Kingston Lacey 31-08-2020
It was a strange weather day and had a feeling of being on the cusp. One minute the sun was shining and it was really hot, then the cloud would swallow the sun, the temperatures would drop and people would be reaching for their jumpers. It felt as if Autumn was knocking on the door and wanting to come in. All of this mild meteorological mayhem was happening set against the backdrop of a visit to Kingston Lacey the first in a long time with my folks and only our third visit to a National Trust site since the coming and going of Lockdown.
We arrived in time for an early lunch and when our allotted time slot arrived we were ushered in and through the ticket office and then we were pretty much let loose. So instead of having our lunch on the main lawn we made our way down the hill of the driveway and partook one of the proffered picnic benches. While we munched I spied the occasional White fluttering by, always on the wrong side of the electric fence I noted and there were the multitude of Wasps acting like Bovver Boys which is their usual M.O. at this time of year. Lunch done we followed the one way system round and into the gardens proper. The Rose beds held a few Whites and the small bed on the corner of one side of the house threw up a Small Tort looking suitably colour co-ordinated amid the floral collection.
Onwards we went, not wanting to stop too long so as to slow the flow of traffic, onwards past the Fernery and along the main borders. I was able to tarry a while here as the main gravelled path runs parallel to the borders but separated by a strip of lawn about 5 metres or so wide. As I scanned across the flower tops numerous whites flew from one to the other but most were too far back. There was the very occasional Meadow Brown but I was really enamoured by the presence of a grey and orange blur. It was a Hummingbird Hawk Moth and so I had to check my settings and turn on Sports Mode. Even then it was a right pain to get anything on as it always seemed to finish feeding just as the autofocus had picked it up. Still just seeing one was pleasant enough and so I carried on for a bit. Near the far end of the border there was another orangey blur, but this one was much slower and smaller. It landed and there was a gorgeous fresh Small Copper. Gingerly I placed one foot from the lawn into the bed so that I could balance myself, it was either this or fall into the bed completely crushing everything in my path, but it was still a tricky balancing act trying to keep most of my weight anchored on the lawn. Luckily the Small Copper stayed put and so I was able to reel off a few shots before I toppled or transferred too much of my weight.
After this I re-joined the others and we promenaded down the avenue of trees, wandered the woodland walk and then disaster – the Kitchen Garden was closed! This would mean no checking the veggie beds for whites, flowerbeds for the cracking species and the small pond for the dragonflies. Instead I sought solace from the sparse Meadow Browns and Whites in Pacific garden before we got back, once more onto the one way system as we had booked a visit around the house. It was at this point that the one way system broke down as now we were directed back onto the main gravelled path which we’d strolled along earlier. I didn’t mind this especially as my daughter bumped into one of her friends from school and while they chatted (socially distancing natch), I was free to re-examine the borders. Again there were the Whites, flitting about ceaselessly, again a Meadow Brown but no Small Copper. Luckily the Hummingbird Hawk Moth was (unless it was another) still hanging about and this time I got the measure of it. I noticed it seemed to be flying a circuit round a few selected flowers, possibly giving them time to release more nectar once it had drained the initial supply. So rather than just pointing the camera vaguely in the distance and then hoping the autofocus was quick enough I selected a flower head and waited. This worked out much better as I got my shots but I just wish I remembered these little tricks each time I encounter the same species.
The final section was again the small bed by the corner of the house and this time a Small White replaced the Small Tort although it didn’t look quite as ‘fitting’ it still made a nice photo. The final butterfly of the day came once the tour round the house was complete with a Red Admiral waving us off prior to our goodbyes and heading for home.
The nip of Autumn
Copper butterfly not leaves
Yay, Hummingbird Hawk!
We arrived in time for an early lunch and when our allotted time slot arrived we were ushered in and through the ticket office and then we were pretty much let loose. So instead of having our lunch on the main lawn we made our way down the hill of the driveway and partook one of the proffered picnic benches. While we munched I spied the occasional White fluttering by, always on the wrong side of the electric fence I noted and there were the multitude of Wasps acting like Bovver Boys which is their usual M.O. at this time of year. Lunch done we followed the one way system round and into the gardens proper. The Rose beds held a few Whites and the small bed on the corner of one side of the house threw up a Small Tort looking suitably colour co-ordinated amid the floral collection.
Onwards we went, not wanting to stop too long so as to slow the flow of traffic, onwards past the Fernery and along the main borders. I was able to tarry a while here as the main gravelled path runs parallel to the borders but separated by a strip of lawn about 5 metres or so wide. As I scanned across the flower tops numerous whites flew from one to the other but most were too far back. There was the very occasional Meadow Brown but I was really enamoured by the presence of a grey and orange blur. It was a Hummingbird Hawk Moth and so I had to check my settings and turn on Sports Mode. Even then it was a right pain to get anything on as it always seemed to finish feeding just as the autofocus had picked it up. Still just seeing one was pleasant enough and so I carried on for a bit. Near the far end of the border there was another orangey blur, but this one was much slower and smaller. It landed and there was a gorgeous fresh Small Copper. Gingerly I placed one foot from the lawn into the bed so that I could balance myself, it was either this or fall into the bed completely crushing everything in my path, but it was still a tricky balancing act trying to keep most of my weight anchored on the lawn. Luckily the Small Copper stayed put and so I was able to reel off a few shots before I toppled or transferred too much of my weight.
After this I re-joined the others and we promenaded down the avenue of trees, wandered the woodland walk and then disaster – the Kitchen Garden was closed! This would mean no checking the veggie beds for whites, flowerbeds for the cracking species and the small pond for the dragonflies. Instead I sought solace from the sparse Meadow Browns and Whites in Pacific garden before we got back, once more onto the one way system as we had booked a visit around the house. It was at this point that the one way system broke down as now we were directed back onto the main gravelled path which we’d strolled along earlier. I didn’t mind this especially as my daughter bumped into one of her friends from school and while they chatted (socially distancing natch), I was free to re-examine the borders. Again there were the Whites, flitting about ceaselessly, again a Meadow Brown but no Small Copper. Luckily the Hummingbird Hawk Moth was (unless it was another) still hanging about and this time I got the measure of it. I noticed it seemed to be flying a circuit round a few selected flowers, possibly giving them time to release more nectar once it had drained the initial supply. So rather than just pointing the camera vaguely in the distance and then hoping the autofocus was quick enough I selected a flower head and waited. This worked out much better as I got my shots but I just wish I remembered these little tricks each time I encounter the same species.
The final section was again the small bed by the corner of the house and this time a Small White replaced the Small Tort although it didn’t look quite as ‘fitting’ it still made a nice photo. The final butterfly of the day came once the tour round the house was complete with a Red Admiral waving us off prior to our goodbyes and heading for home.
The nip of Autumn
Copper butterfly not leaves
Yay, Hummingbird Hawk!
Vernditch 30-08-2020
Despite the warmth from the sun when it showed through the cloud there was a definite Autumnal feel to the day possibly made stronger by our later arrival as today we weren’t lunching half way round merely having a hot chocolate and snack. As we set off up through the wood there was a cool breeze filtering through the trees and this combined with the shade made for a slight nip in the air. I was wondering if there would be any butterflies left, half expecting them to have been made torpid and moribund by the cooler weather in the evenings or been washed out by the deluges over the last couple of days. As it was there were a few Specklies still holding on and fitting about even in the shade.
When we eventually reached the field a Common Blue passed by and the whites took great delight flying on the other side of the electric fence that’s ben recently put up. As we plunged in to the small wood my hopes of getting anything on the memory card other than Specklies were fading fast and were shattered further when an errant Adonis flew in one of the cleared areas – it paused for a fraction of a second, just long enough to see the chequers on the margins and the electric blue and then it was gone without even a record shot. Along the path that runs parallel to the Blandford Road I finally got something. First there was a Meadow Brown which sat still for a couple of shots before exploding off with a couple of its mates that I hadn’t seen as they were nestled down in the long grasses. Then there was a Small White which actually played ball as it seemed engrossed in nectaring.
During the completion of the circuit I picked up a few more species as now the Meadow Browns and Whites were flying warmed by the return of the sun. Whilst the others stuck to the top path I walked down the side of the tiny ‘Down’ and followed the track at the bottom which wove its way through the three small valleys. There were plenty of Whites – mainly Small but the occasional Large was easy to distinguish as it was at least twice the size of its smaller cousins and as most seemed to be males the blinding white forewings really shone out. As I stepped from valley 2 into valley 3 I almost trod on a Common Blue, well more like a Common Grey as it was a bit aged and so looked a little washed out.
