James CBR
LightNews LightNews
jamescbr.bsky.social
James CBR
@jamescbr.bsky.social
140 followers 97 following 290 posts
Outgoing County Recorder for Butterflies (Suffolk, Vice Counties 25 and 26).
Reporting to Suffolk Naturalists' Society and Butterfly Conservation (Suffolk Branch). 🦋
Posts Replies Media Videos
jamescbr.bsky.social
This Small Tortoiseshell stayed briefly in our Lowestoft garden.
@savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social
Small Tortoiseshell butterfly backlit on a garden Salvia
August 17, 2025 at 7:20 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
A calming walk for #WildFlowerHour and #DaisyFamily
Last of the Ragwort, Yarrow, Canadian Fleabane and Tansy. All growing within ten minutes' walk of my home in Lowestoft.
Ragwort flower surrounded by seedheads Yarrow flowerhead Canadian Fleabane flowers and developing seedheads Tansy florets
August 17, 2025 at 6:39 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
Butterflies are excellent pollinators and also indicator species for the environment.
Male Silver-washed Fritillary on Bramble, female Meadow Brown on Ragwort, Peacock on Cherry Plum and Swallowtail on Dame's Violet
#PollinatorPals #WildFlowerHour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social
A male Silver-washed Fritillary sips nectar from Bramble blossom A female Meadow Brown probes Ragwort for nectar A Peacock butterfly basks in the spring sunshine while drinking nectar from Cherry Plum blossom A British Swallowtail imbibes nectar from Dame's Violet flowers
August 10, 2025 at 7:05 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
Today's the final day of the #BigButterflyCount and a chance to get one more count in. Or more, if you feel like it.
@savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social
Summer brood Small Tortoiseshell nectaring on Hemp Agrimony in Suffolk, 2025
August 10, 2025 at 9:32 AM
jamescbr.bsky.social
Nice to see this backlit Small Tortoiseshell this evening. I like the stained glass effect. A good year for them by modern standards although they're still not doing well everywhere.
@bc-suffolk.bsky.social
Small Tortoiseshell butterfly nectaring on Tufted Vetch
August 9, 2025 at 6:44 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
Sea Holly, Sea Kale, Bird's-foot Trefoil and Marram grass growing on the beach north of Lowestoft.
The blue attracts white butterflies to lay eggs (Crucifers). The UK's first ever Southern Small White was recorded today just down the coast in Felixstowe.
#wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social
Sea Kale leaves Sea Holly setting seed Bird's-foot Trefoil growing in the dunes Marram grass
August 3, 2025 at 7:04 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
I stopped to consider this aged Ringlet butterfly as it basked in evening light that faded towards the day's end.
@bc-suffolk.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social
An old and distinguished Ringlet butterfly bathed in golden evening sunshine among the golden grass stems.
July 23, 2025 at 1:53 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
A Common Blue starts thinking about bedtime as the evening sun sinks below a line of trees, leaving the background grasses glowing in warm light.
@savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @suffolk-nats1929.bsky.social
A male Common Blue butterfly perches on a shaded grass stem with out of focus sunlit grasses behind. Copyright James Corton 2025.
July 23, 2025 at 11:51 AM
jamescbr.bsky.social
Gatekeeper are having a great year with large numbers being reported in many parts of Suffolk. This is a female seen nectaring this evening on Marjoram along with another twenty and several Meadow Brown.
@savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @suffolk-nats1929.bsky.social
Female Gatekeeper butterfly, also known as Hedge Brown, nectaring on Marjoram. Females lack the dark andraconid scent scales of males.
July 16, 2025 at 9:33 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
This is one of the hoverflies, Migrant hoverfly (Scaeva pyrastri).
Migrant hoverfly. A male, feeding on Bedstraw flowers.
July 6, 2025 at 4:18 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
While photographing a small stream of migrating hoverflies moving through our garden, I discovered eight Hummingbird Hawk moth larvae on the Bedstraw we planted. Lowestoft Town.
@suffolkmoths.bsky.social
Final instar Hummingbird Hawk moth caterpillar.
July 6, 2025 at 4:15 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
Lots of Red Admiral joining in with Comma, Peacock and Small White butterflies, all feasting on Bramble blossom.
@savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social
Red Admiral butterfly nectaring on Bramble blossom. Undersides shown.
