a Red Admiral has sat on her but it is the first time she has managed to get a photo!
Posted on: 23 October, 2019
More photos: Gallery Archive