Then we were on the home stretch again accompanied by Specklies as we wandered through the dappled shade. The Autumnal feel was back with a vengeance as leaves fell from the trees and the early afternoon sun shone through the dense tree cover emerging in the distance glowing yellow. A Comma feeding on a Bramble was the last butterfly of the day for me partly because the sun had hidden behind the clouds once I’d finished getting my shots but also because I only had 4 shots left on the memory card – that’s cutting a bit fine so I ended up walking back with my eyes closed in the most part!
Mellow soft lighting
The butterflies bedding down
Autumn is coming…
When we eventually reached the field a Common Blue passed by and the whites took great delight flying on the other side of the electric fence that’s ben recently put up. As we plunged in to the small wood my hopes of getting anything on the memory card other than Specklies were fading fast and were shattered further when an errant Adonis flew in one of the cleared areas – it paused for a fraction of a second, just long enough to see the chequers on the margins and the electric blue and then it was gone without even a record shot. Along the path that runs parallel to the Blandford Road I finally got something. First there was a Meadow Brown which sat still for a couple of shots before exploding off with a couple of its mates that I hadn’t seen as they were nestled down in the long grasses. Then there was a Small White which actually played ball as it seemed engrossed in nectaring.
During the completion of the circuit I picked up a few more species as now the Meadow Browns and Whites were flying warmed by the return of the sun. Whilst the others stuck to the top path I walked down the side of the tiny ‘Down’ and followed the track at the bottom which wove its way through the three small valleys. There were plenty of Whites – mainly Small but the occasional Large was easy to distinguish as it was at least twice the size of its smaller cousins and as most seemed to be males the blinding white forewings really shone out. As I stepped from valley 2 into valley 3 I almost trod on a Common Blue, well more like a Common Grey as it was a bit aged and so looked a little washed out.
Then we were on the home stretch again accompanied by Specklies as we wandered through the dappled shade. The Autumnal feel was back with a vengeance as leaves fell from the trees and the early afternoon sun shone through the dense tree cover emerging in the distance glowing yellow. A Comma feeding on a Bramble was the last butterfly of the day for me partly because the sun had hidden behind the clouds once I’d finished getting my shots but also because I only had 4 shots left on the memory card – that’s cutting a bit fine so I ended up walking back with my eyes closed in the most part!
Mellow soft lighting
The butterflies bedding down
Autumn is coming…
Shipton Bellinger 22-08-2020
I hoped to cram in one final trip to Shipton even though it was still earlier than some of my later visits in previous years. However you couldn’t have told that by looking out of the window on the morning of the trip…
Luckily the strong wind that was blowing moved the cloud along and so there was always the prospect of a little sun so when the 45mph gales didn’t materialise at lunchtime as forecast the trip was back on and I was soon rounding the corner form behind the hedge, eyes peeled for chocolate oranges. There was still a gusting wind (which the weather app helpfully informed me was 19 mph) but that was only affecting the less productive side of the hedge which was itself acting like a massive wind break so I continued optimistically despite the autumnal feel to the air. This optimism was short lived and my spirits were literally dampened by a heavy shower just as I reached the ‘good bit’ of hedge. I kept walking, head down and camera stashed under my pac-a-mac which had been residing in the boot for the last few seasons ready for just such an occasion. As the drops lessened and the drips dropped the butterflies started to appear despite the sun remaining stubbornly hidden. First out were the Meadow Browns and then a Holly Blue. When it was a fair it drier a Common Blue turned up and then a cracking Comma peered down at me from up on high.
At the end of the hedge I followed the track round to the little enclosure picking up various whites, one of which stopped long enough for a few shots and there were also a few Browns. The sun remained hidden and with it the majority of the butterflies. On and round to the Nettle Bed, the site of so many easy sightings but which was now quiet and peaceful. Still the sun remained hidden. On up the little track, no sun still and no butterflies. As I walked along the stone track back towards the main hedge the sun appeared, clawing its way through the cloud, its arrival announced by blue skies and a sudden urge to squint. Once back at the Hedge I worked my way up, down and up again. There was the occasional Gatekeeper and less frequent Whites. A Comma showed well again, a Red Admiral dropped in and a lovely female Common Blue did her best to cheer me up after the lack of Brostreaks. I’d read somewhere that there can be a lull in proceedings during their flight so perhaps this was the case today?
As things weren’t being forthcoming I decided to have a little bit of an explore to check out other areas of the site. First stop was the little field just to the left of the top of the hedge but it couldn’t hand me a Silver-spot, it was only able to muster a few Blues. Down the track I went and took the right-hand path of the double track, with time running down and my resolve going with it. There were only 10 I minutes or so left of the ‘Golden Hours’…A flash of bright orange from the gloom in the hedge stopped me in my tracks. There was a female Brostreak laying eggs. She climbed out form the sheltered and shaded art of the foliage and paused once out in the light. After the briefest of basks she was off, flying up high into the top of the canopy and became lost from sight. Brilliant – the hard graft had paid off! With the time now just past 3 of the clock I decided to head home on a high – barely noticing the Specklies and Whites on the return journey.
The wind didn’t come
So Shipton bound for Brostreaks
Last trip’s a success!
Luckily the strong wind that was blowing moved the cloud along and so there was always the prospect of a little sun so when the 45mph gales didn’t materialise at lunchtime as forecast the trip was back on and I was soon rounding the corner form behind the hedge, eyes peeled for chocolate oranges. There was still a gusting wind (which the weather app helpfully informed me was 19 mph) but that was only affecting the less productive side of the hedge which was itself acting like a massive wind break so I continued optimistically despite the autumnal feel to the air. This optimism was short lived and my spirits were literally dampened by a heavy shower just as I reached the ‘good bit’ of hedge. I kept walking, head down and camera stashed under my pac-a-mac which had been residing in the boot for the last few seasons ready for just such an occasion. As the drops lessened and the drips dropped the butterflies started to appear despite the sun remaining stubbornly hidden. First out were the Meadow Browns and then a Holly Blue. When it was a fair it drier a Common Blue turned up and then a cracking Comma peered down at me from up on high.
At the end of the hedge I followed the track round to the little enclosure picking up various whites, one of which stopped long enough for a few shots and there were also a few Browns. The sun remained hidden and with it the majority of the butterflies. On and round to the Nettle Bed, the site of so many easy sightings but which was now quiet and peaceful. Still the sun remained hidden. On up the little track, no sun still and no butterflies. As I walked along the stone track back towards the main hedge the sun appeared, clawing its way through the cloud, its arrival announced by blue skies and a sudden urge to squint. Once back at the Hedge I worked my way up, down and up again. There was the occasional Gatekeeper and less frequent Whites. A Comma showed well again, a Red Admiral dropped in and a lovely female Common Blue did her best to cheer me up after the lack of Brostreaks. I’d read somewhere that there can be a lull in proceedings during their flight so perhaps this was the case today?
As things weren’t being forthcoming I decided to have a little bit of an explore to check out other areas of the site. First stop was the little field just to the left of the top of the hedge but it couldn’t hand me a Silver-spot, it was only able to muster a few Blues. Down the track I went and took the right-hand path of the double track, with time running down and my resolve going with it. There were only 10 I minutes or so left of the ‘Golden Hours’…A flash of bright orange from the gloom in the hedge stopped me in my tracks. There was a female Brostreak laying eggs. She climbed out form the sheltered and shaded art of the foliage and paused once out in the light. After the briefest of basks she was off, flying up high into the top of the canopy and became lost from sight. Brilliant – the hard graft had paid off! With the time now just past 3 of the clock I decided to head home on a high – barely noticing the Specklies and Whites on the return journey.
The wind didn’t come
So Shipton bound for Brostreaks
Last trip’s a success!
Shipton Bellinger 20-08-2020
The dreaded day had finally arrived – Results Day! Although this year I already knew the worst case scenario having sent in the grades that the pupils had proved themselves capable of. Most years I assuage the mild misery of this day by a stop-off at Shipton Bellinger on the way home, and so it was this time with the added bonus of it being a met-up with Philzoid. After the last buff envelope had been collected, the traffic at Tidworth negotiated and with the dying chords of Purgatory still ringing in my ears I stopped the car behind the main hedge.
As I walked round the corner I simultaneously spotted Philzoid and a Small Copper so we started chatting and catching up with each other’s business from the last couple of weeks. As we’re doing so Philzoid lets me know that there hadn’t been a sniff of a Brostreak in the hour he’d already been on site…then I spotted a female up high. She was too high for me really but at least it was a start.
