A taster of what's coming up...
Day 1 - Arrival 14-08
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After a couple of previous family holidays abroad this year we went closer to home than the Czech Republic and much less urban/more rural than Lisbon. So this summer it was off to France to the Dordogne about a 40 minute drive from Bergerac. The place we were staying at featured on the Canopy and Stars website, a place called Terre et Toi at Elvensong. Elvensong was a earth and straw house with a fantastic circular sky window, outside kitchen, private hammock and wood fired hot tub. Down a small woodland path there was the swing seat from where you could look out over the lake and watch the children clamber from the jetty into the boat. Elvensong was a very appropriate name for in our bliss it felt like we’d been transported by Iluvatar himself to Valinor.
It wasn’t too long a drive from Bordeaux airport to Terre et Toi although it did feel like it. The roads whilst brilliantly surfaced and smooth got smaller and smaller, the white lines disappeared and we were forced to play Chicken a few times. The scenery at the same time just got better and better and we drove through some stunning looking habitat. I saw Frits flying along the verges but apart from the obvious, massive Silver-washed I could only guess at what they were. There were also copious amounts of small white butterflies, which I would later find out were Wood Whites, but we weren’t stopping and I had to keep my eyes on the road. On out arrival I swore that I saw a South White Admiral but again I was busy watching the road and trying not to knock down any of our hosts dogs that came running out to greet us.
Once we’d parked up Sara showed us around the main house and then took us up through the woodland path to Elvensong. I had to go back to the car to collect our food so I first unpacked my camera natch, and headed back. There were many, many Hedgies and Meadow Browns fluttering about trying to catch my glance and a Specklie landed momentarily on the path. Slightly further down a tiny bit of ‘meadow’ held all sorts and I spent a good five minutes or so here with a Sooty Copper, Broad Bordered Bee Hawk Moth, faded Common Blue , a few aged Skippers and lots of the small looking whites that I’d seen on the journey which turned out to be Wood Whites. A Frit dropped in as well and at the time I thought it was a Heath though now I’m thinking possibly Meadow Frit due to the white band? On the way back the Specklie was a bit more approachable.
After a bit of settling in I headed back to the car for all the water bottles I’d left previously WINK. I spent a bit longer this time in the little Meadow and found the worn Skippers, DIngies though and not the hoped for Mallows. I tried for a few Wood Whites which were fluttering around in place of Small and Green-veined Whites it seemed. The moth this time was a Hummingbird Hawk Moth. And again there were Blues, Sooty Copper as well as a few Brown Argus. Round near the car the land sloped down through an open woodland to a pond and which unfortunately wasn’t part of where we were staying but just on the edge of our part I saw more Sooty’s, a normal Copper as well as a Weavers Fritillary.
The next trip out turned into a slightly longer sojourn this time round the house and from there onto the field. There was the Sooty on the way as well as a Jersey Tiger moth up near the house. Along the banks on the road side there were loads of Browns including some odd looking Gatekeepers but there were no more Frits. On into the field which didn’t look too promising until the sun came out and then things really kicked off with a gorgeous female Sooty starting the ball rolling. When she opened up she was even more peachy catching the sun and glistening a rainbow of colours. I’ve seen this species before but nowhere near as fresh looking as this.
Things started appearing there weren’t just Meadow Browns; a Grizzlie, Common Blues and Dingies and over near the fence to the road there were four or five Sooty Coppers. A crazy tiny blue caught my eye. I took a grab shot which was terrible but it was enough to confirm my only definite lifer of the day, a Short-tailed Blue. I started to make my way towards it but it was spooked by a Common Blue and if flew over the hedge and over the road. I started back along the road, heading homewards when I saw a/the STB fluttering in the alleyways among the Poplars. I nipped though the hedge and followed it. Just as it settled another blue flew in; “Damn it!” I thought. Only the blue was a larger male and with not even a please or thank you it swung it’s abdomen round and locked on. This meant I was able to get some proper shots.
After the evening meal I popped out again. This time though I headed left at the bottom of the path and worked my way round the lake from the other side. There were butterflies all over the place as I think they were starting to settle down to roost for the night and so seemed to be congregating together.
And so back to Elvensong to sit on the veranda and drink cheap beer (39 cents) and remember all that went on. What a cracking afternoon a great haul for basically unpacking and having a couple of strolls round the site.
It wasn’t too long a drive from Bordeaux airport to Terre et Toi although it did feel like it. The roads whilst brilliantly surfaced and smooth got smaller and smaller, the white lines disappeared and we were forced to play Chicken a few times. The scenery at the same time just got better and better and we drove through some stunning looking habitat. I saw Frits flying along the verges but apart from the obvious, massive Silver-washed I could only guess at what they were. There were also copious amounts of small white butterflies, which I would later find out were Wood Whites, but we weren’t stopping and I had to keep my eyes on the road. On out arrival I swore that I saw a South White Admiral but again I was busy watching the road and trying not to knock down any of our hosts dogs that came running out to greet us.
Once we’d parked up Sara showed us around the main house and then took us up through the woodland path to Elvensong. I had to go back to the car to collect our food so I first unpacked my camera natch, and headed back. There were many, many Hedgies and Meadow Browns fluttering about trying to catch my glance and a Specklie landed momentarily on the path. Slightly further down a tiny bit of ‘meadow’ held all sorts and I spent a good five minutes or so here with a Sooty Copper, Broad Bordered Bee Hawk Moth, faded Common Blue , a few aged Skippers and lots of the small looking whites that I’d seen on the journey which turned out to be Wood Whites. A Frit dropped in as well and at the time I thought it was a Heath though now I’m thinking possibly Meadow Frit due to the white band? On the way back the Specklie was a bit more approachable.
After a bit of settling in I headed back to the car for all the water bottles I’d left previously WINK. I spent a bit longer this time in the little Meadow and found the worn Skippers, DIngies though and not the hoped for Mallows. I tried for a few Wood Whites which were fluttering around in place of Small and Green-veined Whites it seemed. The moth this time was a Hummingbird Hawk Moth. And again there were Blues, Sooty Copper as well as a few Brown Argus. Round near the car the land sloped down through an open woodland to a pond and which unfortunately wasn’t part of where we were staying but just on the edge of our part I saw more Sooty’s, a normal Copper as well as a Weavers Fritillary.
The next trip out turned into a slightly longer sojourn this time round the house and from there onto the field. There was the Sooty on the way as well as a Jersey Tiger moth up near the house. Along the banks on the road side there were loads of Browns including some odd looking Gatekeepers but there were no more Frits. On into the field which didn’t look too promising until the sun came out and then things really kicked off with a gorgeous female Sooty starting the ball rolling. When she opened up she was even more peachy catching the sun and glistening a rainbow of colours. I’ve seen this species before but nowhere near as fresh looking as this.
Things started appearing there weren’t just Meadow Browns; a Grizzlie, Common Blues and Dingies and over near the fence to the road there were four or five Sooty Coppers. A crazy tiny blue caught my eye. I took a grab shot which was terrible but it was enough to confirm my only definite lifer of the day, a Short-tailed Blue. I started to make my way towards it but it was spooked by a Common Blue and if flew over the hedge and over the road. I started back along the road, heading homewards when I saw a/the STB fluttering in the alleyways among the Poplars. I nipped though the hedge and followed it. Just as it settled another blue flew in; “Damn it!” I thought. Only the blue was a larger male and with not even a please or thank you it swung it’s abdomen round and locked on. This meant I was able to get some proper shots.
After the evening meal I popped out again. This time though I headed left at the bottom of the path and worked my way round the lake from the other side. There were butterflies all over the place as I think they were starting to settle down to roost for the night and so seemed to be congregating together.
