Large Skipper. Photo: Shona Refoy
Large Skipper. Photo: Shona Refoy
Shona found a good few Large Skippers at Giant’s Hill, Cerne Abbas on 1/06/19 and was pleased to get a photo of the only female (top) she saw that day before tripping on uneven ground and frightening it off.
Butterfly photography can be a dangerous hobby especially on a hillside such as Giant’s hill!š±
Duke of Burgundy. Photo: Paul Swann
Duke of Burgundys. Photo: Paul Swann
Most people are happy to see one Duke of Burgundy at Cerne Abbas on the only site accessible to the public where they can be found, but Paul found these three on 12/05/19 flitting excitedly around a Hawthorn bush, in a courtship ritual. Continue reading
Carpet moth. Photo: David Parish
David might not have found Duke of Burgundy on Black Hill (Cerne Abbas) on 16/05/2019, but he did find this Common Carpet Moth. He did well to catch the photo, they usually disappear into the undergrowth at high speed!
Duke of Burgundy. Photo: Mark Wright
A lovely shot of a Duke by Mark, taken at Cerne Giant Hill, which has the only publicly accessible colony of this butterfly in Dorset. Butterfly Conservation Dorset Branch regularly undertakes conservation work on the site to ensure its survival.
Duke of Burgundy. Photo: John Woodruff
Spotted by John on Giant Hill, Cerne Abbas on 16/05/2019. He reports that all the Dukes out were to be see at the base of the hill, in the undergrowth. Catching this specimen among the grass really gives you an idea of how small this butterfly is.
Marsh Fritillary. Photo: Shona Refoy
The season is progressing: the Marsh Fritillaries are out! This is a shot of the first one Shona has ever seen: let’s hope we can help them flourish, so she can see lots more. Giant Hill, Cerne Abbas, 13/05/2019
Green Hairstreak. Photo: Mark Pike
Mark says it was a good morning for Green Hairstreaks at Cerne Giant Hill on 13/05/2019. They are such a small butterfly it seems rather amusing to think of them on a giant.
Duke of Burgundy ab. gracilans. Photo: Mark Pike
Mark tells us he has seen this aberration at Giant Hill (Cerne Abbas) for the last two or three years, but this is the first decent shot he has been able to get of it. It is much more orange than the usual Duke. Continue reading
Marsh Fritillary. Photo: Dave Law
Dave found this freshly emerged Marsh Fritillary at Cerne Abbas on 15/05/18. It has one brood and is generally seen in the UK May- July.
It is probably the most variable of all the European fritillaries in respect to size and ground colour of the upper sides of fore and hind-wings.
It has adapted to a wide variety of habitats in Europe but in the UK it is mostly found in grassy, flowery places which hosts the caterpillarĀ foodplant, devils bit scabious.
Eggs of the Marsh Fritillary. Photo: Dave Law
Dave says this was one of quite a few egg batches found on various Dorset sites, which is hopefully good news for future generations of the butterfly. The eggs will hatch into caterpillars, which hibernate over the winter, to then form chrysalises and emerge as the adult butterfly in May the following year.
Dave took the picture at Cerne Abbas on 12/06/2017