The Natural History Of Staffordshire: Fauna and Flora (1 Viewer)

[Upland Birder]

Hi Richard,

I've told you before not to eat the wings of butterflies :-O You'll be on to bats next :eek!:

I think the butterfly in your photo is Brown Argus but is it female or male? The female is larger with more rounded wings. Looking at it I wondered if it was female.

Looking at the photo it does not to me look like female Common Blue.

Carl will probably see this now and shoot me down in flames and say its a Common Blue or some other species. Was there a hint of blue when you looked at it?

Dean:t:

 

[laesevets]

Can anyone shed some light on this flutterby, seen at Brown End Quarry at Waterhouses?

Looking through my flutterby book, female Common Blue or Brown Argus? To make things more difficult, it had half a wing missing.

Hi Richard
Female Common Blue mate........:t:

 

[Cyclops]

Oh I wish I'd known about this forum when I lived in south staffs! Mind you its been 10 years since I lived there! Miss the area!

 

[Upland Birder]

Hi Richard
Female Common Blue mate........:t:

I was comparing the photo with Richard Lewingtons illustrations of female Common Blue and Brown Argus. I could not see any white on the bottom edge of each of the orange and black dots on lower wings. In Lewingtons illustration this is evident on Common Blue female but not in photo. On Lewingtons illustration of Brown Argus there is no white in the orange and brown dots.

Checked another guide with Lewingtons illustrations and no white flecks on Common Blue so must be quality of the earlier illustration. However I cannot see a hint of blue in the female in photo if it is a Common Blue.

Interesting!!

Dean

 

[Neil-T]

Looking in my guide I would say Brown argus, the reason being the markings on the forewing are all orange, the last 2 dots on the leading edge of the forewing on common blue are whitish with dark dots. Then again this butterfly has seen better days and looks very tatterd and worn. And there is no sign of blue near the centre of the wings at all, which is visable on common blue.

 

[Neil-T]

Popped over to Doxey to do some bug hunting. A couple of moths for someone to ID along with a few other bugs, I have no idea what they are, so it's over to the experts.

 

[Neil-T]

Pictures of male and female common blue attached.

 

[Rob1991S-O-T]

Popped over to Doxey to do some bug hunting. A couple of moths for someone to ID along with a few other bugs, I have no idea what they are, so it's over to the experts.

the small white moth is a micro of the ermine family its possibly Orchard ermine but alot look the same
and will get back to you on the macro when i have a book at hand

 

[carlj]

Dean, am I really that Shrek-like?

Brown argus all the way - look on the forewings, you'll just make out black dashes which will nail it! (If white, then Northern Brown Argus)

Carl

 

[carlj]

Neil, 3 seems to be an ichneumon or wasp of some form. 4 is Cicadella viridis - lovely leafhopper and 5 is Yponomeuta cagnagella - myeolois cribrella can be mistaken for it, but the latter doesn't have black spots on the thorax.

Carl

 

[Upland Birder]

Thanks for your help Carl:t:

Dean

 

[Richard Powell]

Thanks for all the responses :t:. I have the Lewington guide and I couldn't tell the difference!

 

[Rob1991S-O-T]

Popped over to Doxey to do some bug hunting. A couple of moths for someone to ID along with a few other bugs, I have no idea what they are, so it's over to the experts.

the moth is a Red Underwing as its name say has a red underwing if it had flown

 

[Neil-T]

Knew Richards Butterefly was Brown argus, you would have seen a hint of blue at least for Common blue. Thanks for helping with ID Carl and Rob, the wasp thingy was very strange indeed, never seen anything like it before. The large moth did fly and was red under it's wings, so a possitive ID from Rob. Thanks again guys.

 

[Nick Smith]

Here's a tricky one for you boys.

 

[Rob1991S-O-T]

Here's a tricky one for you boys.

southern hawker or common hawker but will leave it for carl to comfirm

 

[Neil-T]

Southern Hawker. (Aeshna cyanea) See how the dots on the last few segments meet, most other species of Hawker the dots do not meet. Nice find Nick, was it at Westport?

 

[carlj]

Southern Hawker. (Aeshna cyanea) See how the dots on the last few segments meet, most other species of Hawker the dots do not meet. Nice find Nick, was it at Westport?

I usually run with the antehumeral stripes, which are larger on the Southern. This is female, as the male has a "waist" at the thorax/abdomen.

 

[chris23565]

Southern Hawker. (Aeshna cyanea) See how the dots on the last few segments meet, most other species of Hawker the dots do not meet. Nice find Nick, was it at Westport?

No we had it elsewhere, thanks for the ID help guys a new one for me and prob for nick as well, when it was my turn to get some photo's of it he decided to frighten it off so I couldn't get a piccie:-C

 

[Nick Smith]

No we had it elsewhere, thanks for the ID help guys a new one for me and prob for nick as well, when it was my turn to get some photo's of it he decided to frighten it off so I couldn't get a piccie:-C

The wind blew a branch nearby that was all. Because you didn't get any pics as i was stood in front of you, i will do you a special offer with my prints. Two prints for £20. How fair is that. All you have to do is provide the photo paper and ink.