I saw my first Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeia) of the year in the garden this morning.
This species has a flight period from early April to mid October with 2 or 3 generations a year depending upon Summer temperatures.
Speckled Woods pass the Winter as either a caterpillar or chrysalis so this will be a newly emerged individual.
Males defend their territory vigorously by engaging in spiralling aerial "battles".
This species was originally called the "Enfield Eye" because it was found on Enfield Chase near London and then "Wood Argus" until the present name became popular.
Butterfly Species 2012 = 2
11 comments:
nice shots!! I haven't see a Speckled Wood this year although I saw an Orange Tip today
Well captured Speckled Wood, Caroline.
Speckled Wood butterflies are popular in my neck of the woods but I haven't seen my first of the year yet. Its great to see them gradually appear around the blog world, Linda
It even looks brand new! Just like the one Dean had on Friday.
Pete - many thanks. Well done on the Orange Tip - one of my favourite species (the males are so pretty with those little orange-tipped wings!).
Dean - Many thanks.
Kirstall Creatures - It seems a pretty early sighting for my garden but they are usually around all Summer.
Toffeeapple - Its lovely seeing butterflies looking so new - the colours and patterns just look that extra bit special!
Excellent macros. I'm excited to see your visitors this year in the garden. The more heat; the more butterflies!!! We already have several Swallowtails flying around.
Chris - Many thanks - glad you liked the photos. Lovely sunny warm day here today and as you say the more heat the more flutters! Swallowtails - the one butterfly I really want to see but I would need to travel to Norfolk. Am working on it!
How lovely a Speckled Wood already! It does look lovely and fresh.
Great captures of the Sparrowhawk and the Wren activity on the previous post. We had the perfect imprint of a Sprawk on the glass of our French windows a couple of years ago! There was no sign of it anywhere so I assume it must have recovered from its collision.
Shy Songbird - Many thanks. So glad your sprawk appeared to recover from its collision. I've heard the occasional thud and found imprints on our windows before now, usually of larger birds, but by the time I get outside the bird has already flown off.
Isn't it fun to go on those trips? In search of.....:) I think that's what I love most about blogging. You search for something...reports, something known or something obvious, but whatever the case, something else surfaces and I am loving that. I have a similiar post to what you are doing with her book. Instead I am taking a movie that was filmed in Tucson and visiting the addresses of the places filmed in the movie....but that's for summer when I have some time to do it:) Happy Wednesday!!
Chris - yes, it is great fun to go on trips. I love researching things too and, as you say, new things surface that you hadn't been looking for which makes it all the more exciting and less predictable. I am also finding that I am discovering lots of new places fairly locally that I haven't been to for years or are completely new to me!
Visiting places where a movie was filmed in Tucson sounds a brilliant idea and I look forward to reading all about it in the summer. Happy Wednesday to you too !!
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