Venus Pool - Butterflies

I haven't really bothered with Butterflies in the arable field  so far this year, thanks to the unwanted attention from Clegs and Horseflies! Here's a few from a walk there...

Small Copper...

Common Blue (male and female)

Brown Argus

It's never too late to catch up with things!

Llanymynech - Dingy Skipper etc

I had butterflies on my mind today. The cold easterly wind continues to blow however and scupper thoughts of butterflies by the dozen. It was hard work with cloud cover for most of my available time there but one of my 'targets' was achieved - Dingy Skipper!

I suppose one bonus of the low temperature is their relative inactivity!

I'd seen a couple of Small Copper on my travels but one sitting had eluded me...

It's been a super year for Orange Tips, usually as ever 'flying through' at least this one stopped!

On the walk back to the car a male Leucozona lucorum hoverfly

Where's a Grizzly when you need one! Oh well, next time...

Llanymynech - Small Coppers inc. caeruleopunctata

 Highlight for me today was the impressive appearance of Small Coppers! They were not particularly confiding but one or two posed nicely and with the sun shining the coppery sheen on some was amazing!

This one caught my eye with a couple of blue granular spots on the hindwing and I wouldn't have though much of it but...

then....

Wow, this beauty which flew and started feeding on Arabis hirsuta took my breath away, sporting a neat row of four spots on each hindwing

A full on aberrant caeruleopunctata,..

No prizes for guessing which my butterfly of the day was!

Venus Pool - Big day insects

In addition to the birds, plenty of insects were still on show in the arable field! We were lucky to have two female Speckled Bush Crickets on show! Here's the first...

Plus the second one, easy to distinguish as she had a complete set of legs!

Roesel's Bush Cricket were all over the reserve but never easy to get them in the open!

Migrant Hawker perched up first thing...

Small Copper showing a bit of wear...

An unidentified as yet Digger Wasp species?

And at the end of the day, this lonesome Ivy Bee...

What a day!

Scilly day 2 - St Agnes Butterflies!

I'm meant to be here for the birds but with a 'no show' Red-eyed Vireo looming on St Agnes, it was a bit of a drag. In fact the highlights were at each end of the day in the form of Butterflies!

First up was a Small Copper,but not just any small copper - the very striking aberrant form 'schmidtii'. The ground color is silver white, probably the most extreme form of this quite variable butterfly.

Super form with quite striking iridescence at the base of the wings....

First Clouded Yellow of the trip as the last boat beckoned......

The only bird image of the day! The Vireo was meant to pop out (as it had done the previous day) after this Wren strutted it's stuff!

Oh well, tomorrow is another day and with heavy rain looming, St Mary's the likely island.