A nice morning so re-visited Wiveton Downs for a couple of hours butterfly hunting. The Downs is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and is an esker, in layman’s terms a glacial crevasse which was filled in and forms a winding ridge. Situated a mile or so inland from the Nth Norfolk coast. The top of the ridge is mostly Gorse and on the north side the lower slopes are clothed in Bluebells and well sheltered.
My target was seeing the Green Hairstreak. Spurred on by Mike’s post yesterday https://alittlebitoutoffocus.com/2021/05/10/green-hairstreak-butterfly-val-dherens-switzerland/ I was hoping the locals would be out and about, I was not disappointed. I have posted about this species before and have mentioned their rather nasty temper (yes B in Illinois, hard to believe but true). These butterflies are the size of a thumbnail but that doesn’t stop them from beating the living daylights out of each other and attacking any thing else that flies past!
All the butterflies were condensed into one area near a flowering Hawthorn and a bank of Bluebells. There was more than Hairstreaks though, in all I saw ten different species.
great photos Brian! – I was out looking for Painted Ladies and Admirals today – may have spotted one (PL or otherwise very swift Toroiseshell) before the rains came down, but lost track of it before a positive ID. All very handsome species!
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Thanks Pete. Had to do a double take on the PL (never saw one last year) as it was quite faded. Surprisingly it stuck around for ages, normally these migrants keep moving north.
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Nice ones Brian! Looks like your season has taken off in earnest. I love those Small Coppers. And great that you found some Green Hairstreaks too! They certainly are feisty little things. (And many thanks for the mention). 😊
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Cheers Mike. No the seasons still slow in Norfolk, just not getting any length of decent weather to really kick things off and now it’s mid May and I’ve only just seen my first damselfly.
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All the butterflies in your post live in Finland too. I am actually not sure about the Lycaena.
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I have checked a list for Finland and yes the Lycaena is present plus some species I would love to see!
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How nice! I can show you a post from my blog about a peculiar butterfly which I shot in Finland: https://traitaliaefinlandia.com/2017/02/23/la-farfalla-geometra/
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Very nice, I’ve left a comment on your post.
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Amazing how well that green hairstreak can blend in with the leaves. You read my mind on the call out ha! Wonderful series Mr. B. and as I mentioned before, the detail on the antennae is really cool. Based on your shots I always look for that when I am out in the field – visually of course, The Beast isn’t the right instrument to draw in that kind of macro detail.
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Hi B. No you need to smuggle out L’s macro lens!
These are difficult butters to find when they sit still and almost impossible to follow in flight (the upper wing is dark brown) but on the plus side you can get really close to them, until they see another rival.
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You’ve treated us to wonderful photographs, again, Brian, and knowing how anti-social the hairstreaks can be, I had a good chuckle at your description of them as “green meanies”!
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My pleasure Dries. Yes Hairstreaks do have an attitude problem!
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My husband and I both loved this wonderful shade of green and your local Green Hairstreaks. It must have been wonderful to have such views 🙂
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It was great fun watching them but they are so difficult to follow in flight because of the colour (the upper wings are dark brown).
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Beautiful photos of the butterflies Brian!
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Thanks so much! Appreciate your comment.
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You’re welcome
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Love the photos! So far the only butterflies I’ve seen around my home are the Cabbage White. Hopefully some more butterflies will be around soon. Until then – I get to enjoy your photos!!
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Very kind Kim. It’s still very slow over here as well, the temps are way below what we should have. I’ve only just seen my first Damselfly, that’s a month later than usual!
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Awesome as always! I think that one Hairstreak was doing a stare down at your camera.😳 We have had a wonderful display of butterflies here in the last few days as it warmed up again. I think you will have a covert if that guy in IL ever breaks out the micro lens and starts shooting butterflies instead of birds. 😂
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Great you are getting the butterflies CJ, it’s now started turning chilly here again!
I don’t think Linda will let B use her lens and he would have no chance photographing these Hairstreaks with ‘the beast’.
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The weather changed here too. Challenging gardening season! 😂 I think you are right on B & L. Can’t imagine the Beast trying to take butterflies.🤣
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Last weekend we saw this green butterfly on Salthouse Heath. It attracted quite some photographers.
Happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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All a bit slow this year and no sign of imminent improvement. They are a lovely butterfly to photograph as they will allow a close approach (when they are not fighting!)
Have a good time, thanks for the visit.
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The Wiveton Downs has been on our list for a revisit for quite a while so will definitely venture out and look for this beauty soon.Your photos are stunning, Brian.
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Thanks Dina, only found one group by the Hawthorn on the north side, once it warms up there should be more among the gorse.
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Nice pics, Brian. Good to see a few of our the old favourites appearing at last. That does seem pretty early for Painted Ladies though. I wonder if it has anything to do with the Southely-ish winds we’ve been getting lately, giving them a bit off a turbo charge on their way up here. Everything else seems to be starting so late.
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Cheers David. Yes I think the southerlies brought them through but it’s now turned northerly up here again so that will slow the spread.
Yes everything is late, I’ve only just seen my first Damselfly, three weeks later than the norm!
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Really Great Brian! Not much happening around here though some large cabbage whites, plain tigers, plains cupid and a few common jays only. Though occasionaly things do pop up
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Thanks, it looks like we are both having a slow season and it’s turned cool here again.
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So beautiful!
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They certainly are Nuno!
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The Hairstreak is lovely. Never seen a green butterfly.
The Painted Ladies visit our spot almost on a daily basis, and in the afternoon there are always one or two flitting about the front garden. They seem to like to sunbathe, landing on the lawn open wings facing east.
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It’s the UK’s only true green butterfly.
Are the PLs in your Country migrants or year round residents? Some years we get very few, never saw one in 2020.
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Good question.
My personal photo records show them in the garden from September through May, which would cover Spring right through to Autumn, leaving only winter proper.
I may have shots from the missing months. It’ll take a bit to find out as I ”weed out” so many shots and it may be that I have just not bothered to photograph them.
I’ll let you now.
Meantime, I found this.,
Found this …
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/oct/19/painted-lady-butterflies#:~:text=Rather%20than%20hibernate%2C%20adult%20painted,and%20back%20again%20each%20year.
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