White-letter Hairstreaks are pupating here in Exmouth. Five caterpillars have settled down to pupate near or on fresh leaves. Curious to know what drives them to pupate on leaves Vs the trunk/ground. Butterfly Conservation 🦋 BC Devon Branch

Excited to share that we published another #butterfly 🦋paper🥳 We assessed landscape-level effects of permanent grassland management and landscape configuration on open-land butterflies based on national monitoring data: doi.org/10.1007/s10531… Summary below... 1/6

An early third instar Silver-studded Blue caterpillar from Poldice. At this stage, they gain a pair of eversible projections at their rear end known as tentacle organs. The exact function of these is a bit mysterious, but the ants do appear to be very excited and drawn to them.

Fantastic stuff! The power and accessibility of UV torch searches extends beyond species that are restricted to the UK. No doubt there are potential implications for monitoring some rare species in Europe and worldwide! BC Europe

We tallied an impressive 83 Black Hairstreak caterpillars during a night of UV survey training in Oxfordshire/Bucks this weekend. The majority ready to pupate, with some colourful 3rd instars still around BC Upper Thames Butterfly Conservation 🦋 Claire Wallace Steven Lofting

Sometimes something simple like a UV torch can blow your mind. I always thought nature was amazing, but wow, just wow! Thank you Max Anderson!

Had a great time out last night looking for caterpillars and pupae of White-letter Hairstreaks and Purple Hairstreaks under UV with some fantastic folks from Exmouth Wildlife Group. Obligatory time for checking out some bats too! Sarah Butcher Exmouth Tree Project BC Devon Branch

Not only did I find 7 White-letter Hairstreak pupae on my local Elm this afternoon, but I also found some ants investigating one for a while. The larvae are known myrmecophiles, and I suspect the pupae still have a trick or two up their sleeves! Butterfly Conservation 🦋

Spent the day surveying Agonopterix atomella, Mirificarma lentiginosella and Grapholita lathyrana on Dyers Greenweed at RNAS Merryfield, Somerset. Such an important plant for some incredibly scarce moths. Jenny Plackett George Tordoff Caroline Bulman Butterfly Conservation 🦋

I succeeded in tracking down this Purple Hairstreak caterpillar during my lunch break at Penryn Campus today. This individual was originally found as an egg back in March; it's not far off pupating now.

Mystery lights in the Haven? UFO? New, techno club night? Nope. Night time quest by John, Tony and Gary for Brown Hairstreaks -success! Thanks Dr Dan Danahar for remote ID assistance and to Max Anderson for the idea.

Insect migration is truly one of the world's wonders! Here's a blizzard of small cabbage white & clouded yellow butterflies migrating through a narrow Pyrenean pass. All are using the sun as a compass as they migrate south for the winter! Butterfly Conservation 🦋 Migrant Lepidoptera

A whole bunch of Green Hairstreak caterpillars fluorescing under UV! I'm already looking forward to seeing them for myself in the UK this summer..

Silver-studded Blues starting to pupate here in East Devon. Won't be long until they're out on the wing! BC Devon Branch Butterfly Conservation 🦋

Spent the morning surveying Horseshoe Vetch with a stunning view at our Westbury Beacon reserve on @MendipHillsNL. Pleased to see that it has spread into new areas, providing more foodplant for Chalkhill Blues. BC Somerset & Bristol Butterfly Conservation 🦋

Last night I spent a few hours doing some UV surveys for Brown Hairstreak caterpillars at various sites across Exeter. Great fun! BC Devon Branch Butterfly Conservation 🦋

Had a great day yesterday leading a guided walk at Langford Farm on Dartmoor for some of the fantastic volunteers at Yarner Wood. Marsh Fritillaries were a personal highlight, with 3 of the life stages seen! Butterfly Conservation 🦋

Silver-studded Blues only really getting started here in East Devon, with a few fresh adults starting to appear. Nice to see this male make their very first flight after just emerging Butterfly Conservation 🦋 BC Devon Branch ClintonDevonEstates

Today I've been studying Small Pearl-bordered Frits in East Devon. Had 16 adults, including a mating pair. Highlight was seeing a female laying eggs somewhat haphazardly amongst the flora between sheltered scrubby patches. What a joy! Butterfly Conservation 🦋 BC Devon Branch

Brimstone pupae can be difficult to find, as the larvae often wander for some distance to find a suitable spot to pupate. The UV torch makes this job easier - what a stunning chrysalis! BC Devon Branch Butterfly Conservation 🦋