Ground breaking BBC documentary on Vanessa cardui

[nomad]

Anybody see that sunning 90 minues BBC documentary, The Great Butterfly Adventure: Africa to Britain with the Painted Lady. What a butterfly, can fly non stop the 2,500 kilometers from North America to Britain in the early Spring and the last generation here returns in one go.  Ground breaking research at Rothamsted research station has proved they use the sun to navigate. A Spanish scientist has found the reason they choose to migrate such distances after ten years of study in Morocco. Utterly fascinating documentary.

British members can view it here www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07yqfkq  but I am not sure if those outside the UK can watch the video. (you need to create a BBC account or to watch the video, takes a a minute to register).  The video is online for 28 days.

[bobw]

It was first shown on the BBC last year and was discussed on this forum at the time, although I can't find the thread now.

[nomad]

Jul 22, 2017 11:30:27 GMT bobw said:

It was first shown on the BBC last year and was discussed on this forum at the time, although I can't find the thread now.

Must have missed it the first time around.

[nomad]

Cannot find the 2016 thread either ? 

[Paul K]

Unfortunately it is not available outside of U.K. due to copy rights.
What an interesting species.
I found it in Thailand, Poland, Canada east and west , but never in large numbers, usually one or two in time.
I guess it must be due to migratory character.

[bobw]

First shown 10/10/2016 on BBC4.

[nomad]

I am glad that they the BBC, repeated it,as I missed it the first time, well worth a watch but I am sorry Paul and others here cannot view it.  

[nomad]

Jul 22, 2017 13:40:55 GMT Paul K said:

I found it in Thailand, Poland, Canada east and west , but never in large numbers, usually one or two in time.
I guess it must be due to migratory character.

Apparently the most widespread and successful butterfly on Earth.

[mcheki]

Jul 22, 2017 19:08:23 GMT nomad said:

Jul 22, 2017 13:40:55 GMT Paul K said:

I found it in Thailand, Poland, Canada east and west , but never in large numbers, usually one or two in time.
I guess it must be due to migratory character.

Apparently the most widespread and successful butterfly on Earth.

I can also confirm that it is found in Zimbabwe, Malawi and the Cape Province of South Africa as well as in Madagascar. I have specimens of V cardui from all these countries in my collection.

[Deleted]

If it's the documentary I watched last year it was a buttock clenching experience for collectors, but I may be thinking of something else broadcast by good old auntie, was this the one where people dressed up as butterflies and started prancing around?

[nomad]

No!! Dancing Painted Ladies in Human form. I think you are thinking of Butterflies, a very British obsession. The Good points of that documentary were Martin White, breeder extraordinaire, upsetting all those county tickers and butterflyers that wear very large hat sizes by successfully introducing unofficial butterflies back into our impoverished countryside. 

[Deleted]

Ah yes, that's the one, I know Martin's activities quite well, the fact that he doesn't ask their permission really hacks them off, as they own the countryside and all that flies there in, I just remember the wet conservationists dressing up as butterflies and running about making a woo woo noise, their knowledge is astounding, entomology is in good hands with that lot running it.

[nomad]

The general butterflyer with a long lens has no interest whatsoever in the historical aspect of entomology, they could not care a fig. All that matters is my image is the best and better than yours.  Mr Barkham saw them all in one year, so they have seen 54, well some have seen 58 in one year, look at their carbon footprint for thousands of miles including from here to Scotland and back. Yay, I was into birds but they are a bit dull in the summer months, what a prize set of photos of the Green Hairstreak but so were mine from 1999 to 2016. Yay, Its all great fun being today's butterflyer in the UK. List is a bit short in the UK, so lets introduce all those species into the list from mainland Europe, while the chances of them here are 0.  Recently, I was in Devon, when a group of butterflyers arrived enmass, "seen them have you, we have just been photographing Heath Frits, that was easy, five minute job, now we have rushed here", up they crash through the bracken full of small clearings  with violets, no looking down, "got it the perfect shot, High Brown Frit, easy, saw them here last year"!

[Deleted]

I struggle with how things have come to this state of affairs, the best field workers are responsible entomologists who take a series of each species, keep full accurate data, record their findings in diaries are very knowledgeable about habitats and through their activities provide an historical record of the fauna of a given region throughout their lives and go about their work quietly and methodically as opposed to the modern alternative, loud, obnoxious prejudiced bigots with super expensive cameras who will trample on vital vegetation and barge everybody out of the way to take a better picture than anybody else, causing more damage to the environment in a year than the normal field worker does in a lifetime.

[nomad]

I myself do enjoy a bit of photography as all here know, but I have studied our Leps since a wee lad and the post this morning was rather tongue in cheek but it did rather hit the nail upon the head as today's butterflyers go. I am sure its great fun speeding about the countryside from nature reserve to nature reserve, seeing how many species you can photograph and join lots of people when you arrive doing the same thing. Top notch if you can get them all. At least they don't hire helicopters to get to the Shetlands to twitch a rare bird!!