Autumnal Delights.

With so few opportunities to get out recently, apart from a few very quick visits looking for 3rd brood Wall Brown, it was good today to have a longer session on the patch.

The first 3rd brood Wall Brown was seen on Thursday by James, some distance away from the normal spot. 3 days later today, I found 7 Wall Brown where the 3rd brood does normally show. The first Wall I saw was actually the same geriatric 2nd brood individual that I have been seeing several times over the past week. Then however, I saw 6 very fresh butterflies that were clearly 3rd brood. I even had a mating pair. However, for the rest of the long walk I couldn't find any further Wall Brown.

Male Wall Brown.

Also near the spot where the Wall Brown were, was a very nice Hummingbird Hawk-moth that landed several times on the fence posts and a couple of bushes. Each time it settled it only stayed for a few seconds, until it landed on a bush. Here it stayed just long enough for a couple of shots. Most photos of these are taken on the wing as they feed.

Hummingbird Hawk-moth.

Lots of tired butterflies of many species were seen over the rest of the walk including a late Silver-spotted Skipper, many Adonis Blue, a few Chalk-hill Blue and lots of Small Heath.

On Thursday I spotted a Clouded Yellow egg laying. Watching closely an egg was seen being laid which will hopefully become a butterfly towards the end of October, along with many other eggs that the butterfly was laying. 

Clouded Yellow egg.

The Red Admiral pupa in the garden looks very smart now. It even appears to have gold leaf embedded in the pupa. A very smart and beautiful pupa.

Red Admiral pupa 3/9/2018

Red Admiral pupa 9/9/2018. Now slightly paler.