Pleased that they’d started to show we made our way slowly down the hedge, picking up a few Blues, a Holly Blue and a Comma which was also up high. Strangely there weren’t any Gatekeepers? This would possibly have been a good thing had there been plenty of Brostreaks about – less to confuse them with, but their absence was a tad odd. We carried on working our way along the hedge and then onto the little enclosure. Finally our diligent examination of each and every likely looking leaf and slightly orange object came to fruition as there feeding down low was a Brostreak. It was a tatty male, very worn with its lack of scales giving it a washed out sandy grey appearance which after the glorious examples a fortnight or so previously was something of a disappointment. Still he posed nicely and so we both made some time for him. I was left wondering whether this was the same male that I’d seen here a month earlier with Little L?
Also here were some Brimstones and the Gatekeepers started to crawl out of whatever hole they’d been hiding in. Things were still quiet though even round by the nettle bed where only a few Whites put in a lacklustre performance. There was a strange feeling about the place...not like ‘things are all over’ but more ‘things are about to kick off”… So we start back towards the main hedge with a possibly male jinking by and another high up Comma on the way only offering a mild distraction from our course. The feeling that things are just bidding their time before the grand finale grows and grows so much so that as we reach the main hedge I hear myself muttering “I think we’re about to start seeing butterflies…” We’re only about a ¼ of the way along when a chocolate and orange butterfly can be seen at the top of one of the small trees. At her altitude the slight breeze swings her around and about so I can’t get anything more than a blurry distant record shot. Then tired by the battering of the breeze she takes and flies deep into the hedge. We press on and suddenly things start to happen as another female turns up, lower down and laying eggs in the cover of the leaves.
A few more steps along the hedge and we came across yet another female which is in slightly better nick and a few steps on again yet another female. As a certain Law dictates she was the best behaved of the bunch but also in the worst condition. Philzoid weren’t complaining though as in several strides we’d picked up 4 different females and so we filled our memory cards with various posed shots. The more mature female exhibited the usual pattern of behaviour whereby after clambering along a twig in the shade and depositing a few eggs she flew/walked into the sun, opened up and basked for a bit. Sufficiently warmed she then set off back into the shade to lay a few more eggs.
By now we’d made it two thirds along the hedge nd luckily we were a little sated of Brostreaks as from here on it got remarkably quiet again so we reverted to walking and talking until we reached the end/start of the hedge. There again was another female Brostreak, possibly the same as the first of the day? If this was to be our final one of the day then the best had definitely been saved as she was in cracking condition as she hung upside down from a twig. There’s something very satisfying about the tightly packed short hairs fading into the almost furry looking scales on a fresh Brostreak and the colour is second to none! Also here playing a little second fiddle was a Small Copper and a cracking pair of Brown Argus locked together in cop.
As time continued to tick away we headed on, keeping to the track as it headed up the hill to the little scallops adding a few Specklies along the way. We checked out all of the scallops and the little enclosures and then worked back round to the top of the hill on the more open side. There weren’t any more Brostreaks (so the best had indeed been saved until last) but instead a Wall and an Adonis entertained us for a bit. On the walk back down the hill we ventured onto the other side of the hedge and there were plenty of Brown Argus and Common Blues about but to be honest, and I occasionally find this, I felt like I was just going through the motions. The excitement of earlier surrounded by all the Brostreaks had made me immune to further endorphins and so whilst I hoped for another stunning female Brostreak I wasn’t really paying an awful lot of attention to the other butterflies. This meant that the final stretches of the day were devoid of the multitude of shots.
All told it was a cracking day; a single male and 5 or 6 females isn’t to be sniffed at, especially as we hadn’t investigated any of the other spots where Brostreaks frequent. So it was with a certain amount of melancholy that I drove home after the final meet up of 2020…oh well next year things should be better Co-vid wise and there will be plenty of trips to make!
Last meet of the year
The ladies were out in force
Bodes well for next year!
As I walked round the corner I simultaneously spotted Philzoid and a Small Copper so we started chatting and catching up with each other’s business from the last couple of weeks. As we’re doing so Philzoid lets me know that there hadn’t been a sniff of a Brostreak in the hour he’d already been on site…then I spotted a female up high. She was too high for me really but at least it was a start.
Pleased that they’d started to show we made our way slowly down the hedge, picking up a few Blues, a Holly Blue and a Comma which was also up high. Strangely there weren’t any Gatekeepers? This would possibly have been a good thing had there been plenty of Brostreaks about – less to confuse them with, but their absence was a tad odd. We carried on working our way along the hedge and then onto the little enclosure. Finally our diligent examination of each and every likely looking leaf and slightly orange object came to fruition as there feeding down low was a Brostreak. It was a tatty male, very worn with its lack of scales giving it a washed out sandy grey appearance which after the glorious examples a fortnight or so previously was something of a disappointment. Still he posed nicely and so we both made some time for him. I was left wondering whether this was the same male that I’d seen here a month earlier with Little L?
Also here were some Brimstones and the Gatekeepers started to crawl out of whatever hole they’d been hiding in. Things were still quiet though even round by the nettle bed where only a few Whites put in a lacklustre performance. There was a strange feeling about the place...not like ‘things are all over’ but more ‘things are about to kick off”… So we start back towards the main hedge with a possibly male jinking by and another high up Comma on the way only offering a mild distraction from our course. The feeling that things are just bidding their time before the grand finale grows and grows so much so that as we reach the main hedge I hear myself muttering “I think we’re about to start seeing butterflies…” We’re only about a ¼ of the way along when a chocolate and orange butterfly can be seen at the top of one of the small trees. At her altitude the slight breeze swings her around and about so I can’t get anything more than a blurry distant record shot. Then tired by the battering of the breeze she takes and flies deep into the hedge. We press on and suddenly things start to happen as another female turns up, lower down and laying eggs in the cover of the leaves.
A few more steps along the hedge and we came across yet another female which is in slightly better nick and a few steps on again yet another female. As a certain Law dictates she was the best behaved of the bunch but also in the worst condition. Philzoid weren’t complaining though as in several strides we’d picked up 4 different females and so we filled our memory cards with various posed shots. The more mature female exhibited the usual pattern of behaviour whereby after clambering along a twig in the shade and depositing a few eggs she flew/walked into the sun, opened up and basked for a bit. Sufficiently warmed she then set off back into the shade to lay a few more eggs.
By now we’d made it two thirds along the hedge nd luckily we were a little sated of Brostreaks as from here on it got remarkably quiet again so we reverted to walking and talking until we reached the end/start of the hedge. There again was another female Brostreak, possibly the same as the first of the day? If this was to be our final one of the day then the best had definitely been saved as she was in cracking condition as she hung upside down from a twig. There’s something very satisfying about the tightly packed short hairs fading into the almost furry looking scales on a fresh Brostreak and the colour is second to none! Also here playing a little second fiddle was a Small Copper and a cracking pair of Brown Argus locked together in cop.
As time continued to tick away we headed on, keeping to the track as it headed up the hill to the little scallops adding a few Specklies along the way. We checked out all of the scallops and the little enclosures and then worked back round to the top of the hill on the more open side. There weren’t any more Brostreaks (so the best had indeed been saved until last) but instead a Wall and an Adonis entertained us for a bit. On the walk back down the hill we ventured onto the other side of the hedge and there were plenty of Brown Argus and Common Blues about but to be honest, and I occasionally find this, I felt like I was just going through the motions. The excitement of earlier surrounded by all the Brostreaks had made me immune to further endorphins and so whilst I hoped for another stunning female Brostreak I wasn’t really paying an awful lot of attention to the other butterflies. This meant that the final stretches of the day were devoid of the multitude of shots.
All told it was a cracking day; a single male and 5 or 6 females isn’t to be sniffed at, especially as we hadn’t investigated any of the other spots where Brostreaks frequent. So it was with a certain amount of melancholy that I drove home after the final meet up of 2020…oh well next year things should be better Co-vid wise and there will be plenty of trips to make!
Last meet of the year
The ladies were out in force
Bodes well for next year!
Martin Down 17-08-2020
Today was a bit of an unusual day, I don’t really know what happened but I ended up making a morning visit to Martin Down and to make matters even less usual I started from the main car park! My plan was to end up at the flat sparsely turfed field behind the Butts but rather than taking the main track I headed right from the car park, diving down into the ‘bowl’ behind the Gorse boundary. There were plenty of butterflies about and I picked off Meadow Browns, Common Blues, Small Heath and whites as I sauntered down one side other bowl to the bottom. Here there were large clumps of Marjoram like pinky-purple stands of coral buffeted by the currents of a sea of green. Choosing a likely looking clump I stopped for a moment or two. First a Chalkhill went by and then a Common Blue stopped. It’s joined by an Adonis and then the Meadow Browns piled in, last in first out with them! As I wandered away the butterflies dispersed, taking off in unison. I was obviously in a Maritime mood as their sudden simultaneous flight brought to mind fish zipping away from the coral as a Shark passes by. Reminding myself to listen out for “dah, dah…dah dah…” I continued on.
I worked up the other side of the bowl and then walked a short way along the top of the ramparts of the Dyke. A very blue female Common Blue catches my eye as does a Small Copper with absolutely huge badges. I watch as it flies down into the Dyke and so I follow suit but I lose it as it twists and turns among the multiple Meadow Browns and I also have to keep looking down to check my footing on the steep side of the Dyke. The little area I found myself in now was the one that was so productive for Marshies back in May and again the small section produced the goods. I had a quick look around and spied a Chalkhill, then a Common Blue, an Adonis announces itself by opening up and catching the sun in an ice cold blast of colour whilst a Bad Attitude is attacking everything in sight. The final butterfly added to the tally here is a Small Copper. Such variety was great to see but what was odd was that there were one of each and they were all males – had I stumbled onto a butterfly Boy’s Club?
After telling the lads that they “needed to get out more” I climbed out of the Dyke and carried on along the path. The vegetation quickly changed form a lush green to a tar brown colour and my nostrils were assaulted by a strong whiff of creosote. I wasn’t sure if this was an accident or was some form of management but I quickly moved away noting a few Chalkhill and a lush female Brown Argus a little further on once the air had become fragrant, the stench of creosote abated and the more soothing colours of summer had reappeared. I’d reached the Butts and so I checked out the little field on the near side. A quick scan across meant that I could select my targets from the single Adonis, the two female and two male Chalkhills and the pair of Chalkhills in cop.
Leaving the lovers too it I wandered round to the field on the other side and as I round the foot of the Butt and looked out across the flat expanse it was a sight to behold. There were butterflies blimbling about all over the place. I could make out the larger Meadow Browns in flight but the moment they settled they vanished. There were more numerous Chalkhills; spectre like butterflies, their subtle blue colour making them look like the ghost butterflies of summers past. They too would land and disappear, hidden in plain sight. The Common Blues were less numerus and the Adonis fewer still but unlike the others the males would land and whilst their wings were open they could still be made out – semiprecious stones twinkling amid the beige. I spent what felt like nowhere near long enough here just walking backwards and forwards retracing my steps and cross-crossing the entire field multiple times as the butterflies alternatively sat or led me on in a dance. It was brilliant if a little dizzying.
All too soon I felt the call of home (the mobile buzzing in my pocket) and so I begrudgingly trudged back onto the main track. Round the Butt I was enticed to tarry in one of the little scallops by an Adonis. It sat at the edge of the path and as I moved closer it flew further back into the scallop drawing me in after it. There was also a female Chalkhill and a Small Copper amid plenty of Meadow Browns all of which further waylaid me. After another short while, as the temperatures rose and the butterflies started to act more and more silly as they warmed up, I pulled myself away. By virtue of putting one foot in front of the other I made it back to the car whilst ignoring the many Chalkhills on the way.
A morning visit!
Start at the main car park – shock!
All the blues abound
I worked up the other side of the bowl and then walked a short way along the top of the ramparts of the Dyke. A very blue female Common Blue catches my eye as does a Small Copper with absolutely huge badges. I watch as it flies down into the Dyke and so I follow suit but I lose it as it twists and turns among the multiple Meadow Browns and I also have to keep looking down to check my footing on the steep side of the Dyke. The little area I found myself in now was the one that was so productive for Marshies back in May and again the small section produced the goods. I had a quick look around and spied a Chalkhill, then a Common Blue, an Adonis announces itself by opening up and catching the sun in an ice cold blast of colour whilst a Bad Attitude is attacking everything in sight. The final butterfly added to the tally here is a Small Copper. Such variety was great to see but what was odd was that there were one of each and they were all males – had I stumbled onto a butterfly Boy’s Club?
After telling the lads that they “needed to get out more” I climbed out of the Dyke and carried on along the path. The vegetation quickly changed form a lush green to a tar brown colour and my nostrils were assaulted by a strong whiff of creosote. I wasn’t sure if this was an accident or was some form of management but I quickly moved away noting a few Chalkhill and a lush female Brown Argus a little further on once the air had become fragrant, the stench of creosote abated and the more soothing colours of summer had reappeared. I’d reached the Butts and so I checked out the little field on the near side. A quick scan across meant that I could select my targets from the single Adonis, the two female and two male Chalkhills and the pair of Chalkhills in cop.
Leaving the lovers too it I wandered round to the field on the other side and as I round the foot of the Butt and looked out across the flat expanse it was a sight to behold. There were butterflies blimbling about all over the place. I could make out the larger Meadow Browns in flight but the moment they settled they vanished. There were more numerous Chalkhills; spectre like butterflies, their subtle blue colour making them look like the ghost butterflies of summers past. They too would land and disappear, hidden in plain sight. The Common Blues were less numerus and the Adonis fewer still but unlike the others the males would land and whilst their wings were open they could still be made out – semiprecious stones twinkling amid the beige. I spent what felt like nowhere near long enough here just walking backwards and forwards retracing my steps and cross-crossing the entire field multiple times as the butterflies alternatively sat or led me on in a dance. It was brilliant if a little dizzying.
All too soon I felt the call of home (the mobile buzzing in my pocket) and so I begrudgingly trudged back onto the main track. Round the Butt I was enticed to tarry in one of the little scallops by an Adonis. It sat at the edge of the path and as I moved closer it flew further back into the scallop drawing me in after it. There was also a female Chalkhill and a Small Copper amid plenty of Meadow Browns all of which further waylaid me. After another short while, as the temperatures rose and the butterflies started to act more and more silly as they warmed up, I pulled myself away. By virtue of putting one foot in front of the other I made it back to the car whilst ignoring the many Chalkhills on the way.
A morning visit!
Start at the main car park – shock!
All the blues abound
Dyrham Park 16-08-2020
After a week of ‘weather’ I was finally getting out this time for a bit of a walk round Dyrham Park an National Trust property at the of the Cotswolds, all sweeping vistas and rolling hills with the House nestled snugly in the ‘V’ between two hills. We’ve been here many times…well we’ve used the facilities and had lunch in the car park many times as we use it as a stop off point on our way back from visiting the Outlaws. Today was actually our first ever ‘proper visit’ and we promptly set off across the hill top, through the avenue of trees and onto the wide, open park land. With the sun hidden behind the cloud and the near constant threat of rain I wasn’t surprised that I didn’t see a butterfly for a good long while. Instead I watched the herd of Fallow Deer run by. Once they regrouped I practiced my stalking skills; keeping downwind and using the side of the hill to hide my silhouette I managed to get reasonably close but my auto-focus kept wanting to focus on the nearer grass – I need to get a proper telephoto.
We carried on down the path and the trees started to thicken and as we round a corner the house appeared in front of us wedged in the gap between the hills – it made me think that they must have a set of culverts under the building as all the water flowing downhill would run straight through the front door! Still it was very impressive and surprisingly as we left the stylized wilds behind us and ventured into a more urbane and (even more) artificial habitat I started seeing butterflies with a Red Admiral flying along the line of citrus trees on the terrace at one side of the house. There were also whites as we wandered through small sections of garden which culminated by a brief coffee stop overlooking the pond. Representatives of all three White species were flying about but each time I got close they’d take off from their prominent position and land further back and masked by the foliage. Still the Dragonfly kept me occupied for a bit while others supped at scalding coffee/tea and a few steps away a Small Tortoiseshell looked resplendent.
We then took to wandering from garden to garden the best one of which was a fantastic rectangle with lines of bedding plants. Unfortunately we were restricted in where we could wander here but it was great to see so many whites bimbling about and at one pint a Peacock bombed by. Up through the wood and it clouded over again so even though we were walking in their prime habitat not even a single Specklie flew. Luckily as we came down the terraced hill the sun peeked out from behind the curtains warming those butterflies up just enough that they could take to the wing – there were a few Gatekeepers flying amid the Meadow Browns in between the tombstones of the church/grave yard.
We ate lunch on the lawn at the font of the house with a few more whites weaving in and out of the potted citrus trees on the terrace and a Bank Vole scurried and hid under various pots of the aforementioned citrus fruits. We were nearly reaching our allotted time slot and so we packed up and started on the return leg of our journey – unfortunately up the massive hill we’d walked down. This path was lined with trees and at one pint there was a sign indicating that the closely mown field was a wild flower meadow even though it looked like a bit of grass. I was still surprised that on the return walk I saw only three butterflies – 2 Meadow Browns and a single Specklie which sat for only a few seconds.