And so back to Elvensong to sit on the veranda and drink cheap beer (39 cents) and remember all that went on. What a cracking afternoon a great haul for basically unpacking and having a couple of strolls round the site.
Wednesday 15-08 Part 1 – The First Day Proper…
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The first day proper and so it turned out! Another cracker with some fantastic butterflies, a handful of lifers and one very good reason not to use the wood fired Hot Tub…but I’m getting a head of myself.
First thing it was jobs for me after breakfast; make the beds, wash up, empty the loo etc. While I was doing this the girls were already on the lake which meant that chores complete I was able to get away for an hour and so this time I headed along the track and turned left. At the top of the hill a huge track way (for pylons?) had been cleared and it looked promising but nothing much was flying so I carried on further over the breast of the hill. On my right was a large, green field so I wandered the margins and started seeing butterflies. Obviously there were Sooty Coppers and also a few smaller Frits with a Meadow in the hand and a Glanville showing nicely as well as a few Heaths and a Weavers put in an appearance as I was leaving.
On the way back down the hill I started seeing a few more butterflies as I got nearer to the Clearing including a glancing shot of a Small Heath. “No wait a moment” I thought to myself “why did it have a grey ground colour and a clear white line? A Pearly Heath but unfortunately only a grab shot. Then another butterfly practically glowed in the grass; an unmistakable male Spotted Fritillary. What a stunner! There were more of the smaller Frits as well and I managed to reconnect with the Pearly Heath. I hadn’t expected this species as the information I’d seen suggested that they’d be over by now. Even better I bumped into the Spotty again and managed a few Stained Glass shots.
When I got back, stills lightly mesmerised by the Spotty, I realised I needed to swap the ice packs and so I set off to the house taking my camera with me. I added a few Wood White and Weaver’s shots to the collection before being called back by Sara for the Moth of the Day – a Buff Tip caught by one of the other guests. When I got back my wife called me over as there was a gorgeous frog perched on the edge of the Hot Tub. Looks like we won’t be lighting the back stove for a soak anytime soon!
A great start to the day which left me wondering what aprés midi would bring?
First thing it was jobs for me after breakfast; make the beds, wash up, empty the loo etc. While I was doing this the girls were already on the lake which meant that chores complete I was able to get away for an hour and so this time I headed along the track and turned left. At the top of the hill a huge track way (for pylons?) had been cleared and it looked promising but nothing much was flying so I carried on further over the breast of the hill. On my right was a large, green field so I wandered the margins and started seeing butterflies. Obviously there were Sooty Coppers and also a few smaller Frits with a Meadow in the hand and a Glanville showing nicely as well as a few Heaths and a Weavers put in an appearance as I was leaving.
On the way back down the hill I started seeing a few more butterflies as I got nearer to the Clearing including a glancing shot of a Small Heath. “No wait a moment” I thought to myself “why did it have a grey ground colour and a clear white line? A Pearly Heath but unfortunately only a grab shot. Then another butterfly practically glowed in the grass; an unmistakable male Spotted Fritillary. What a stunner! There were more of the smaller Frits as well and I managed to reconnect with the Pearly Heath. I hadn’t expected this species as the information I’d seen suggested that they’d be over by now. Even better I bumped into the Spotty again and managed a few Stained Glass shots.
When I got back, stills lightly mesmerised by the Spotty, I realised I needed to swap the ice packs and so I set off to the house taking my camera with me. I added a few Wood White and Weaver’s shots to the collection before being called back by Sara for the Moth of the Day – a Buff Tip caught by one of the other guests. When I got back my wife called me over as there was a gorgeous frog perched on the edge of the Hot Tub. Looks like we won’t be lighting the back stove for a soak anytime soon!
A great start to the day which left me wondering what aprés midi would bring?
Wednesday 15-08 Part 2 – First Day Proper…
After lunch I cleared up and tidied round while the girls went and had a swim. I didn’t mind as on the way day to join them I was distracted by a tiny moth/butterfly flitting around the ‘garden’. It looked like some form of Grizzlie which at first I thought was a red-underwing Skipper due to the greatly reduced markings on the fore wings and the ground colour on the underwings but now I’m not so sure what it could be. Either way it was a cracking little butterfly and it contrasted nicely with its perch; discarded swimming goggles. There were more distractions down near the lake with a miniscule Blue which I put down as a Short-tailed but then all thoughts of butterflies were put to one side for at least half an hour as I went for a row with the girls.
After this a quick walk round the lake to the car produced a nice Glannie and a Green-veined white though both were too quick and didn’t stop long enough and neither did a Geranium Bronze at St Marie de Garud where we’d headed out too to visit a Boulongerie. In the local churchyard a large Buddleia hosted at least 6 Hummingbird Hawk Moths but they were all too high up to get any shots off. When we got back I nipped off for half an hour to the Clearing. This time I worked slightly further down and didn’t just hang around the ‘entrance’ at the side of the road. This really is proving to be a cracking little area with Glannies, Small Heath, Heath Frits and Silver-washed Fritillaries in among the Blues, Wood Whites and Browns. Joining the party this afternoon were 2 High Brown Frits. I did try and turn them into Niobes but the required black spot and veins didn’t materialise despite a concerted effort. All too soon my allotted time was up so I walked back and drank tea by the lake while the girls splashed around. I was joined by a miniscule mud-puddling Blue.
After tea the girls were back in the lake again made so I made off back to the Cutting. Again a Small Heath greeted me and there were Sooty Coppers, Common Blues, Wood Whites, various Browns and the odd Silver Washed doing fly-bys. On arrival the stand out butterfly was a female Spotted Fritillary – she was a first rate stunner. I then took in some of the Heaths, Knapweed and Glannies and started to get my eye in for distinguishing the Knapweeds; on the top side the fore wing looked concave and one of the markings on the margin (about three from the bottom) is really exaggerated and displaced; the underside looks a little like a cross between a Glanville and a Heath Frit.
Having made my study a Cloudy dropped in but as is often the way it didn’t hang around long enough for a photo but it was still good to add it to the holiday tally. As I gazed around taking in the fantastic site of so many butterflies fluttering about I didn’t quite know where to look next and so I sort of stumbled and lurched about like a camera wielding zombie. Finally I settled on a butterfly and came back from my undead like state. It was a cracking little blue on some Birds-foot Trefoil. After this I settled back to my study of the Fritillaries. I just couldn’t get over how butterfly filled this place was and I had to keep pinching myself; it felt like a dream and I have expected to wake up back home with the rain clattering down.
As I strolled back down the road homewards and blissed out I reminisced about the day; and what a day with new species and sheer numbers. As I later nipped off to try and find some WiFi to nick the Froglet was still perched on the Hot Tub – so won’t be using that for a while then!
After this a quick walk round the lake to the car produced a nice Glannie and a Green-veined white though both were too quick and didn’t stop long enough and neither did a Geranium Bronze at St Marie de Garud where we’d headed out too to visit a Boulongerie. In the local churchyard a large Buddleia hosted at least 6 Hummingbird Hawk Moths but they were all too high up to get any shots off. When we got back I nipped off for half an hour to the Clearing. This time I worked slightly further down and didn’t just hang around the ‘entrance’ at the side of the road. This really is proving to be a cracking little area with Glannies, Small Heath, Heath Frits and Silver-washed Fritillaries in among the Blues, Wood Whites and Browns. Joining the party this afternoon were 2 High Brown Frits. I did try and turn them into Niobes but the required black spot and veins didn’t materialise despite a concerted effort. All too soon my allotted time was up so I walked back and drank tea by the lake while the girls splashed around. I was joined by a miniscule mud-puddling Blue.
