Hutchinsons Bank Holly Blue

A visit to Hutchinsons Bank today, looking for butterflies, the Glanville Fritillary caterpillar was still eating its plantain leaf.

Many Brimstones were flying along the nature trail, the females looking for egg-laying sites, one settled for 7 seconds on a Buckthorn and laid an egg.

A Holly Blue female was also egg-laying on the flowerbuds of Dogwood.

Green Hairstreak, Dingy and Grizzled Skippers

Lots of first sightings for the year today at Hutchinsons Bank, 3 Green Hairstreaks, 2 Grizzled Skippers,a Dingy Skipper and a Holly Blue were all seen on various parts of the reserve. A Fully Grown caterpillars of Glanville Fritillary was seen again in one of the scrapes.

Green Hairstreak and hoverfly eye to eye.

Dingy Skipper

 Grizzled Skipper

Fully Grown Glanville Fritillary Caterpillars

This afternoon i photographed fully grown caterpillars of Glanville Fritillary in the scrapes. They should be pupating in the next day or two.

They are now in smaller groups, there are 6 caterpillars in the bottom picture and three in the top one.