Finally slightly puffed out we said our goodbyes to the site and with the phrase “we should do this again” still floating on the air we started the drive home. I certainly would like to go here again as this place certainly has some interesting little spots and potential – just go to get the timing right.
Rolling green parkland
And ornamental borders
Butterfly boycott?
We carried on down the path and the trees started to thicken and as we round a corner the house appeared in front of us wedged in the gap between the hills – it made me think that they must have a set of culverts under the building as all the water flowing downhill would run straight through the front door! Still it was very impressive and surprisingly as we left the stylized wilds behind us and ventured into a more urbane and (even more) artificial habitat I started seeing butterflies with a Red Admiral flying along the line of citrus trees on the terrace at one side of the house. There were also whites as we wandered through small sections of garden which culminated by a brief coffee stop overlooking the pond. Representatives of all three White species were flying about but each time I got close they’d take off from their prominent position and land further back and masked by the foliage. Still the Dragonfly kept me occupied for a bit while others supped at scalding coffee/tea and a few steps away a Small Tortoiseshell looked resplendent.
We then took to wandering from garden to garden the best one of which was a fantastic rectangle with lines of bedding plants. Unfortunately we were restricted in where we could wander here but it was great to see so many whites bimbling about and at one pint a Peacock bombed by. Up through the wood and it clouded over again so even though we were walking in their prime habitat not even a single Specklie flew. Luckily as we came down the terraced hill the sun peeked out from behind the curtains warming those butterflies up just enough that they could take to the wing – there were a few Gatekeepers flying amid the Meadow Browns in between the tombstones of the church/grave yard.
We ate lunch on the lawn at the font of the house with a few more whites weaving in and out of the potted citrus trees on the terrace and a Bank Vole scurried and hid under various pots of the aforementioned citrus fruits. We were nearly reaching our allotted time slot and so we packed up and started on the return leg of our journey – unfortunately up the massive hill we’d walked down. This path was lined with trees and at one pint there was a sign indicating that the closely mown field was a wild flower meadow even though it looked like a bit of grass. I was still surprised that on the return walk I saw only three butterflies – 2 Meadow Browns and a single Specklie which sat for only a few seconds.
Finally slightly puffed out we said our goodbyes to the site and with the phrase “we should do this again” still floating on the air we started the drive home. I certainly would like to go here again as this place certainly has some interesting little spots and potential – just go to get the timing right.
Rolling green parkland
And ornamental borders
Butterfly boycott?
Mottisfont 11-08-2020
It had been a while since we’d visited any National Trust Gardens for obvious reasons at first and then because phoning up and having to book a slot felt kinda wrong after over a decade of just turning up but today we bit the bullet and went to Mottisfont. Well I guess we’d really bit the bullet last Friday when we woke at 6m to be first in the queue and get the admission slot that we wanted but that doesn’t quite fit the narrative, anyhoo…
It was going to be a scorcher so once in we hugged the shady side of the path as we made our way round the one way system towards the Walled Gardens where there was yet another one way system in place. It seems the that the butterflies were revelling in their privacy and they’d worked out which spots of the gardens were roped off an inaccessible as that’s where they seemed to head when disturbed by the people in front of us or where they could be seen hanging to various Buddleia florets. Several Whites and a few Brimstones as well as a Red Admiral were all out of range of my lens by virtue of this behaviour so I had to console myself with the more dopey Meadow Browns that seemed a bit zonked out from the heady mixture of heat and Lavender fumes and the more daring Whites.
After we had successfully Social Distanced/shuffled our way we exited to the main parts of the grounds once again we were able to walk from shady spot to shady spot. Booking the first ‘time slot’ was proving to be a great idea as if was so quiet that we felt like we pretty much had the place to ourselves and so we carried on the ‘circular route’ cutting across the recently mown fields, through the gate and along the river path. As we walked the odd couple of Specklies sparred or courted (I couldn’t work out which) sometimes spiralling across and almost skimming the top of the chalk stream. Banded Demioselles and the odd dragonfly zipped about and below the water Rainbow and Brown Trout swung their tails lazily from side to side so as to remain stationary against the brisk current. All too soon we left the riverside path and the wonderful light show from the sun stealing through the trees and playing on the tops of the ripples.
By way of compensation though we found a shady spot at the edge of the lawn and had lunch. Just prior to lunch and directly after I was able to walk up and down the single strip of Lavender which bordered the lower and upper Lawns. There were numerous Meadow Browns – including the occasional odd looking one with double pupils or an almost double pupil. The Whites proved really tricky as they would almost tip-toe fly from one head of Lavender to the next, take the briefest of sups and then move on – I don’t know if this is because Lavender only has a little nectar or whether they were just playing hard to get? Judging by the behaviour of all three of the Commas and the Small Tort probably the latter as the Vanessids spent much more time on each purple floret. However they weren’t much easier to photograph as even though they remained in the same location they pirouetted constantly. In the end I lined my shot up and waited for them to work back to me. The Commas were great and were easily identifiable from each other as one was entirely normal and complete, another was an ‘o-album’ and the final one of the trio had a portion of its hind wings missing – it looked a little like a Julia to be honest. Three Blues also graced the Lavender with their presence – two males and a lovely little female.
It was good to get back to the Trust properties and enjoy a little ‘light butterflying’ again after the recent punishing trips in the heat! However this wasn’t the end as when we arrived home and I was packing things away Little L called down that a butterfly had landed on her Horse Chestnut sapling in our concrete courtyard. I quickly grabbed my camera, opened the back door and got a couple of shots before it realised that it had made a mistake by landing in an almost barren space. A garden tick no less…well if you can call an old butler sink a garden…
Mottisfont reprise
On the Lavender they flew
In the scorching sun
It was going to be a scorcher so once in we hugged the shady side of the path as we made our way round the one way system towards the Walled Gardens where there was yet another one way system in place. It seems the that the butterflies were revelling in their privacy and they’d worked out which spots of the gardens were roped off an inaccessible as that’s where they seemed to head when disturbed by the people in front of us or where they could be seen hanging to various Buddleia florets. Several Whites and a few Brimstones as well as a Red Admiral were all out of range of my lens by virtue of this behaviour so I had to console myself with the more dopey Meadow Browns that seemed a bit zonked out from the heady mixture of heat and Lavender fumes and the more daring Whites.
After we had successfully Social Distanced/shuffled our way we exited to the main parts of the grounds once again we were able to walk from shady spot to shady spot. Booking the first ‘time slot’ was proving to be a great idea as if was so quiet that we felt like we pretty much had the place to ourselves and so we carried on the ‘circular route’ cutting across the recently mown fields, through the gate and along the river path. As we walked the odd couple of Specklies sparred or courted (I couldn’t work out which) sometimes spiralling across and almost skimming the top of the chalk stream. Banded Demioselles and the odd dragonfly zipped about and below the water Rainbow and Brown Trout swung their tails lazily from side to side so as to remain stationary against the brisk current. All too soon we left the riverside path and the wonderful light show from the sun stealing through the trees and playing on the tops of the ripples.
By way of compensation though we found a shady spot at the edge of the lawn and had lunch. Just prior to lunch and directly after I was able to walk up and down the single strip of Lavender which bordered the lower and upper Lawns. There were numerous Meadow Browns – including the occasional odd looking one with double pupils or an almost double pupil. The Whites proved really tricky as they would almost tip-toe fly from one head of Lavender to the next, take the briefest of sups and then move on – I don’t know if this is because Lavender only has a little nectar or whether they were just playing hard to get? Judging by the behaviour of all three of the Commas and the Small Tort probably the latter as the Vanessids spent much more time on each purple floret. However they weren’t much easier to photograph as even though they remained in the same location they pirouetted constantly. In the end I lined my shot up and waited for them to work back to me. The Commas were great and were easily identifiable from each other as one was entirely normal and complete, another was an ‘o-album’ and the final one of the trio had a portion of its hind wings missing – it looked a little like a Julia to be honest. Three Blues also graced the Lavender with their presence – two males and a lovely little female.