After tea the girls were back in the lake again made so I made off back to the Cutting. Again a Small Heath greeted me and there were Sooty Coppers, Common Blues, Wood Whites, various Browns and the odd Silver Washed doing fly-bys. On arrival the stand out butterfly was a female Spotted Fritillary – she was a first rate stunner. I then took in some of the Heaths, Knapweed and Glannies and started to get my eye in for distinguishing the Knapweeds; on the top side the fore wing looked concave and one of the markings on the margin (about three from the bottom) is really exaggerated and displaced; the underside looks a little like a cross between a Glanville and a Heath Frit.
Having made my study a Cloudy dropped in but as is often the way it didn’t hang around long enough for a photo but it was still good to add it to the holiday tally. As I gazed around taking in the fantastic site of so many butterflies fluttering about I didn’t quite know where to look next and so I sort of stumbled and lurched about like a camera wielding zombie. Finally I settled on a butterfly and came back from my undead like state. It was a cracking little blue on some Birds-foot Trefoil. After this I settled back to my study of the Fritillaries. I just couldn’t get over how butterfly filled this place was and I had to keep pinching myself; it felt like a dream and I have expected to wake up back home with the rain clattering down.
As I strolled back down the road homewards and blissed out I reminisced about the day; and what a day with new species and sheer numbers. As I later nipped off to try and find some WiFi to nick the Froglet was still perched on the Hot Tub – so won’t be using that for a while then!
Things are getting good…16-08-2018 Part 1
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We took our life into our hands again today and ventured forth on the French roads. Now most of the roads are very decent – smooth, well marked and signed, no potholes etc. but the smaller roads are a bit of a nightmare. They’re only just wide enough for just under two cars so every time you’re faced with oncoming traffic you have to veer onto the verge, when there is one, more usually it’s a ditch and occasionally an exceedingly high kerb that rips the hubcaps off. Still we got to the Hypermarche at Montpon and back again with only a few hair-raising moments. As we were unpacking I wondered where the Maps were (not the OS variety by the small White Admiral mimic)? In the Czech Republic they were everywhere. As I was thinking this a Map did a fly-by and landed on a small patch of ‘stuff’ –brill! I wondered if I would have the same luck with a Lesser Purple Emperor as I carried on back to Elvensong with the shopping. Something large took off from the path and landed high up in an Oak. I zoomed in on the shots I’d taken and the orangey colouration on the underside suggested that it could indeed be a Lesser Purple Emperor, albeit a tatty looking one at that. Still if just ‘wondering’ about a species meant it turned up then I spent the rest of the walk back and subsequent trips to and from the car thinking intensely about Mallow Skippers and Scarce Swallowtails unfortunately I wasn’t able to ‘think them’ into existence…
I went back and unpacked and we had lunch and then I was let off the leash for an hour or so. I’d already used up one battery so I swapped to a fresh one and decided to set the first one to charge over at the house on the way out towards the Cutting. So there I was charger in one hand, camera in the other. As I approached the house a massive ‘white’ butterfly landed practically in front of me. It was a Scarce Swallowtail and I managed only 5 shots before it was off again, all with one hand as I was still holding the charger in my other hand. Another great find from just strolling around the grounds.
After this I carried on directly to the Cutting seeing a surprisingly fresh Large Skipper on route making a nice addition to the usual crowd. I decided that it was worth checking slightly further afield at the Cutting today and so I forewent the various the various sets of Frits and crossed the road. There were rows of Bracken taking up most of the cutting on one side so I stuck to the sandy path on the other. On the tall stands of Hemp Agrimony there were loads of Silver Washed Frits, the odd Sooty Copper and the ubiquitous Meadow Browns – none of which materialised into a Grayling of any description. There was also a White Admiral perched briefly before it cut across the Cutting, gliding expertly millimetres above the highest Bracken fronds. As it turned on a sixpence something about it didn’t look right so I made a mental note to check it later and carried on up the hill. (When I did check it later that night after writing this and with some more excellent and very cheap French beer it was indeed a Southern White Admiral)
Almost at the top I began to regret my decision as there wasn’t much about – right up to the point when a massive, dark brown butterfly took off from in front of me and landed a short distance away. It was huge compared to the Meadow Browns and much darker. As I approached it I realised that it was one of my target species – a Dryad. I watched it for a while as a Silver Washed or Meadow Brown would spook it and it would fly quickly into cover and disappear deep down into the Bracken. A short while later it would emerge and then off it would go again.
I went back and unpacked and we had lunch and then I was let off the leash for an hour or so. I’d already used up one battery so I swapped to a fresh one and decided to set the first one to charge over at the house on the way out towards the Cutting. So there I was charger in one hand, camera in the other. As I approached the house a massive ‘white’ butterfly landed practically in front of me. It was a Scarce Swallowtail and I managed only 5 shots before it was off again, all with one hand as I was still holding the charger in my other hand. Another great find from just strolling around the grounds.
After this I carried on directly to the Cutting seeing a surprisingly fresh Large Skipper on route making a nice addition to the usual crowd. I decided that it was worth checking slightly further afield at the Cutting today and so I forewent the various the various sets of Frits and crossed the road. There were rows of Bracken taking up most of the cutting on one side so I stuck to the sandy path on the other. On the tall stands of Hemp Agrimony there were loads of Silver Washed Frits, the odd Sooty Copper and the ubiquitous Meadow Browns – none of which materialised into a Grayling of any description. There was also a White Admiral perched briefly before it cut across the Cutting, gliding expertly millimetres above the highest Bracken fronds. As it turned on a sixpence something about it didn’t look right so I made a mental note to check it later and carried on up the hill. (When I did check it later that night after writing this and with some more excellent and very cheap French beer it was indeed a Southern White Admiral)
Almost at the top I began to regret my decision as there wasn’t much about – right up to the point when a massive, dark brown butterfly took off from in front of me and landed a short distance away. It was huge compared to the Meadow Browns and much darker. As I approached it I realised that it was one of my target species – a Dryad. I watched it for a while as a Silver Washed or Meadow Brown would spook it and it would fly quickly into cover and disappear deep down into the Bracken. A short while later it would emerge and then off it would go again.
Things are getting good…16-08-2018 Part 2
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…I left it (the Dryad) in peace and headed back down the track, crossed the road and then worked my way 50m down the track from the start of ‘normal’ side of the Cutting. On the way I passed all the usual Frits but they seemed solar charged now and were tearing around at breakneck speed. I spotted a couple of Southern White Admirals having a bit of argy-bargy and so I waded through the grass (having sensibly worn jeans and shoes this time) and waited for one to settle. When it did I wasn’t disappointed. The black had a bluish tinge and there were tiny blue spots on the hind wing margins. When it closed its wings it was wonderfully red in places. It would land for a while before taking off on a little sortie to bring an errant Silver Washed Upstart into line. At one point there were two having a bit of a scrap and another time a Meadow Brown felt the Admirals wrath. Sortie complete it would fly back and forth there or four times before landing pretty close to where it had previously lifted off from.
After a while I snapped out of the trance that it had lulled me into and then I headed back home. There were the usual Frits on the way back – all super solar charged but I carried on back triumphantly…
So after tea I set out on the search for a Mallow Skipper to try and complete my target list. Once at the Cutting I realised I’d come a bit too late as despite it still being early the trees lignin the Cutting were shading out huge swathes of the grasses. A Glanville flew here and there amid the odd Meadow Brown and Small Heath. A smaller blue caught my eye when it posed nicely, head down on a blade of grass. It didn’t have any orange lunules but seemed too big for a Small/Little Blue. When it flew to a new perch it was really blue and not slatey grey on the upper side of its wings as a Small Blue would be. It did a few wing rolls and I managed to get a couple of shots as it opened its wings ever so slightly. I could see dark, almost black lines diving down across the wings towards the thorax and abdomen. A Mazarine Blue; another unexpected find and a very good reason for me to check all blues very carefully from now on.
