butterfly

[Crepuscular Ray]

I'm probably being stupid, but has anyone got any ideas what this is? It was sunning itself on a south-east facing wall (accompanied by dozens of harlequin ladybirds and a larger number of wasps) earlier. Apologies for the picture, but it was about 14 feet up and I had to lean out of a nearby window to get something even this incompetent.

[Rustynailer]

Thats a Speckled wood butterfly

[Crepuscular Ray]

Thats a Speckled wood butterfly

Thank you. Not something that I've seen before in this corner of west London. Presumably it got lost between the park and the the cemetery.

[mushymanrob]

love them speckled woods :lol: especially when freshly emerged.

[Lightning Hunter]

There's a wood near here with thousands of those fellows fluttering about. I took this shot in May this year whilst out taking bluebell pics:

[xerxes]

The Speckled Wood is quite a success story. One of a few butterflies that have expanded range steadily in the last 50 years. Multi brooded to so you can see them from mid spring to autumn

[Terminal Moraine]

I'd not seen a Speckled Wood in this area until about 10 years ago, now there are dozens to be seen each summer.

Even the very wet summer this year didn't seem to reduce their numbers.

T.M

[Polar Continental]

The Speckled Wood is quite a success story. One of a few butterflies that have expanded range steadily in the last 50 years. Multi brooded to so you can see them from mid spring to autumn

Yes when I was very young in the 60’s, we often went to Devon for our family holiday’s and I remember seeing many Speckled Wood butterflies in the country lanes, it seemed quite special to see them as I never saw them at home in the midlands, but in the last 15 to 20years they made an appearance in my garden and have recently become quite a common butterfly, even now when I see them, my mind goes way back to our family holidays.

Talking of butterflies, I saw a strange sight today in Burton Town Centre, a Peacock Butterfly was on the wing next to a south facing wall in sunshine, amazing considering frost was still around in the shade.

Paul

[davehsug]

Just make sure it doesn't flap it's wings or that'll be another winter down the drain

Dave

[xerxes]

Yes when I was very young in the 60’s, we often went to Devon for our family holiday’s and I remember seeing many Speckled Wood butterflies in the country lanes, it seemed quite special to see them as I never saw them at home in the midlands, but in the last 15 to 20years they made an appearance in my garden and have recently become quite a common butterfly, even now when I see them, my mind goes way back to our family holidays.

Talking of butterflies, I saw a strange sight today in Burton Town Centre, a Peacock Butterfly was on the wing next to a south facing wall in sunshine, amazing considering frost was still around in the shade.

Paul

Those butterflies that hibernate seem to choose odd times to re-emerge. You sometimes get random sightings of these species throughout winter. I know that Red Admirals(who it was once thought were not able to survive our winter) appear in January as I saw 3 locally this year in that month :lol: