23 July 2024 I saw my very first Essex Skipper butterfly. They've been steadily moving north for a few years and had been seen in Yorkshire in Sheffield which is south of York.
I asked for confirmation before submitting the sighting, of course and it seems to have taken over on the small patch I record. Numbers are frighteningly low of even common species so I have mixed feelings about the Essex.
So, what's the difference between the Small and Essex Skippers?
Look at the tips of the antennae, reddish brown on the Small and dipped in black ink on the Essex.
230724 OM1 250724
Doggie mummy living in ancient York, Yorkshire, England.
Joined 1st Jan 2018
1st Jan 2024 have achieved 196%
28 March 2024 200%
I take photos, am not a photographer.
Interested...
@jesika2 I just do insects, since I don't go to the campus greenhouse anymore; I had a “plants and flowers” stage! To date I have refused to go down the slippery slope of birds (even though I have 36 posts of birds)! But now without a telephoto or long-zoom lens, birds are mostly not feasible anyway. Would very much entertain the possibility of astrophotography (frustrated astronomer*), but there's just too much ambient light without traveling a distance.
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* I was an astrophysics major … but only for two quarters!
@rhoing I live in the outer suburbs of York and fortunately my south(ish) facing back garden is reasonably dark. That’s my playground, can’t travel, but I’ve managed 12 hours of star trails twice - clever camera does the hard work - and I’m trying a technique for imaging Milky Way if the Sky is ever clear enough. All play time.
July 26th, 2024
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Where do you submit your photos for ID?
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* I was an astrophysics major … but only for two quarters!