Chuffed I carried on down the Cutting to where another road cut across it. All the way I was accompanied by a murderous band of hangers on – my own horrible entourage of Mozzies and Horseflies. These little critters made the journey down pretty unbearable and with only singletons of Glanville, Knapweed, Small Pearl and a White Admiral (both of which are considered Scarce here) it felt like a wasted trip. On the way back I saw a few Blues but they were all Common and there was a large Brown – another Dryad maybe? But I was glad to get back to the Cutting proper and once there I watched a failed Knapweed courtship and then headed home noting an aberrant Glanville in passing.
Tomorrow we were planning to check out a few of the local villages so hopefully I’ll be able t add Mallow Skipper to the list…I can’t work out why I’ve seen the Pearly Heath which should have finished by now and Small Pearls which are scarce yet not the ‘abundant/common’ Mallow Skipper? Oh well fingers crossed…
After a while I snapped out of the trance that it had lulled me into and then I headed back home. There were the usual Frits on the way back – all super solar charged but I carried on back triumphantly…
So after tea I set out on the search for a Mallow Skipper to try and complete my target list. Once at the Cutting I realised I’d come a bit too late as despite it still being early the trees lignin the Cutting were shading out huge swathes of the grasses. A Glanville flew here and there amid the odd Meadow Brown and Small Heath. A smaller blue caught my eye when it posed nicely, head down on a blade of grass. It didn’t have any orange lunules but seemed too big for a Small/Little Blue. When it flew to a new perch it was really blue and not slatey grey on the upper side of its wings as a Small Blue would be. It did a few wing rolls and I managed to get a couple of shots as it opened its wings ever so slightly. I could see dark, almost black lines diving down across the wings towards the thorax and abdomen. A Mazarine Blue; another unexpected find and a very good reason for me to check all blues very carefully from now on.
Chuffed I carried on down the Cutting to where another road cut across it. All the way I was accompanied by a murderous band of hangers on – my own horrible entourage of Mozzies and Horseflies. These little critters made the journey down pretty unbearable and with only singletons of Glanville, Knapweed, Small Pearl and a White Admiral (both of which are considered Scarce here) it felt like a wasted trip. On the way back I saw a few Blues but they were all Common and there was a large Brown – another Dryad maybe? But I was glad to get back to the Cutting proper and once there I watched a failed Knapweed courtship and then headed home noting an aberrant Glanville in passing.
Tomorrow we were planning to check out a few of the local villages so hopefully I’ll be able t add Mallow Skipper to the list…I can’t work out why I’ve seen the Pearly Heath which should have finished by now and Small Pearls which are scarce yet not the ‘abundant/common’ Mallow Skipper? Oh well fingers crossed…
A Cloudy Day!? 17-08-2018 Part 1
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It was cloudy when I awoke and so I didn’t take my usual morning constitutional. Instead we again ventured forth on the tiny country roads this time Bergerac bound. As we drove despite my wife’s fears I couldn’t shake a certain 80’s theme tune from my head (do, do, do, doody do do). It was a slightly surreal morning; the parking was fine thought it felt like we were more abandoning it than parking, we saw a mannequin with a Moose Head and a statue of ol’big nose himself (Cyrano) and when I used a public lav the toilet disappeared into the wall and all the lights went out leaving me mid flow with literally nowhere to go!
Once back home things got a bit more back to the proper routine and so I went down to the lake to watch the girl splash about and also to do a bit of rowing. On the way down a Sooty Copper became the latest addition to the ‘garden’ list and down on the Jetty a Lesser Purple Emperor came down on the path twice. I couldn’t get close enough to get any shots off and I was always at the wrong the wrong angle. It then took off for a third time and this time laded on the jetty and then in the boat. I was able to creep up slightly more but only for a few distant shots. I was still happy though as any shots of a new species are great and the ones I got picked up the blue and the extra set of eyes/rings on the wings that can be used to differentiate Lesser from (Greater?) Purple Emperor. It made a few subsequent landings on the boat, however these were when the girls were out on the water. They did manage to row back to the bank but after all the splashing, the movement, the girls changing seats etc. it only took the slightest of nudges as the boat grounded to set the LPE off.
I was eventually ‘released’ and so took my now usual route to the Cutting. I was hoping to track down the Mazarine again and so I went to the left hand side. It was quite busy this afternoon with a nice and fresh male Sooty Copper and a Weaver’s which got the ball rolling. Other Fritillaries started appearing including a pair in cop which I couldn’t ID at the time and now back home with all the guide books I’m still struggling with. I’d hazard a guess at Heath Fritillary as that the more ‘common’ species but it could be Meadow.
I wandered along the taller Cooch grass and the Blues starting appearing which was what I was hoping for. If they had orange spots on the underside I’d check for the cell spot and hope that it was missing and if it was then I’d look more closely. Unfortunately I only found one cell-spotless Blue and that wasn’t anything new; it was a Short-tailed Blue. By keeping a close eye on the small to middling butterflies I managed to get onto a dusky looking Small Copper and I also was able to add a Long-tailed Blue to the trip list. Even more of a bonus it stopped for long enough to enable me to actually get some shots unlike in Lisbon two years previously.
Slightly further on a Spotted Fritillary shone out among the straw background colour. These butterflies are so bright and gaudy that they seem out of focus; they look like someone’s planted a fake model butterfly to catch out the unsuspecting Lepidopterist. As I was revelling in the glorious unctuousness of the Spot Frit a Swallowtail bombed by and distracted me. I followed it for a bit but it was very flighty so I managed only a few record shots and I couldn’t relocate the Spot Frit so made my way back to the entrance to the Cutting.
Once back home things got a bit more back to the proper routine and so I went down to the lake to watch the girl splash about and also to do a bit of rowing. On the way down a Sooty Copper became the latest addition to the ‘garden’ list and down on the Jetty a Lesser Purple Emperor came down on the path twice. I couldn’t get close enough to get any shots off and I was always at the wrong the wrong angle. It then took off for a third time and this time laded on the jetty and then in the boat. I was able to creep up slightly more but only for a few distant shots. I was still happy though as any shots of a new species are great and the ones I got picked up the blue and the extra set of eyes/rings on the wings that can be used to differentiate Lesser from (Greater?) Purple Emperor. It made a few subsequent landings on the boat, however these were when the girls were out on the water. They did manage to row back to the bank but after all the splashing, the movement, the girls changing seats etc. it only took the slightest of nudges as the boat grounded to set the LPE off.
I was eventually ‘released’ and so took my now usual route to the Cutting. I was hoping to track down the Mazarine again and so I went to the left hand side. It was quite busy this afternoon with a nice and fresh male Sooty Copper and a Weaver’s which got the ball rolling. Other Fritillaries started appearing including a pair in cop which I couldn’t ID at the time and now back home with all the guide books I’m still struggling with. I’d hazard a guess at Heath Fritillary as that the more ‘common’ species but it could be Meadow.
I wandered along the taller Cooch grass and the Blues starting appearing which was what I was hoping for. If they had orange spots on the underside I’d check for the cell spot and hope that it was missing and if it was then I’d look more closely. Unfortunately I only found one cell-spotless Blue and that wasn’t anything new; it was a Short-tailed Blue. By keeping a close eye on the small to middling butterflies I managed to get onto a dusky looking Small Copper and I also was able to add a Long-tailed Blue to the trip list. Even more of a bonus it stopped for long enough to enable me to actually get some shots unlike in Lisbon two years previously.
Slightly further on a Spotted Fritillary shone out among the straw background colour. These butterflies are so bright and gaudy that they seem out of focus; they look like someone’s planted a fake model butterfly to catch out the unsuspecting Lepidopterist. As I was revelling in the glorious unctuousness of the Spot Frit a Swallowtail bombed by and distracted me. I followed it for a bit but it was very flighty so I managed only a few record shots and I couldn’t relocate the Spot Frit so made my way back to the entrance to the Cutting.
