My pair, I have another perfect male but no picture

Special

My pair cost £10

Some gruneri

Just off the boards Anthocharis euphenoides

Easy fix

Are these the ones you set for me?

A few more, some of the lycaenids are in desperate need of resetting if I ever get the time.

Drawers of specimens caught in my local vicinity, a reference collection of specimens before they all disappear due to urbanisation, also one or 2 notable captures from further afield.

Phlaeas is a very variable species as is the ringlet butterfly Aphantopus hyperantus, the eye spots on the undersides vary in size immensely, one form is devoid of eyes altogether, this is ab arete, I figure a self caught specimen, again from South Yorkshire, England.

2 prized self caught specimens of the silver washed fritillary Argynnis paphia. The first one from Buckinghamshire the greenest (non valesina) female I have ever seen. The second specimen is the first record from my area for over 80 years.

Abs extensa

Lycaena phlaeas abs radiata and caeruleopunctata along with normal male, South Yorkshire.

I remember you getting these, I have 2 males and a female, I'll have to dig out pictures.

Did you get these from Kempton?

While it's nice to buy the specimens of our dreams there is something special about specimens that we have taken ourselves while out collecting. So let's have a thread about our prized specimens that we have caught, condition is irrelevant as a beater can be more prized than an A1 bred ornithoptera....

One example of a female being more beautiful than the male is this remarkable female common blue Polyommatus icarus that I took on the East Coast of England, the picture doesn't do it justice, it is stunning.

They are huge, I have a few but need to take pictures. There were 2 pairs for sale at a recent fair in England for £400 a pair, a ridiculous price but both pairs sold.

This is the sad state of affairs we find ourselves with nowadays I'm afraid. Long gone are the days when those who proffess to be experts ,most of who were avid collectors, go anywhere near such organisations. Here in the UK all of our conservation bodies and their local counterparts are staffed by ...

My experience of dealing with Greg is exactly the opposite, never had a minutes bother.