It was good to get back to the Trust properties and enjoy a little ‘light butterflying’ again after the recent punishing trips in the heat! However this wasn’t the end as when we arrived home and I was packing things away Little L called down that a butterfly had landed on her Horse Chestnut sapling in our concrete courtyard. I quickly grabbed my camera, opened the back door and got a couple of shots before it realised that it had made a mistake by landing in an almost barren space. A garden tick no less…well if you can call an old butler sink a garden…
Mottisfont reprise
On the Lavender they flew
In the scorching sun
Martin Down 10-08-2020
The wonder of the summer break is that there are so many opportunities to get out butterflying just as on this particular day. Instead of kicking my heels round the house and wondering what to do I loaded my camera into the car and set off to Martin Down for a quick hour walk around…
I followed the hedge along from the Sillen’s Lane end picking up the full complement of the usual species. The highlights of this part were a fly-by male Adonis Blue, cutting through the air like a horizontal lightning bolt and a male Common Blue which looked a little washed out as it at atop a dried grass head. At first I thought that the muted colours were down to it being an aged individual but when I looked a little more closely I could see this wasn’t the case. All of the markings were immaculate, there were no signs of scales that had been rubbed off, there wasn’t a single tear of nick anywhere to be seen and the fringes were still full and luscious. So it was a new male but instead of the bright orange lunules they were instead a so pale that they were almost lemon which would make it an ab.flavescens.
Chuffed with this slightly different blue I continue on along the path joined by Chalkhills and more Common Blues. These flew across the grass tops in the sun whilst the Smessex, Meadow Browns and various Whites favoured the slightly shaded margins of the hedge – possibly as some were getting on a bit and so had already had their time in the sun as it were. As I reached the bit of the path which forks off towards the tunnel another Adonis Blue plonked itself down right at the edge of the path, almost as if it was inviting me to take its photos and so I dutifully did.
I forewent the tunnel again and took the left-hand tine of the fork along to the flat fields that were filled with Marjoram and Thyme and other floral delights. Remembering the trick from my previous visit I picked my way round various clumps of flowers, snaking my feet where possibly so as to disturb as little as possible. While I sought out the likeliest looking nectar source which to set up shop butterflies flew all around me. It was a magnificent sight with Meadow Browns everywhere, Small Heath popping up here and there, violet Common and electrically charged Adonis Blues with the odd female among them indistinguishable from each other whilst in flight. I found a good looking bush, stood back and awaited the butterflies. It worked a treat again and within a matter of seconds I was joined by all those species that had accompanied me to my photo spot as well as the odd Chalkhill.
The butterflies were by now flying at full throttle and so I did my best to ignore them when they toyed with me by landing and then taking off again the moment I turned my lens towards them, and instead concentrated on getting to the large clump of wild flowers just past the Hotspot Hollow where the Dyke starts up again before winding its way the hill. Once here I again stood back and let the butterflies come to me. I got a reasonable count of 4 Meadow Browns, 2 Common Blues as well as a DGF and a Brown Argus – all clinging and jostling atop the one bush. Further on the Hotspot was living up to its name and my biggest problem was working out what to try and photograph first so I settled back down and just watched and counted. Buzzing around the were 5 Adonis Blues, a couple each of Common Blues and Brown Argus, the odd Small Heath and Chalkhill Blues. There were also a number of Meadow Browns about too. When they were feeding they seemed happy to share their perch with any of the other species except the Chalkhill Blues: “Hey come on over Mr Common Blue…I’ll shuffle up a little bit Mrs Brown Argus…Hey Chalkhill bu$$er off!”…and then they would chase the ‘oh so offensive’ butterfly off! Also here was a second brood Dingy showing off the underside nicely and closing up in a less than normal fashion for a Skipper.
As I work round to the other side of the hedge the Cloudy that I’d hoped for doesn’t materialise but instead there’s another Dingy and a worn DGF among the usual collection of butterflies. Looking the most resplendent of them all was a really fresh male Adonis which would have looked even better if it had decided to open up. In the end my time was ticking away fast and so I put my head down and hit the high road home…well back to the car park at any rate. I did make one brief stop for a pair of Common Blues. It looked a little like they’d had an argument as they were both facing away from each other intent on not making eye contact!
Blues and a Dingy
Rather stroppy Meadow Brown
Chases Chalkhills off!
I followed the hedge along from the Sillen’s Lane end picking up the full complement of the usual species. The highlights of this part were a fly-by male Adonis Blue, cutting through the air like a horizontal lightning bolt and a male Common Blue which looked a little washed out as it at atop a dried grass head. At first I thought that the muted colours were down to it being an aged individual but when I looked a little more closely I could see this wasn’t the case. All of the markings were immaculate, there were no signs of scales that had been rubbed off, there wasn’t a single tear of nick anywhere to be seen and the fringes were still full and luscious. So it was a new male but instead of the bright orange lunules they were instead a so pale that they were almost lemon which would make it an ab.flavescens.
Chuffed with this slightly different blue I continue on along the path joined by Chalkhills and more Common Blues. These flew across the grass tops in the sun whilst the Smessex, Meadow Browns and various Whites favoured the slightly shaded margins of the hedge – possibly as some were getting on a bit and so had already had their time in the sun as it were. As I reached the bit of the path which forks off towards the tunnel another Adonis Blue plonked itself down right at the edge of the path, almost as if it was inviting me to take its photos and so I dutifully did.
I forewent the tunnel again and took the left-hand tine of the fork along to the flat fields that were filled with Marjoram and Thyme and other floral delights. Remembering the trick from my previous visit I picked my way round various clumps of flowers, snaking my feet where possibly so as to disturb as little as possible. While I sought out the likeliest looking nectar source which to set up shop butterflies flew all around me. It was a magnificent sight with Meadow Browns everywhere, Small Heath popping up here and there, violet Common and electrically charged Adonis Blues with the odd female among them indistinguishable from each other whilst in flight. I found a good looking bush, stood back and awaited the butterflies. It worked a treat again and within a matter of seconds I was joined by all those species that had accompanied me to my photo spot as well as the odd Chalkhill.
The butterflies were by now flying at full throttle and so I did my best to ignore them when they toyed with me by landing and then taking off again the moment I turned my lens towards them, and instead concentrated on getting to the large clump of wild flowers just past the Hotspot Hollow where the Dyke starts up again before winding its way the hill. Once here I again stood back and let the butterflies come to me. I got a reasonable count of 4 Meadow Browns, 2 Common Blues as well as a DGF and a Brown Argus – all clinging and jostling atop the one bush. Further on the Hotspot was living up to its name and my biggest problem was working out what to try and photograph first so I settled back down and just watched and counted. Buzzing around the were 5 Adonis Blues, a couple each of Common Blues and Brown Argus, the odd Small Heath and Chalkhill Blues. There were also a number of Meadow Browns about too. When they were feeding they seemed happy to share their perch with any of the other species except the Chalkhill Blues: “Hey come on over Mr Common Blue…I’ll shuffle up a little bit Mrs Brown Argus…Hey Chalkhill bu$$er off!”…and then they would chase the ‘oh so offensive’ butterfly off! Also here was a second brood Dingy showing off the underside nicely and closing up in a less than normal fashion for a Skipper.
As I work round to the other side of the hedge the Cloudy that I’d hoped for doesn’t materialise but instead there’s another Dingy and a worn DGF among the usual collection of butterflies. Looking the most resplendent of them all was a really fresh male Adonis which would have looked even better if it had decided to open up. In the end my time was ticking away fast and so I put my head down and hit the high road home…well back to the car park at any rate. I did make one brief stop for a pair of Common Blues. It looked a little like they’d had an argument as they were both facing away from each other intent on not making eye contact!
Blues and a Dingy
Rather stroppy Meadow Brown
Chases Chalkhills off!
Shipton Bellinger 08-08-2020
Part 2
Time was pressing on and so we work our way back along the main Hedge so that we can get back to the cars and pick up some lunch. As we walked I scanned through the Blackthorn seeking out a honeyed or bright orange shape and all my effort was paid off when we were only about a quarter of the way along as there nestled atop a leaf was a female Brostreak. She was a lovely looking thing but also awkwardly placed – what with being at just above head height. However she wasn’t totally out of reach and by holding my camera out at arm’s length and peering through the viewfinder I was able to get a few shots as she started to open up. She then fluttered a short distance and plonked herself down not quite as high but this time slightly further back which meant a few shots were only possible so long as you accepted a spearing by the thorns and a scratching by the Bramble. As we’re enjoying the Brostreak I spot two things which eventually turn out to not be what I thought they were. The first is what I think is a Purple Hairstreak but as I get closer I realise that it’s the same mark on a leaf that has caught me out on my last couple of visits! I take a few shots of it hoping to break its spell so I don’t get caught out next time I wander this bit of hedge. The second was what I initially took to be a feather and so as all good butterfliers should I went to remove it so others weren’t embarrassed by mistaking it for a White. However this was actually a moth – either a Yellow or Browntail and so I stopped short of touching it luckily as both species can release a noxious or irritating secretion!