A Cloudy Day!? 17-08-2018 Part 2
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Once back at the start a Pearly Heath cheered me up amid a Glannie, Knappies and a lovely female Spot Frit. The Glannie was hanging out with a Meadow whereas the poor female Spot Frit was hassled endlessly by a Knappie. It really wanted to move the Spot Frit on but she stood her ground. It almost looks like a slightly confused mating attempt – and who can blame it they’re hard enough for us to make an identification with our stereotypic binocular vision and enhanced pattern finding function. Imagine seeing the kaleidoscope of colours/tones that a Spot Frit would appear as when viewed with compound eyes!
I took myself on along the road to the top of the hill and mooched around in the field that I visited on my first morning. A Blue landed close by on the walk up, a Short-tailed again and once in the field proper there were various Browns, Common Blues an errant Swallowtail and four species of Fritillary. The Swallowtail raced up to me and then flew away again even more quickly than it appeared but I refused to give chase and instead headed back to catch up with the family – more rowing and swimming.
A while later I was able to take a bit of a break and so I set to checking the various areas on the other side of the lake round by Sara’s house. The little bit of ‘Meadow’ held Dingy Skippers and a Brown Argus, I found a fantastic female Sooty near the wood store as well as half a Map. Then a massive ethereal Scarce Swallowtail buzzed by me. It wouldn’t stop for love nor money and so I had to resort to in flight shots a la Sports Mode. I pressed on finding a Heath and a Grizzlie and eventually ended up in the Paddock among the odd Glannie and a multitude of Browns. The Hedgies here seem unusual with the underside looking more like a Meadow Brown and also they’re huge compared back to those back home.
Upon my return I had to remove a squatter which Little L had named Monty…He did leave of his own accord and I’m sure he’ll be back, coming and going as he/she pleases.
Again I sat up by solar powered light and wrote up my diary and thought back over the day. I’m surprised at how quickly we’ve all fallen into the rhythm and also how calm and at peace we all feel but also how I don’t think I’ll get used to the butterflying. I mean today didn’t throw up any lifers but it was just great to experience such quality AND quality in such a small area and with so little effort. A stroll to the neighbours throws up a Scarce Swallowtail, taking the girls swimming produces a Lesser Purple Emperor and a 10 minute walk sees me finding 20 odd species. Each evening I sit and wonder about what will turn up tomorrow…knowing full well that it’ll be something good!
I took myself on along the road to the top of the hill and mooched around in the field that I visited on my first morning. A Blue landed close by on the walk up, a Short-tailed again and once in the field proper there were various Browns, Common Blues an errant Swallowtail and four species of Fritillary. The Swallowtail raced up to me and then flew away again even more quickly than it appeared but I refused to give chase and instead headed back to catch up with the family – more rowing and swimming.
A while later I was able to take a bit of a break and so I set to checking the various areas on the other side of the lake round by Sara’s house. The little bit of ‘Meadow’ held Dingy Skippers and a Brown Argus, I found a fantastic female Sooty near the wood store as well as half a Map. Then a massive ethereal Scarce Swallowtail buzzed by me. It wouldn’t stop for love nor money and so I had to resort to in flight shots a la Sports Mode. I pressed on finding a Heath and a Grizzlie and eventually ended up in the Paddock among the odd Glannie and a multitude of Browns. The Hedgies here seem unusual with the underside looking more like a Meadow Brown and also they’re huge compared back to those back home.
Upon my return I had to remove a squatter which Little L had named Monty…He did leave of his own accord and I’m sure he’ll be back, coming and going as he/she pleases.
Again I sat up by solar powered light and wrote up my diary and thought back over the day. I’m surprised at how quickly we’ve all fallen into the rhythm and also how calm and at peace we all feel but also how I don’t think I’ll get used to the butterflying. I mean today didn’t throw up any lifers but it was just great to experience such quality AND quality in such a small area and with so little effort. A stroll to the neighbours throws up a Scarce Swallowtail, taking the girls swimming produces a Lesser Purple Emperor and a 10 minute walk sees me finding 20 odd species. Each evening I sit and wonder about what will turn up tomorrow…knowing full well that it’ll be something good!
A trip to the Marche….18-08-2018
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During the morning we strolled the market of Ste-de-Foy-Grande and checked the local Intermarche where I discovered that KS3 French is enough to get by with. We munched our patisseries overlooking the Dordogne River and I swear that I saw a Large Copper but I wasn’t able to pursue it as the girls were eager to get back and get back out on the boat.
After a while it was my turn for the hour off and so I tried my luck where the host suggested hoping the grassy pasture might throw up a Mallow Skipper. Unfortunately it was a bust with the usual representatives but in much lower numbers. So I made my way back up the hill to the cutting and set about checking the out the grasses and Fleabane which were set in further away from the road. In amongst the smaller Frits there was a Fritillary that was slightly smaller than the marauding Silver-washed and slightly larger than the Knapweed…I cautiously approached and it became apparent what it was when it turned and gleamed silver upon catching the sun. A Queen of Spain. It didn’t have so much of the grey/silver scaling near the body so I’m wondering if it’s a male?
I noodled around some more with the Queenie and in my noodling ended up looking at some of the other Frits that were hanging about in this neck of the cutting briefly seeing a SWA in the process. It was a stunning sight as it glided across the grass tops and seemed to hang motionless in the air for a fraction of a second before it turned on a sixpence and cut along in a different direction. Sublime. I turned my attentions back to Queenie but a pair of smaller Frits landed between us. They weren’t heavily marked enough to be a Weavers which meant that I was looking at what is considered a scarce butterfly in this area, a Small Pearl, and not just one but a pair. It felt slightly odd to consider that Spotted Frit is common and Small Pearl is scarce SHOCK. Back to Queenie once again but thanks to a bit of an unproductive jaunt at the start which used up almost half my allowed time I needed to start making my way back. I did stop when a Cloudy bombed pass and landed ever so briefly. I managed two shots before it was off again and when it paused a second time I managed a third before it was well and truly gone.
A little later while sitting in the sun watching the girls a small blue butterfly lands at my feet and starts mud-puddling. As I get a few shots I wondered what it could be. The colour was too blue for a Holly yet it has some chequers on the wing margins yet the underwings were mostly white with many of the black spots missing.
Still puzzling over this anomaly I set out for take 2 thought this time I headed straight towards the cutting in order to make the most of my time but I didn’t venture in I just stuck to the verge and carried on up the hill. I’d stop now and again for various things such as a Short-tailed Blue, Weavers and Wood Whites. Carrying on further up the hill there were Common Blues, Sooties and the odd smaller Frit by the time I’d reached the top of the hill and the field that I’d visited on my first morning.
The next field on also looked promising and as I crossed the road a massive dark butterfly took off from the grass. It dwarfed the Meadow Browns it spooked and when it flew in a series of bounds and glides it didn’t show any of the orange that you get with a Meadow Brown. After flowing it with my eyes I watched as it landed and settled so I was able to get in close for a few more shots of a Dryad for my collection. I just couldn’t get over how huge it was!
I strolled back across the first field again stopping occasionally. A Painted Lady was the one new and different thing amongst all the usual suspects. It did stop for the briefest of times unlike the Swallowtail which almost pleaded with me to follow it but I wasn’t playing that game this evening! The breeze had picked up and on the exposed field this was a little troublesome as the butterflies would alight on top of the taller flower heads and then rock violently back and forth as if on one of those kiddies playground toys.
A little later I did get a ‘first’…Little L and I were bringing back some ice blocks by torchlight and when we stopped to watch the Bats skating across the top of the water a rustling started near to my foot. Little L and I were both stunned and delighted as a mole crawled from one side of the path to the other!
