Some Moths during July

 Although the moth-trap provides most of  my opportunities for moth photographs, the following images also include a few that I came across during daytime woodland walks.

Here are some moths during July.

Pine Hawkmoth (Hyloicus pinastri)

Black Arches (Lymantria monacha) (male)

Buff Arches (Habrosyne pyritoides)

Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata)

Great Oak Beauty (Hypomecis roboraria) (male)

Small Scallop (Idaea emarginata)

Beautiful Hook-tip (Laspeyria flexula)

Ruby Tiger (Phragmatobia fuliginosa)

Common Lutestring (Ochropacha duplaris)

Dingy Footman (Eilema griseola)

Evergestis limbata

Evergestis pallidata

Musotima nitidalis

Here are a couple of fly species to end with.

Exorista larvarum

This is a species of parasitic fly that mainly preys on moth larvae.

Eristalis intricaria

This is a species of hoverfly that is a bumble-bee mimic.

Female

Male

Some Butterflies during June and July

 It is still too early to sum up this year's season for butterflies and moths but it has certainly been a very good year for some species. The incessant hot and dry weather has brought an early end to the season for several species and walking around my local woods has felt more like September with just a few worn Gatekeepers and Silver-washed Fritillaries still about. 

However, all the signs point to 2022 being an excellent migration year. Following the arrival of multiple numbers of Striped Hawkmoths during the spring, reports of Swallowtails and Queen of Spain Fritillaries being sighted in south-east England has fuelled expectation that there may be more to be seen in late summer and autumn.

Here is a round up and some of the butterflies and other insects that I have seen during June and July.

Marbled White (Melanargia galathea) (male)

Predominantly a downland species in Sussex, a few small colonies also occur in woodland clearings.

Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) (female)

Large White (Pieris brassicae) (mating)

Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)

Male

Female

Some markings on this Ringlet are slightly lanceolate in shape.

Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris) (mating)

Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) (mating)

This male Gatekeeper has fallen victim to a Crab Spider (Misumena vatia)

White Admiral (Limenitis camilla) (male)

This species had a good year in East Sussex but it's season came to a rapid end.

Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) (female, form valezina)

This valezina was quite happily basking in light rain and only retreated to the canopy when the rain became heavy.

Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) (male)

At this time of year, Brimstones are busily nectaring in preparation for hibernation.

Wall (Lasiommata megera)

The Wall can still be found in discrete colonies away from the downs.

This male was one of several individuals enjoying the evening sunshine on Pevensey Levels.

These two different females were from a small colony in a wealden wood.

And a few other insects to finish with.

Woodland Grasshopper (Omocestus rufipes)

This very local species of grasshopper occurs in thinly scattered colonies in southern England.

Male

Female

Figwort Sawfly (Tenthredo scrophulariae) (male)

Great Pied Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens) (female)

Moth Encounters during June

 By way of a catch-up, here are some images of moths that I took during June. Most are as a result of  moth trapping but I regularly encounter moths during the daytime when out walking.

Elephant Hawkmoth (Deilephila elpenor)

Privet Hawkmoth (Sphinx ligustri) (mating)

(I very rarely venture out without my camera but on this occasion I had to resort to my wife's phone for a picture)

Lobster Moth (Stauropus fagi)

Drinker Moth (Euthrix potatoria) (larva at rest)

Blood-vein (Timandra comae)

Bordered Beauty (Epione repandaria)

Brussels Lace (Cleorodes lichenaria)

Miller (Acronicta leporina)

Dusky Brocade (Apamea remissa)

Phoenix (Eulithis prunata)

Ptycholoma lecheana

(the egg on the same grass blade as the moth is probably that of a Speckled Wood butterfly)

Prochoreutis sehestediana (or P.myllerana)

(this tiny moth is only 5mm. in length and is virtually impossible to follow in flight with the naked eye. No surprise that it is probably under recorded)

The Silver-washed Fritillary

 The Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) is our largest fritillary in Britain and is also one of our most spectacular butterfly species.

 They are powerful flyers along woodland edges and to watch a male courting a female as they fly together at head height along a ride is mesmerising. The male follows the female and then overtakes her by flying underneath her and rising in front of her, wafting pheromones, before then letting her fly on beneath him. This circular courtship is repeated many times before mating occurs.

Form valezina is a lovely olive-green variant that occurs in about 10% of the female population. It does not occur in males. Over the last few decades, paphia has become more common in my local East Sussex woods and consequently the appearance of valezina has become more frequent.

Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia)

Male

Female

Female, form valezina.

Mating pair with valezina female.

(My thanks to James who was already watching this pair when I arrived on site)