Wildlife September 2011

[angie]

Thanks Anthony

Angie

[fredg]

I was hoping to get the cute shot of the big eyes but this little one was very camera shy.
The only shot I got  

[Roma]

Quite difficult getting some of these beasties to pose for the camera, Fred.
I have been stalking butterflies this week in the few minutes when it's been warm enough, not raining. and not too windy.  It was fairly warm this morning and a few butterflies were around.  I saw four Red Admirals and a lone Peacock  on Sedums 'Matrona' and 'Herbstfreude'.  My Red Admiral pics were all too out of focus except for one which was sunning itself on the glass of the car headlight.  After the rain came on in the afternoon I spotted the Peacock butterfly hiding under one of the flower heads.  I think it is spending the night there.

[Paddy Tobin]

Roma, a few drops of sugar syrup put onto a flower will attract the butterflies and keep them there long enough to help take a photograph.

Paddy

[Roma]

Thanks Paddy.  Must try that if we see the sun again before winter.

[FrazerHenderson]

a bug seen in Cyprus - perhaps our resident expert Mr Darby might be able to provide some detail about it

[Anthony Darby]

Can only say it's an assassin bug at the moment.

[Armin]

Frazer, Anthony,
the unknown bug is Lygaeus creticus - Südeuropäische Ritterwanze
Regret I don't know an english name...

[Roma]

Warm and sunny today which brought out lots of butterflies.   
Late forenoon I counted 5 Red Admirals, 2 Peacocks, 1 Small Tortoiseshell and a big surprise 1 Comma, a new sighting for my garden.

Later in the afternoon there were 7 or more Red Admirals, 3 Peacocks, 3 Small Tortoiseshells and the lone Comma.

 

[angie]

Roma did you try the syrup 

Angie

[Roma]

No, Angie.  It was warm and they were feeding on the sedum so did not move around too much.  I think the shaky pics yesterday were more due to a shaky hand and the camera not picking up what I wanted to focus on.  I'm afraid I'm a bit lazy and usually use the camera on automatic.  I can't see the screen too well in bright sunlight so a lot of it is guesswork.

[Anthony Darby]

Gosh. Has the comma really got that far north? I saw my first ever in Dunblane last summer! Once confined to the Welsh border counties, especially Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire, this species is now found throughout England, Wales and the Channel Islands and has recently reached Scotland. There have also been a few records from Ireland.

[daveyp1970]

Gosh. Has the comma really got that far north? I saw my first ever in Dunblane last summer! Once confined to the Welsh border counties, especially Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire, this species is now found throughout England, Wales and the Channel Islands and has recently reached Scotland. There have also been a few records from Ireland.

Is this due to the change in farming practice Anthony,when i was a boy i longed to catch a comma,it just wasn't a common thing in north nottinghamshire.

[Anthony Darby]

Climate change, pure and simple. It is a nettle (as well as hops and elm) feeder, so if anything its food supply has been reduced. The muppets than run councils now spray under hedges and by wall to discourage patches of nettles etc.

[Roma]

Weather was quite changeable here today.  One minute it was warm and sunny and next it was cool and dull with occasional spots of rain but having found the sedums the butterflies kept coming.  I managed to get a shot of the underside of the Comma's wings showing where it gets its name.  When I got too close it dropped to the ground where it was very well camouflaged.