After a while it was my turn for the hour off and so I tried my luck where the host suggested hoping the grassy pasture might throw up a Mallow Skipper. Unfortunately it was a bust with the usual representatives but in much lower numbers. So I made my way back up the hill to the cutting and set about checking the out the grasses and Fleabane which were set in further away from the road. In amongst the smaller Frits there was a Fritillary that was slightly smaller than the marauding Silver-washed and slightly larger than the Knapweed…I cautiously approached and it became apparent what it was when it turned and gleamed silver upon catching the sun. A Queen of Spain. It didn’t have so much of the grey/silver scaling near the body so I’m wondering if it’s a male?
I noodled around some more with the Queenie and in my noodling ended up looking at some of the other Frits that were hanging about in this neck of the cutting briefly seeing a SWA in the process. It was a stunning sight as it glided across the grass tops and seemed to hang motionless in the air for a fraction of a second before it turned on a sixpence and cut along in a different direction. Sublime. I turned my attentions back to Queenie but a pair of smaller Frits landed between us. They weren’t heavily marked enough to be a Weavers which meant that I was looking at what is considered a scarce butterfly in this area, a Small Pearl, and not just one but a pair. It felt slightly odd to consider that Spotted Frit is common and Small Pearl is scarce SHOCK. Back to Queenie once again but thanks to a bit of an unproductive jaunt at the start which used up almost half my allowed time I needed to start making my way back. I did stop when a Cloudy bombed pass and landed ever so briefly. I managed two shots before it was off again and when it paused a second time I managed a third before it was well and truly gone.
A little later while sitting in the sun watching the girls a small blue butterfly lands at my feet and starts mud-puddling. As I get a few shots I wondered what it could be. The colour was too blue for a Holly yet it has some chequers on the wing margins yet the underwings were mostly white with many of the black spots missing.
Still puzzling over this anomaly I set out for take 2 thought this time I headed straight towards the cutting in order to make the most of my time but I didn’t venture in I just stuck to the verge and carried on up the hill. I’d stop now and again for various things such as a Short-tailed Blue, Weavers and Wood Whites. Carrying on further up the hill there were Common Blues, Sooties and the odd smaller Frit by the time I’d reached the top of the hill and the field that I’d visited on my first morning.
The next field on also looked promising and as I crossed the road a massive dark butterfly took off from the grass. It dwarfed the Meadow Browns it spooked and when it flew in a series of bounds and glides it didn’t show any of the orange that you get with a Meadow Brown. After flowing it with my eyes I watched as it landed and settled so I was able to get in close for a few more shots of a Dryad for my collection. I just couldn’t get over how huge it was!
I strolled back across the first field again stopping occasionally. A Painted Lady was the one new and different thing amongst all the usual suspects. It did stop for the briefest of times unlike the Swallowtail which almost pleaded with me to follow it but I wasn’t playing that game this evening! The breeze had picked up and on the exposed field this was a little troublesome as the butterflies would alight on top of the taller flower heads and then rock violently back and forth as if on one of those kiddies playground toys.
A little later I did get a ‘first’…Little L and I were bringing back some ice blocks by torchlight and when we stopped to watch the Bats skating across the top of the water a rustling started near to my foot. Little L and I were both stunned and delighted as a mole crawled from one side of the path to the other!
A Quiet Sunday Part 1 19-08-2018
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The weather here is a bit lacsidasical. It gets hot – into the 30’s – but generally by the end of the afternoon into the early evening yet in the morning it’s only in the mid-teens so the butterflies don’t seem to be up and about until 9:30ish. S my ideas of getting up really early and cramming in an hour of butterflying hasn’t really come to fruition (though next year in Portugal I think that might be the way to go). Today however I was up and out traipsing back up the road to the cutting.
The first notable butterfly of the morning was a Holly Blue hiding on the underside of the mint. After that it was Frit City with Glannies, Heaths (possibly a Meadow as well) and Knapweeds as usual being joined by the occasional Weavers and Small Pearl. The odd Common Blue, Small Heath and ubiquitous Sooty helped to make up the supporting cast. A Purple Hairstreak closely followed by a second almost as if they were vying for the starring role. Whilst it was true that they were a nice addition to the trip list they weren’t the hoped for Mallow Skipper – supposedly common but where the bloody hell are they?
As I trudged up the road bemoaning little butterflies a huge bugger appeared and glided zig-zag style down the road towards me. Its flight was more fappy and brown like but the colour and size reminded me of an inverted and washed up Emperor. It landed a couple of times but I was only able to get the briefest of record shots each time. On my last attempt I was lined up perfectly, it seemed happy to let me approach, there weren’t any blades of grass in the way and then a car had to choose that particular moment to drive by! It was enough to startle the butterfly and it was off, vamoose never to return. Still I’d seen another new species, a Great Banded Grayling and another one that had been on researched ‘hit list’. The undoubted star of the morning and another huge butterfly.
After this I strolled up to the field seeing this and that on the way; Wood Whites, Blues, Frits by the bucket load and another Purple Hairstreak this time down on the deck. In fact it behaved a lot more like a blue than a Hairstreak. This one was inn even better condish than the other two but its appearance came too late, the starring role had already been cast. On the way back the Frits again put on a good show and I caught up with another Pearly Heath. All in all a cracking morning visit...
The first notable butterfly of the morning was a Holly Blue hiding on the underside of the mint. After that it was Frit City with Glannies, Heaths (possibly a Meadow as well) and Knapweeds as usual being joined by the occasional Weavers and Small Pearl. The odd Common Blue, Small Heath and ubiquitous Sooty helped to make up the supporting cast. A Purple Hairstreak closely followed by a second almost as if they were vying for the starring role. Whilst it was true that they were a nice addition to the trip list they weren’t the hoped for Mallow Skipper – supposedly common but where the bloody hell are they?
As I trudged up the road bemoaning little butterflies a huge bugger appeared and glided zig-zag style down the road towards me. Its flight was more fappy and brown like but the colour and size reminded me of an inverted and washed up Emperor. It landed a couple of times but I was only able to get the briefest of record shots each time. On my last attempt I was lined up perfectly, it seemed happy to let me approach, there weren’t any blades of grass in the way and then a car had to choose that particular moment to drive by! It was enough to startle the butterfly and it was off, vamoose never to return. Still I’d seen another new species, a Great Banded Grayling and another one that had been on researched ‘hit list’. The undoubted star of the morning and another huge butterfly.
After this I strolled up to the field seeing this and that on the way; Wood Whites, Blues, Frits by the bucket load and another Purple Hairstreak this time down on the deck. In fact it behaved a lot more like a blue than a Hairstreak. This one was inn even better condish than the other two but its appearance came too late, the starring role had already been cast. On the way back the Frits again put on a good show and I caught up with another Pearly Heath. All in all a cracking morning visit...
A Quiet Sunday Part 2 19-08-2018
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After lunch we went for a drive and called in at St Marcead Gurcon seeing a Cattle Egret in amid the cattle on the way (well where else?). Unfortunately when we got there the Boulongerie had been closed for 10 minutes so we took a quick stroll to the church again and once again I found a Geranium Bronze and this one didn’t evade my lens – perhaps a small compensation for missing out on patisseries? The rest of the day was spent swimming and boating with some more swimming on top as the temperature steadily rose to 34.
After tea it started to feel a little cooler so back to the cutting I went. Again the Frits put on a good display but they were being very hard work still, even at gone 7pm. The Short-tailed Blues were a little better behaved and there seemed to be a couple hanging around.
Up at the field it was even harder going as the Frits had a whole field to lose me in! I also noted that there now seemed to be more Small Heaths flying amongst the larger Browns and they were up to their old tricks of flushing easily and then spooking every other butterfly within a 5 metre radius. Still I persevered here for a while but with little to show for it apart from a few Frits catching the evening glow nicely.
