Tropic of Earnley

Black Swallowtail,
Parides zacynthus polymetus

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Yesterday morning it was bucketing down.  I dropped Danuta and Penny at the station then journeyed to the Earnley Butterfly exhibit to satiate a desperate need to photograph butterflies after a gap of five days.  

  Sue’s sisters had joined us from the cold north on Friday for a Writer’s Weekend.  I was away on Saturday assisting with a SusSAR First Aid course. I gather the next batch of crime thrillers and short stories were dusted and polished during the day.  On Sunday Jackie joined us for a Green Curry Thai takeaway.

  Mark had arrived before me at Earnley which had some new butterfly species and giant flora for us to photograph.  Afterwards I checked out Cissbury Ring, but only a Meadow Brown fluttered for me. A vole scampered away through the grass at one point.

  This morning the rain clouds parted and a patch of blue sky sent me to Mill Hill to do this week’s butterfly transect as the weather forecasts for the rest of the week are problematic. There were strong winds so I was not expecting sightings on the slopes, but was amazed that I did not see a single butterfly at the bottom of the hill. The ones I saw last week were pretty worn and near the end of their lives so I guess the past few days of heavy rain has dispatched those that remained. The last buddleia flowers have gone so there was no possibility of the Red Admirals and Small Tortoiseshells that were around a few weeks ago. The only signs of life were six inch brown slugs.

Earnley Butterfly Farm:

Angel's Trumpet, Brugmansia candida

Angel's Trumpet, Brugmansia candida

Black Swallowtail,
Parides zacynthus polymetus

Caligo memnon, Owl

Cethosia biblis, Malay Lacewing

Cethosia biblis, Malay Lacewing

Cethosia biblis, Malay Lacewing

Morpho peleides, Blue Morpho

Giant Hibiscus, Hibiscus Moscheutos

Hebornia glaucippe, Giant Orange Tip

Heliconius sara, Sara Longwing

Hypolimnas bolina, Eggfly

Kallima inachus, Orange Oakleaf

Kallima inachus, Orange Oakleaf

Kallima inachus, Orange Oakleaf

worn Kallima inachus, Orange Oakleaf

Kallima inachus, Orange Oakleaf

Lime Butterfly, Papilio demoleus

Lime Butterfly, Papilio demoleus

Lime Butterfly, Papilio demoleus

Lime Butterfly, Papilio demoleus

Lime Butterfly, Papilio demoleus

Lime Butterfly, Papilio demoleus

Papilio dardanus f hippocoon, male,
African Mocker Swallowtail

Parthenos sylvia, Clipper

Silver Y, Autographa gamma
this is a common British native moth

Siproeta stelenes, Malachite

worn Papilio dardanus f hippocoon (Female),
African Mocker Swallowtail

pupa

Mill Hill:

Mullein, Verbascum thapsus

 I was surprised to see Mullein flowering

Deadly Nightshade, Atropa belladonna

Deadly Nightshade has very toxic berries. Its generic name 'Atropos' is from the eldest of the Three Fates in Greek mythology. Atropos chose the mechanism of death and ended the life of each mortal by cutting their thread with her "abhorred shears." The specific name 'belladonna' is from Italian, meaning beautiful woman from its use in eye-drops to dilate the pupils to make the subject appear more seductive.

Deadly Nightshade, Atropa belladonna

Deadly Nightshade, Atropa belladonna

I had just got into the car when the sky darkened and the rain started.