Red Admiral Studies

Glorious days are few and far between these days, and although the morning nipped chillily into unprotected fingers, if you could find any suntraps then it was obligatory to be outside.

So as soon as it was warm enough, I was off to Rumbles cafe for my morning-ish-nearly-afternoon-by-now tea, where kids played football on the grass or rather grown up looking kids dug huge holes in the sandpit. Me, I just sat and red and let the sun heat up my reptilian blood.

In the afternoon, I decided to have a gentle, very gentle indeed run, thinking all the while about what kind of new CV I should create for myself, career prospects in general, and just why Scotland were being so hopeless against the USA in the first half of the rugby.

It was towards the end of this run, 10km to Beacon Hill Reserve and along the river, that I decided to inspect the last bastion of flora on the local small park for butterflies basking in the sunshine. I was immediately rewarded with the sight of a large white nectaring off a purple bloom, but it was too skittish to be photographed. A big tree bumblebee queen, the first bumble I have seen for a little while, was also busy, but the prize of best model of the day goes to the red admiral that obligingly posed for the photographs you see below.

They are the hardiest of our butterflies I would say, and tend to last longest in the year. I've probably mentioned before I've photographed one on boxing day.

Enjoy the lunar eclipse tonight. 2AM BST is when the moon will start to darken.

Si

all text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 27.09.15

I see you!

Sun on your back

Beautiful markings, ugly focus

Edge on

Spotlit for glory

Lots of butterflies, lots of confusion

Today's run took me around Balderton Lake, along the cycle path past London Road Lake, then along the whole length of Clay Lane before heading across to run through Beacon Hill nature reserve.

It was a glorious morning and although I didn't spot any swifts as I was hoping, it was a day for butterflies. I was hoping some new species might make an appearance today, and I was right.

Clay Lane was where the butterfly action was originally at, and my hope of seeing a speckled wood was quickly realised as I saw a solitary specimen resting low down on the plants beneath the blossoming hawthorns. Also around were what I think must have been male small whites - these are very similar to female orange tips, but I go with the small white as I'm not used to seeing orange tips along Clay Lane.

As I ran further along, a brimstone erupted out of the undergrowth, and flapped along in front of me almost bouncing off my chest as I strode awkardly along the uneven path giving me once again a superb view of these large bright yellow markers of spring. I had figured the first brimstone flight would be over by now, so I was pleasantly surprised to see this specimen. It teased me by settling on a leaf stem to give me a photo opp which it quickly spolied by flying away as I readied my mobile phone.

There's still plenty of first flight peacocks about, and then as I ran along the copse edge path in Beacon Hill reserve, I was pleased to see my first orange tip of the season. I am a little worried about how well this species is doing, they are normally far more plentiful than this by now, and the sighting of a second invidual in the nursery didn't do much to change this. Last year they were everywhere.

And finally, near my home, a small blue butterfly was on flight. Only it wasn't a small blue, I thought it must be a common blue. But further research indicates to me that common blues aren't up yet, and it was perhaps more likely a holly blue which also seem to be a more garden / urban species than the common blue.

The trouble with butterflies is that they never kindly sit on my finger for five minutes, wings outstretched, to give me a chance to work out what kind of blue or white I am looking at!

The sleeping butterfly

 

I found this fellow round the back of Starbucks, opposite the church. For some reason I think it's a Small Tortoishell looking at the shape of the wing edge. It was very low down, and although the sun was out, this was a north facing wall so I think it would be a day asleep for this butterfly. 

I like the colour of the brickwork in close up in this shot - pink, red, grey and green. I'm no photographer at all, and I'm always pleased to get an decent butterfly picture.