I called in briefly at the Cutting on the way back and a small blue caught my eye. I thought ar first that is was something totally different as the orange lunules were very large and had fused together to make a single band along the wing margins. I had visions of winter evenings spent pouring over Tolman and researching various websites to finally come to the conclusion that it was…Damn it there was the cell spot that made it a Common Blue, still it was a nice looking one. I then noodled around a little more at the cutting with the usual crowd. I’m seeing the same species time after time now but it’s still not getting boring. Only a day to go now – I don’t want to go home!
After tea it started to feel a little cooler so back to the cutting I went. Again the Frits put on a good display but they were being very hard work still, even at gone 7pm. The Short-tailed Blues were a little better behaved and there seemed to be a couple hanging around.
Up at the field it was even harder going as the Frits had a whole field to lose me in! I also noted that there now seemed to be more Small Heaths flying amongst the larger Browns and they were up to their old tricks of flushing easily and then spooking every other butterfly within a 5 metre radius. Still I persevered here for a while but with little to show for it apart from a few Frits catching the evening glow nicely.
I called in briefly at the Cutting on the way back and a small blue caught my eye. I thought ar first that is was something totally different as the orange lunules were very large and had fused together to make a single band along the wing margins. I had visions of winter evenings spent pouring over Tolman and researching various websites to finally come to the conclusion that it was…Damn it there was the cell spot that made it a Common Blue, still it was a nice looking one. I then noodled around a little more at the cutting with the usual crowd. I’m seeing the same species time after time now but it’s still not getting boring. Only a day to go now – I don’t want to go home!
Home tomorrow 20-08-2018 Part 1
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Home tomorrow unfortunately – well they say that all good things must come to an end. Still there’s one more day still to fill and it started with a quick trip to Ste-Foy-le-Grande and the Intermarche a real godsend of a place this has become. So I head down to the car early and load it up with water bottles ready. As I’m there and I just happen to have my camera I have a little mooch while waiting for the others to arrive. As it’s still relatively early there isn’t an awful lot flying; two Small Heath a few Meadow Browns and a couple of Hedgies. I was hoping for a few Wood Whites but even though the Browns are all pretty twitchy the Whites are all tucked up in bed still. One Hedgie perches very nicely for me, wings akimbo and held totally horizontally soaking up as much of the sun as she can.
I don’t get out again with my camera until after lunch when I head to, yep you’ve guessed it, the Cutting. On the way I stop for this and that; a Holly Blue first, I check all the Brimstones on the Hemp Agrimony just in case one happens to be a Cleopatra and a Small White looks so close to being a Southern Small White but upon examination later I can just make out ‘the vein’ that means it’s not. Eventually I enter the Cutting proper and the butterflies by now are pretty active. The usual gang are all out; Frits, Short-tails, Small Heaths and Sooty Copper all over the place.
I cross the road to try the more ‘heath’ like habitat at the top of the hill but first I have to work through the Hemp Agrimony and Cooch Grasses. As I’m marvelling at the number of Meadow Browns and Silver-washed Frits taking nectar a Southern White Admiral appears almost out of nowhere and approaches from my left. It continues drifting listlessly left and then back slightly further right before it lands up high. I try for a record shot and get one before it’s off again. Before I can get bothered a massive white butterfly scythes through the air and lands just ahead of me. Despite the heat (up to 30 by now) it behaves impeccably. So much so in fact that for a couple of shots I realise that I have to stand back else I won’t get the whole butterfly in frame! I sneak around t the side of it for a few underside shots as well. After all the flighty individuals that I’d encountered so far this one was a joy to behold as it posed for photo after photo.
As if taking its cue from the Scarce Swallowtail the Southern White Admiral returned and started acting in a much more amenable fashion. I reckon it’s something to do with the Hemp Agrimony – it’s a butterfly sedative.
I carried on right to the top of the hill and started down the other side when a massive butterfly did a fly-by. It was a Great Banded Grayling but it didn’t stop. Instead it would fly up the path and circle once or twice as if it was going to land and then move off again. All the while I stayed still hoping it would eventually land if I thought that wasn’t a threat but it just got further and further away. I turned to head back as the path now was not turning up much and I was starting to bake what with the full sun bouncing off the reflective sands and rock. On the way back a Wall Brown added itself to the Trip Tally as did a Peacock and I knowingly saw my first Praying Mantis.
I don’t get out again with my camera until after lunch when I head to, yep you’ve guessed it, the Cutting. On the way I stop for this and that; a Holly Blue first, I check all the Brimstones on the Hemp Agrimony just in case one happens to be a Cleopatra and a Small White looks so close to being a Southern Small White but upon examination later I can just make out ‘the vein’ that means it’s not. Eventually I enter the Cutting proper and the butterflies by now are pretty active. The usual gang are all out; Frits, Short-tails, Small Heaths and Sooty Copper all over the place.
I cross the road to try the more ‘heath’ like habitat at the top of the hill but first I have to work through the Hemp Agrimony and Cooch Grasses. As I’m marvelling at the number of Meadow Browns and Silver-washed Frits taking nectar a Southern White Admiral appears almost out of nowhere and approaches from my left. It continues drifting listlessly left and then back slightly further right before it lands up high. I try for a record shot and get one before it’s off again. Before I can get bothered a massive white butterfly scythes through the air and lands just ahead of me. Despite the heat (up to 30 by now) it behaves impeccably. So much so in fact that for a couple of shots I realise that I have to stand back else I won’t get the whole butterfly in frame! I sneak around t the side of it for a few underside shots as well. After all the flighty individuals that I’d encountered so far this one was a joy to behold as it posed for photo after photo.
As if taking its cue from the Scarce Swallowtail the Southern White Admiral returned and started acting in a much more amenable fashion. I reckon it’s something to do with the Hemp Agrimony – it’s a butterfly sedative.
I carried on right to the top of the hill and started down the other side when a massive butterfly did a fly-by. It was a Great Banded Grayling but it didn’t stop. Instead it would fly up the path and circle once or twice as if it was going to land and then move off again. All the while I stayed still hoping it would eventually land if I thought that wasn’t a threat but it just got further and further away. I turned to head back as the path now was not turning up much and I was starting to bake what with the full sun bouncing off the reflective sands and rock. On the way back a Wall Brown added itself to the Trip Tally as did a Peacock and I knowingly saw my first Praying Mantis.
Home tomorrow 20-08-2018 Part 2
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I headed out again later in between swims and just before tea. I didn’t fancy the death run through the Horseflies on the left hand side of the lake so instead meandered my way along on the right hand side past the little patch of meadow that I visited at the start of the holiday. There were all the usual suspects, most looking a little worn or tattered.
I was aiming to get to the Cutting for a final look but I only got as far as the track on the other side of the Lake when a Great Banded Grayling flies up from the road and I stand rooted to the spot as it glides this way and that, always looking like it’s about to land only it seldom does and on the rare occasions that it does it stays down for only a fraction of a second before deciding that there is somewhere better elsewhere. Finally it plops itself down on the fence and I can now attempt a stalk. I sneak up , take a shot, take a step, take a shot, take a step, shot, step, shot, step and then it’s gone again. It looks like it landed in the alley between the Poplars closest to the fence so I hop over but can’t relocate it. I then spend 10 minutes picking painful burrs off my feet and legs! I make my way back over the fence and there is the GBG I line myself up as it lands in the foliage on the other side of the road and I find I’ve got a cracking shot lined up. There it is framed by the grass but as I click away the camera won’t focus on the butterfly – it wants to focus on the grass instead. Oh well you’ve got to leave something for next time, thinking of which – Mallow Skipper – where were those ‘common’ butterflies?
