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sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Jun 13, 17 4:29 pm Post subject:
If you squirt an orange pip out of your fingerand thumb so that it goes past a hoverfly the fly will lock on to it and track its trajectory. I read an article about it in New Scientist when I was in the 6th form and it's been my go to hoverfly fact ever since.

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Wed Jun 14, 17 12:11 pm Post subject:
Have you ever tried it though Sean?

buzzy

Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds

Posted: Wed Jun 14, 17 5:53 pm Post subject:

sgt.colon wrote:

Have you ever tried it though Sean?

And is there some peculiar magic about orange pips, or will any similar sized and shaped object work equally well?

Henry

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Jun 14, 17 6:49 pm Post subject:
I've tried it. It works. They stop following them when the pip's forward speed drops. I assume that anything that looks like a hoverfly to a hoverfly would do the trick.

buzzy

Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds

Posted: Wed Jun 14, 17 8:39 pm Post subject:
Presumably the species to try this on would be Episyrphus balteatus. Commonly known as the Marmalade Fly. Henry

buzzy

Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 17 2:41 pm Post subject:

Today, despite the very hot weather, we went to look for Black Hairstreaks. After having seen several other species, including Ringlets, Speckled Woods, Silver-washed Fritillaries and Commas, there was great excitement as somebody called out "There's one!" After quite a few photographs, and detailed scrutiny, we came to the conclusion that it was not a Black, but a White-letter Hairstreak (Satyrium w-album):

It was rather shy of being photographed, and even this picture involved the aid of several of my companions bending branches down to bring it nearer!

We also saw Greater Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera bifolia) nearly over, but upon which a grasshopper obligingly perched to improve the picture!

I am fairly sure the hopper is the Common Green Grasshopper (Omocestus viridulus)

We also saw several Red Kites.

Henry

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 17 3:11 pm Post subject:
We saw a couple of Small Blues on the cliff path between Morwenstow and Duckpool. They weren't being very cooperative about staying still for photgraphic/id purposes. But there was Kidney Vetch and there were ants so I'm claiming them.

buzzy

Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 17 4:54 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

We saw a couple of Small Blues on the cliff path between Morwenstow and Duckpool. They weren't being very cooperative about staying still for photgraphic/id purposes. But there was Kidney Vetch and there were ants so I'm claiming them.

I'd back your id skills. Every Small Blue I've seen has behaved like that!

Henry

buzzy

Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 17 5:00 pm Post subject:
I ought to have mentioned that although Black Hairstreak is more rare nationally, White Letter Hairstreak is much less common at the site we were visiting than is the Black. Henry

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15578

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 17 6:41 am Post subject:
Good fines and under the circumstances, good photos Buzzy. We went to our bee orchid site yesterday and were rather disappointed as we only found 3. Usually we find if not hundreds, enough to make it seem that way. There were plenty of pyramid orchids and we also found a rock rose. Less valerian than usual too for some reason.

buzzy

Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 17 9:17 am Post subject:
There was quite a lot of Valerian along one of the rides yesterday. Henry

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15578

Posted: Wed Jun 21, 17 6:03 am Post subject:
I like valerian when it grows with all three colours together in a big drift; the white, pink and red look lovely together. There was also a fair bit of vipers bugloss, which is interesting colouring.

buzzy

Joined: 04 Jan 2011
Posts: 3708
Location: In a small wood on the edge of the Huntingdonshire Wolds

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 17 6:07 pm Post subject:

Today was definitely a butterfly day. We went out looking for Purple Emperors. As soon as we got out of the car at the site, one of us spotted a probable PE, but it didn't make a good enough showing for us to be certain of the identification.

We then walked along the ride, stopping from time to time as somebody pointed to a tiny dark spot flitting about in the tops of the trees and said "there's one". We would all stop and crick our necks for a while, trying to spot the elusive shape.

As we proceeded slowly, we did see other butterflies - Ringlets, Speckled Woods and even Silver Washed Fritillaries (Argynnis paphia), which, though spending a lot of time chasing other butterflies, did occasionally stop to pose whilst feeding:

There were also plenty of Commas, Ringlets and Small Tortoiseshells, and quite a few White Admirals. Also a few probable Hairstreaks which were most likely to have been Purple, but again they were shy and stayed at the tops of the trees.

So we reached our traditional turning point, and began to make our way back, still not having had very good sightings of Purple Emperors. But after a short while, a very kind gentleman came to our rescue, actually turning round and walking back to tell us that there was one feeding on the ground, We returned with him to th spot, and sure enough there was a handsome male Apatura iris, probing the ground with its proboscis. Not sure what is was doing - the ground looked very dry, but possibly there was dampness a few millimetres below the surface (probably something unpleasant but nutrient rich, like dog urine

The purple sheen is often hard to see, and as we were watching, it appeared and disappeared with small changes in the butterfly's (or our) position.

We took lots of pictures (some of us went a bit overboard!), and moved on, where we soon found another PE; this one had its wings closed so we could see the lovely pattern on the underside:

All this about a hundred yards from the car park. No need for all that walking unless you wanted the exercise.

Henry

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8604
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 17 8:51 am Post subject:
We went to a natural memorial meadow burial on the solstice. The insect life was amazing...and being so hot wasn't staying still enough to i.d. anything,let alone take a photo.

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 17 9:30 am Post subject:
Great photos Buzzy.

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