After lunch and coffee we worked our way back down the shady side of the Hedge which I think is still in Wiltshire but what with being shaded for most of the day didn’t hold any more Brostreaks and only the occasional Holly Blue or Meadow Brown flew in the shade. There was a clear demarcation between the shaded zone and where the sun had managed to reach and along the strip of wild flowers bordering the path Wild Parsnip and Marjoram pulled in all sorts of butterflies all over the place with Common Blues, including a few females, Brimstones, aged Gatekeepers and ubiquitous Meadow Browns. We pressed on straight to the Nettle Bed as that’s where the Brostreaks were so why not?
On the corner of the little track there were a few other observers who were watching a male. We managed to spot a second and then the two males were still sitting together in one view again…at least I thought they were the original duo, a bit of a closer look proved that one was a new individual as there was a chunk missing from the hind wing. While we were watching the closer of the two started to open up, twitching his wings coyly to start with and then opening up fully but he was a bit worn and so after a few shots I reverted to trying for one of the two Silver-washed that were about and left him to Trevor and the others who were a bit more appreciative of him.
After this we made our way back round to the main Hedge discussing this and that and generally talking about how good a day it had been and how the weather wasn’t exactly (luckily) as forecast and how the butterflies were playing by the rule book. The Brostreaks continued to follow the rules as now we were entering into the early afternoon which is when the females should start appearing and sure enough midway along the hedge we encountered another female. She was feasting on Blackberries – or at least the water/juice that was between the dooplets. It’s great to capture them like this as they often sit still for an age the only problem this time was the breeze which kept pulling at her wings like wind gathering in a sail. It meant that I had to take a multitude of shots to make sure that I got something…oh well never mind. She was a little beauty this one and much more engaging than the first wandering about and supping from various Blackberries.
Once we’d had our fill of photographing her and she’d had her fill of Blackberry she took to the wing and landed up high to bask and so warm up a little after her frays in the shade and we took this as our cue to stroll along the final length of the Hedge. The usual butterflies accompanied us on the way and I spotted a male Brostreak further back in the hedge through a little ‘window’ between two spikes of Bramble but with my mind still alive from the encounter with the female things passed in a slight blur and I found that it was difficult to focus on the other species. Right at the end just as we turned the corner there was another Brostreak in the dip of the Bramble patch, She flew closer in landing down low right at the edge of the patch almost overhanging the path but she was very flighty and neither Trevor nor myself could get in to get the classic side on profile shot. She abruptly took off and then landed much further in, almost beyond the reach of my lens but I gave it a go anyway just so that I had a record of lady number three. To be honest she was the only Brostreak of the day that didn’t behave so I can’t grumble – there’s always one! So ended a fantastic day with brilliant company, the 5-6 males and 3 females a cracking justification for the visit which we almost didn’t make!
Brostreaks a plenty
Males and females showing off
Slurp on Blackberries…
After lunch and coffee we worked our way back down the shady side of the Hedge which I think is still in Wiltshire but what with being shaded for most of the day didn’t hold any more Brostreaks and only the occasional Holly Blue or Meadow Brown flew in the shade. There was a clear demarcation between the shaded zone and where the sun had managed to reach and along the strip of wild flowers bordering the path Wild Parsnip and Marjoram pulled in all sorts of butterflies all over the place with Common Blues, including a few females, Brimstones, aged Gatekeepers and ubiquitous Meadow Browns. We pressed on straight to the Nettle Bed as that’s where the Brostreaks were so why not?
On the corner of the little track there were a few other observers who were watching a male. We managed to spot a second and then the two males were still sitting together in one view again…at least I thought they were the original duo, a bit of a closer look proved that one was a new individual as there was a chunk missing from the hind wing. While we were watching the closer of the two started to open up, twitching his wings coyly to start with and then opening up fully but he was a bit worn and so after a few shots I reverted to trying for one of the two Silver-washed that were about and left him to Trevor and the others who were a bit more appreciative of him.
After this we made our way back round to the main Hedge discussing this and that and generally talking about how good a day it had been and how the weather wasn’t exactly (luckily) as forecast and how the butterflies were playing by the rule book. The Brostreaks continued to follow the rules as now we were entering into the early afternoon which is when the females should start appearing and sure enough midway along the hedge we encountered another female. She was feasting on Blackberries – or at least the water/juice that was between the dooplets. It’s great to capture them like this as they often sit still for an age the only problem this time was the breeze which kept pulling at her wings like wind gathering in a sail. It meant that I had to take a multitude of shots to make sure that I got something…oh well never mind. She was a little beauty this one and much more engaging than the first wandering about and supping from various Blackberries.
Once we’d had our fill of photographing her and she’d had her fill of Blackberry she took to the wing and landed up high to bask and so warm up a little after her frays in the shade and we took this as our cue to stroll along the final length of the Hedge. The usual butterflies accompanied us on the way and I spotted a male Brostreak further back in the hedge through a little ‘window’ between two spikes of Bramble but with my mind still alive from the encounter with the female things passed in a slight blur and I found that it was difficult to focus on the other species. Right at the end just as we turned the corner there was another Brostreak in the dip of the Bramble patch, She flew closer in landing down low right at the edge of the patch almost overhanging the path but she was very flighty and neither Trevor nor myself could get in to get the classic side on profile shot. She abruptly took off and then landed much further in, almost beyond the reach of my lens but I gave it a go anyway just so that I had a record of lady number three. To be honest she was the only Brostreak of the day that didn’t behave so I can’t grumble – there’s always one! So ended a fantastic day with brilliant company, the 5-6 males and 3 females a cracking justification for the visit which we almost didn’t make!
Brostreaks a plenty
Males and females showing off
Slurp on Blackberries…
Shipton Bellinger 08-08-2020
Part 1
It was with some trepidation that I set out towards Shipton Bellinger. The weather report had mentioned strong sun and plus 30 temperatures which would make things extremely hard work – the butterflies would be all over the place and we’d be baking. Also the target species, if they behaved as in other years when it was really hot, would be up and about well before the renowned Golden Hours. Factoring all this in I met Trevor by the Hotspot Hedge at 9ish so we’d hopefully catch the Brostreaks before they disappeared and stayed in the treetops.
We set off from the cars avidly following the Hedge to the end of its length. There were Hedge and Meadow Browns all over the place, plenty of Whites as well as Holly Blues, Brown Argus, a single Small Copper and for Trevor’s benefit a fresh male Adonis and second brood Dingy Skipper. A little further on there was a lovely female Common Blue, a rather brown one for once. All very nice but no Brostreaks…Round the corner in the little enclosure of hedges there was more of the same with the addition of some well-behaved Brimstones which for once were being particularly pliant for photography…still no Brostreaks though. Round at the Nettle Patch there were even more Whites but apart from them occasionally taking to the air like dislodged feathers it was all pretty quiet. We ended up back at the cars having completed a Brostreak free circuit of almost all of the spots that I’d seen them on my last three visits. Had they moved on? Had we reckoned wrong and arrived too early? Was it already too hot?
We set out on a second circuit with a fresh intake of coffee boosting our morale however the Hedge was still bereft of betulae, the enclosure was in terms of Thecla was tenebrific and then we reached the Nettle Patch. A quick walk around in the now well-worn pathways in amid the nettles didn’t throw up any either so we carry on along the main trackway. I checked my watch it was a fraction off 11. I looked up and there is a male Brostreak, that marvellous sight of an orange shark fin atop a purple thistle head. I check my watch again as I still can’t believe what happened but yes it’s a fraction past 11 now and despite the heat the Brostreaks have arrived bang on time. They’re certainly acting in a well-trained manner at Shipton this year, almost as if they’ve actually read and followed the rule book for once! I call Trevor over and let him get onto something of a rarity for him – a male Brostreak. A Meadow Brown is also in shot and keeps hassling the Brostreak so it flutters from one Thistle head to another and back again each time it’s disturbed by its larger distant cousin.
After a few shots I leave the Brostreak with Trevor so the two can get better acquainted and start following the little trackways around the Nettle Patch where I bump into the same bloke from my visit before last and put him onto the Brostreak before carrying on my recce. A Comma and a Small Tort are feeding just at the edge of the bed and two Small Coppers are tussling down on the deck zipping around like the tiny trackways like boy racers. After this I walk down the tiny trackway towards the Maple trees with the Ash Master behind it and as I’m working my way back another Brostreak pops up, another male. It’s joined by a second which starts to open up so I call Trevor over. A this point a Silver-washed flies across our lines of sight but we’re too enthralled by the Borstreaks which have started showing well and are now performing as expected.