I mooched along the path hoping for a Mallow Skipper to pop up but one didn’t and so I took a few record shots of the various parts of the site and also any butterflies that posed nicely for me including a resplendent Knapweed that shone out like a jewel amid all the tried looking butterflies. I head back round to Elvensong and once back I drop the camera off, get changed and set myself back to ‘Dad’ mode and there’s time for one more bout of swimming and boating before starting the horrible task of packing…I wonder what downtown Bordeaux will bring?
I was aiming to get to the Cutting for a final look but I only got as far as the track on the other side of the Lake when a Great Banded Grayling flies up from the road and I stand rooted to the spot as it glides this way and that, always looking like it’s about to land only it seldom does and on the rare occasions that it does it stays down for only a fraction of a second before deciding that there is somewhere better elsewhere. Finally it plops itself down on the fence and I can now attempt a stalk. I sneak up , take a shot, take a step, take a shot, take a step, shot, step, shot, step and then it’s gone again. It looks like it landed in the alley between the Poplars closest to the fence so I hop over but can’t relocate it. I then spend 10 minutes picking painful burrs off my feet and legs! I make my way back over the fence and there is the GBG I line myself up as it lands in the foliage on the other side of the road and I find I’ve got a cracking shot lined up. There it is framed by the grass but as I click away the camera won’t focus on the butterfly – it wants to focus on the grass instead. Oh well you’ve got to leave something for next time, thinking of which – Mallow Skipper – where were those ‘common’ butterflies?
I mooched along the path hoping for a Mallow Skipper to pop up but one didn’t and so I took a few record shots of the various parts of the site and also any butterflies that posed nicely for me including a resplendent Knapweed that shone out like a jewel amid all the tried looking butterflies. I head back round to Elvensong and once back I drop the camera off, get changed and set myself back to ‘Dad’ mode and there’s time for one more bout of swimming and boating before starting the horrible task of packing…I wonder what downtown Bordeaux will bring?
Heading Home 21-08-2018
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So the day had finally arrived. It was the day that I’d been dreading all week – today we were leaving Elvensong and heading back home. True there was the drive back and wandering round Bordeaux still to come but I didn’t hold out any hope for adding to the tally and so I dejectedly packed my camera and begrudgingly packed the car all the while trying secretly hoping for a Mallow Skipper to pop up on the numerous trips to the car with the baggage. Then there was the drive back and the roads got progressively wider and it took more time to travel through the villages and then town until eventually we were on the Motorway. Long gone were the trees and fleeting views of Wood Whites and Frits to be replaced with signs for large commercial Vineyards and then burger joints in the rests stops and garages.
Driving into Bordeaux was a nightmare and only slightly less worrying as the Satnav was keeping up with the ever changing roads and streets. After a week in the hire car I was desperate not to get a scratch or ding on the final stretch but I didn’t fancy my chances as ow not only did I have to contend with city traffic but also silent running Trams that just appeared from nowhere. We managed to park and with some relief I exited the vehicle.
After strolling round seeing various sights (the wine museum in the distance the Cathedral, the old city gates, various squares) and finally finding a Boulongerie we also found a small park situated in the middle of a round about where we could rest up for a while in the shade. I had a little look around and it reminded me of butterflying in Lisbon (see a few posts later WINK) as back then we’d wander through the urban jungle seeking small parks which served as oases amid the stifling heat and grey buildings. It also reminded me of Lisbon because of the butterflies that I saw. Very few in fact. There was a very flightly Specklie, a fly-by White and finally a Geranium Bronze which unusually was the best behaved of the three species seen.
The holiday also ended with a Bang! Not hypothetically but literally! At the airport we had to queue to return the car to the Hire Car car park. We couldn’t do the vehicle check and armed police in battle fatigues and brandishing Machine guns told us to stay inside the Europcar reception area. About 30 minutes alter and we were still in there watching many more armed people moving this way and that. Then there was a massive “BANG!”. It seems that someone had left a suitcase unattended and so it had been disposed of! Many hours later as we boarded the plane I had a sneaky look half expecting to still see a few pairs of pants and maybe the odd shoe on the run way but alas it was all clear. And so ended a truly epic excursion.
What more can I say? Well adding up the total for the trip I saw more butterflies in a week than I ever have even in the best year. True the total of 50 species which I am truly chuffed with may seem like small beer for some foreign adventurers but then I was in a single locale, on a family holiday and without any expert guides leading me to the very best spots for the rarest of the rare and with a greatly reduced timescale. It was more like I'd swapped my local patch. To me now though France will always equal Fritillaries and I am now counting down the days until my next foreign foray!
Driving into Bordeaux was a nightmare and only slightly less worrying as the Satnav was keeping up with the ever changing roads and streets. After a week in the hire car I was desperate not to get a scratch or ding on the final stretch but I didn’t fancy my chances as ow not only did I have to contend with city traffic but also silent running Trams that just appeared from nowhere. We managed to park and with some relief I exited the vehicle.
After strolling round seeing various sights (the wine museum in the distance the Cathedral, the old city gates, various squares) and finally finding a Boulongerie we also found a small park situated in the middle of a round about where we could rest up for a while in the shade. I had a little look around and it reminded me of butterflying in Lisbon (see a few posts later WINK) as back then we’d wander through the urban jungle seeking small parks which served as oases amid the stifling heat and grey buildings. It also reminded me of Lisbon because of the butterflies that I saw. Very few in fact. There was a very flightly Specklie, a fly-by White and finally a Geranium Bronze which unusually was the best behaved of the three species seen.
The holiday also ended with a Bang! Not hypothetically but literally! At the airport we had to queue to return the car to the Hire Car car park. We couldn’t do the vehicle check and armed police in battle fatigues and brandishing Machine guns told us to stay inside the Europcar reception area. About 30 minutes alter and we were still in there watching many more armed people moving this way and that. Then there was a massive “BANG!”. It seems that someone had left a suitcase unattended and so it had been disposed of! Many hours later as we boarded the plane I had a sneaky look half expecting to still see a few pairs of pants and maybe the odd shoe on the run way but alas it was all clear. And so ended a truly epic excursion.
What more can I say? Well adding up the total for the trip I saw more butterflies in a week than I ever have even in the best year. True the total of 50 species which I am truly chuffed with may seem like small beer for some foreign adventurers but then I was in a single locale, on a family holiday and without any expert guides leading me to the very best spots for the rarest of the rare and with a greatly reduced timescale. It was more like I'd swapped my local patch. To me now though France will always equal Fritillaries and I am now counting down the days until my next foreign foray!
Total species..
1 Swallowtail
2 Scarce Swallowtail
3 Wood White
4 Brimstone
5 Large White
6 Small White
7 Green-veined White
8 Common Blue
9 Brown Argus
10 Holly Blue
11 Long tailed
12 Short tailed
13 Provencal Short Tailed
14 Geranium Bronze
15 Mazarine Blue
16 Sooty Copper
17 Small Copper
18 Purple Hairstreak
19 Red Admiral
20 Peacock
21 Painted Lady
22 Comma
23 Lesser Purple Emperor
24 White Admiral
25 Southern White Admiral
26 Large Skipper
27 Dingy Skipper
28 Smessex Skipper
29 Southern Grizzled Skipper
30 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
31 Silver Washed Fritillary
32 High Brown Fritillary
33 Heath Fritillary
34 Meadow Fritillary
35 Knapweed Fritillary
36 Glanville Fritillary
37 Spotted Fritillary
38 Queen of Spain Fritillary
39 Small Heath
40 Pearly Heath
41 Meadow Brown
42 Hedge Brown
43 Wall Brown
44 Speckled Wood
45 Dryad
46 Great Banded Grayling
47 Weavers Fritillary
48 Map
49 Clouded Yellow
50 Large Copper (?)