June 29, 2025 at 12:20 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
High counts of Comma on several sites where I live in north Suffolk today. Seems like this species is having a great year all round.
@savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social
One of several Comma butterflies basking in the evening sunshine today at Corton Woods, Lowestoft
June 27, 2025 at 9:18 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
These two Peacock butterflies spent a long time courting today at Carlton Marshes nature reserve in Suffolk.
@savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social
Peacock butterflies courting
June 27, 2025 at 9:03 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
My first Silver-studded Blue on Wenhaston Heath, Suffolk today.
@savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @epollard.bsky.social
A freshly emerged male Silver-studded Blue butterfly rests on heather during a warm but blustery day on Wenhaston Heath in Suffolk.
May 29, 2025 at 7:13 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
Four-spotted Chaser earlier in the afternoon, perching in a sheltered spot on a windy day on the heath.
@britishdragonflies.bsky.social
Male Four-spotted Chaser perched on old Bracken stem in a sheltered spot of the heath during a sunny but windy day.
May 29, 2025 at 6:57 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
Broad-bodied Chaser besides a layby on the A12. Good numbers this year. Sunlit tree in the background.
@britishdragonflies.bsky.social
Female Broad-bodied Chaser perched on a twig in front of an out of focus sunlit tree trunk.
May 29, 2025 at 6:54 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
A day out in Essex, looking for the Grizzle. One faded individual seen at Langdon Hill CP. Other delights seen and photographed. Please correct if wrong.
@bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social @richardfoxbc.bsky.social @richperr501.bsky.social
Common Blue male butterfly slightly backlit Small Heath butterfly Red-headed Cardinal beetle Hedge Beauty moth in Northland Wood, Langdon Hill CP
May 26, 2025 at 7:46 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
Common Butterwort and Bugle growing at Market Weston Fen in Suffolk this week. Wonderful and rare habitat - a mere fed by chalk aquifer. Marsh Fritillary butterfly resting on Common Sedge (?)
@bsbibotany.bsky.social
@wildflowerhour.bsky.social #wildflowerhour
Common Butterwort growing in a fen, fed by chalk aquifer Bugle flower spike Marsh Fritillary butterfly sunning itself on Common Sedge
May 18, 2025 at 7:35 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
Marsh Fritillary are still flying in Suffolk but maybe past peak numbers. They were late to get going, most taking to the wing after ten o'clock. Sunning themselves a lot, giving photo ops when resting close to the path.
@epollard.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social
Marsh Fritillary resting on Sedge with wings open showing the chequer board pattern.
May 13, 2025 at 7:32 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
Wall Brown at Somerleyton. Very flighty in the sunshine and only one photo to show for it. Lovely to observe the behaviour as they flutter around and then crawl into position at their shaded roosting sites. The only time the males did not spar!
@savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social
Wall Brown butterfly resting with its wings closed
May 11, 2025 at 9:43 AM
jamescbr.bsky.social
Does anyone know why butterflies sit with their proboscis uncurled? Not imbibing nectar or minerals. Several Wall Brown males were doing this today for prolonged periods.
@bc-suffolk.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social @martinswarren.bsky.social @epollard.bsky.social
A male Wall Brown butterfly flexing its proboscis with wings closed.
May 2, 2025 at 4:03 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
What a day! Brimstone egg laying on the Buckthorn provided by 'The Buckthorn Project' (Butterfly Conservation, Suffolk) and then...a Wall Brown in the garden! Possibly the first of the year for Suffolk.
@savebutterflies.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social
Female Brimstone ovipositing on Purging Buckthorn Female Wall Brown basking on trellis in an urban garden
April 28, 2025 at 2:33 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum) is in full flower here on the east coast and the scent is overpowering in sunny weather. This Cliff Mining bee was gathering it's pale pollen for her nearby nest.
#wildflowerhour #bees #umbellifers #bwars
A female Cliff Mining Bee (Andrena thoracica) collecting pollen from an Alexanders floret.
April 27, 2025 at 8:30 PM
jamescbr.bsky.social
In bright sunshine this evening I found lots of Sea Radish growing, with its subspecies Wild Radish sprinkled throughout it.
Raphanus rhaphanistrum
#wildflowerhour
#CabbageFamily
The white flowers of Wild Radish, a subspecies of the yellow flowered Sea Radish, Raphanus rhaphanistrum. Yellow flowers of Sea Radish
April 27, 2025 at 6:52 PM