What a cracking start
Brostreak bang on eleven
One opens up too…
We set off from the cars avidly following the Hedge to the end of its length. There were Hedge and Meadow Browns all over the place, plenty of Whites as well as Holly Blues, Brown Argus, a single Small Copper and for Trevor’s benefit a fresh male Adonis and second brood Dingy Skipper. A little further on there was a lovely female Common Blue, a rather brown one for once. All very nice but no Brostreaks…Round the corner in the little enclosure of hedges there was more of the same with the addition of some well-behaved Brimstones which for once were being particularly pliant for photography…still no Brostreaks though. Round at the Nettle Patch there were even more Whites but apart from them occasionally taking to the air like dislodged feathers it was all pretty quiet. We ended up back at the cars having completed a Brostreak free circuit of almost all of the spots that I’d seen them on my last three visits. Had they moved on? Had we reckoned wrong and arrived too early? Was it already too hot?
We set out on a second circuit with a fresh intake of coffee boosting our morale however the Hedge was still bereft of betulae, the enclosure was in terms of Thecla was tenebrific and then we reached the Nettle Patch. A quick walk around in the now well-worn pathways in amid the nettles didn’t throw up any either so we carry on along the main trackway. I checked my watch it was a fraction off 11. I looked up and there is a male Brostreak, that marvellous sight of an orange shark fin atop a purple thistle head. I check my watch again as I still can’t believe what happened but yes it’s a fraction past 11 now and despite the heat the Brostreaks have arrived bang on time. They’re certainly acting in a well-trained manner at Shipton this year, almost as if they’ve actually read and followed the rule book for once! I call Trevor over and let him get onto something of a rarity for him – a male Brostreak. A Meadow Brown is also in shot and keeps hassling the Brostreak so it flutters from one Thistle head to another and back again each time it’s disturbed by its larger distant cousin.
After a few shots I leave the Brostreak with Trevor so the two can get better acquainted and start following the little trackways around the Nettle Patch where I bump into the same bloke from my visit before last and put him onto the Brostreak before carrying on my recce. A Comma and a Small Tort are feeding just at the edge of the bed and two Small Coppers are tussling down on the deck zipping around like the tiny trackways like boy racers. After this I walk down the tiny trackway towards the Maple trees with the Ash Master behind it and as I’m working my way back another Brostreak pops up, another male. It’s joined by a second which starts to open up so I call Trevor over. A this point a Silver-washed flies across our lines of sight but we’re too enthralled by the Borstreaks which have started showing well and are now performing as expected.
What a cracking start
Brostreak bang on eleven
One opens up too…
Shipton Bellinger 04-08-2020
Little L and I went for a walk. We needed to, to stave off the boredom that comes when her older sister is at work. We needed to, to give my wife some peace. We needed to because…well, I wanted to get back to Shipton. We’d had a few days since the epic, yet male dominated trip and I wanted to see if the girls had started to show.
We parked behind the border hedge and walked through from Wiltshire into Hampshire and both started looking at earnest at the Hedge with Little L informing me about all manner of things that are important in her world. Due to the cloud cover I wasn’t hopeful of actually finding any Brostreaks as I always associate them with sunny, almost autumnal days but it was great just wandering along and scanning the bushes as Little L chattered away. To be honest the whole trip out could have been a bust and we’d not see anything and it still would have been a great outing because of this. As it was though the butterflies started up from the scrub as we passed and due to the aforementioned cloud they seemed somewhat subdued. The Meadow Browns (come down and fly along the ground) and Gatekeepers (fly up to the middle of the canopy and along attacking anything in sight) did their best to convince me occasionally that they were Brostreaks but without the sun glinting off them they realised this wasn’t going to work as effectively as usual and I could tell that their hearts weren’t in it. The full selection of seasonal whites squabbled their way along the bottom of the hedge occasionally making fast forays out towards the middle of the field and then returning somewhat sheepishly when they realised that they weren’t a Clouded Yellow and so I wasn’t going to chase them. So far so usual and also to be expected there was even a female Holly Blue that was trying to open up to catch what little of the sun broke through.
We carried on round the corner and on to the other little enclosed area where I’d previously seen the 2nd brood Dingy. It too is quiet in the gloom but we have a peak around and spy a Meadow Brown on the deck with its wings wide open. It’s an interesting looking female as she has the patches of orange on the hind wings so I snake my feet along the ground doing my best not to disturb any of the vegetation, for as Dave reminded me, every bit of Bramble is connected to every other bit of Bramble! I managed to get within range, lift my camera and start focusing and then I see a perfectly sharp leaf though the viewfinder. The butterfly was gone oh well it was only a Meadow Brown and so I walk out and Little L and I have a backwards scan and there on a bramble is a male Hairstreak. Just like that feeding away as if he didn’t have a care in the world. I swear he must have been sitting there the whole time I was focusing all my efforts on the Meadow Brown chuckling as he slurped away. So now I had to repeat the same slow, gentle stalk, snaking my feet along the ground again so not to disturb anything; not dancing the ‘Click-step’ but instead opting for the ‘Click-shuffle’. Most of the images ultimately ended up in the bin but at the time I just wanted a record. Luckily Brostreaks are pretty sedate butterflies as once they’ve settled they don’t seem to mind a bit of human-butterfly interaction and so I was able to get some nice side on shots each time he pirouetted around the flower.
After a few moments both Little L and I watched with bated breath as he fluttered about this way and that before finally he landed within reach. Breathing a sigh of relief for I didn’t want the encounter to end we stood still and let him settle for a moment or three. After a time he started to incrementally open up, taking just over 2 minutes to go from closed to almost fully open, wings held in a very shallow ‘V’. At about a minute into this opening up he also started turning clockwise on the leaf starting from facing at 7 o’clock and slowly turning until he’d reached 11 o’clock. Turn completed, wings opened sufficiently to catch what little of the sun was puncturing through the cloud he then sat motionless for a couple of minutes before taking to the wing again. I thought that was it and so passed my camera over to Little L to have a go and the sun crept out. As she excitedly wandered about clicking away I stared at the bramble patch and it seemed like my ‘willing it into being’ worked as a medium sized, dark butterfly jinked its way along the hedge up high and the plonked itself down on a cluster of bramble flowers close to where it had been before (at least I’m taking it to be the same one). This time there was no messing and he opened up three quarters right from the get go before closing up tightly and feeding away.
Eventually we left him in peace and carried on round to the Nettle Bed. Now I’d gotten my eye in we make short work of finding another. It was literally a case of; “Well Little L there were a couple of them in here the other day…oh look there’s one!”
Having found this one so quickly and also possibly being sated by the first I got a few shots and then we carried on without tarrying here. Down the narrow path where the Browns and Whites flew amid the occasional Peacock and a Comma. Our next close butterfly encounter was much less joyous and more macabre. I spotted a large white butterfly and realised that it was a pair of Large Whites in cop. However something was not right. The male was trying to fly but not getting anywhere – it looked a lot like the toy planes that are on a stick which fly round and round in circles close to the ceiling. When the male stopped momentarily I had a bit of a closer look and it looked like the females head was superglued to the white flower head. Only it wasn’t superglued, when I looked more closely still I could make out a couple of dagger like white legs. I had been attacked by a Crab Spider and was now held in its vice like grip. I shows the extraordinary strength they have as it was holding not only the dead weight of the female but also the locked on male when he was trying to fly full pelt away. At one point a fly even landed on the female adding a bit more weight and yet still the spider didn’t budge! After this gruesome sight we wanted to get away from the narrow path as quickly as possible and so a third male near the Field Maple/Acer (?) Master tree was given short shrift – mind you after the first encounter I don’t think there were many more different shots of the males to get.
We carried on round still chattering away and watching the hedge as we passed. Back at the main hedge I set Little L up on the rug with her book and sketch pad and went for a quick investigate stopping for a brief distanced chat with a couple of Transect walkers. On the walk up the hedge towards the usually productive end there was the usual activity of Browns and Whites and I made the occasional stop for something slightly different and in doing so added Brown Argus, Common Blue and Small Copper to the tally none of which stopped for long. The walk back I took more slowly reasoning that this would probably be the penultimate pass for the trip and the ultimate one on my own. I started scanning slightly deeper into the hedge too, trying to look past the ‘outer layer’ of bramble flowers and peering through small gaps in the almost impenetrable wall of Blackthorn and Bramble. I managed to catch a female Gatekeeper wings akimbo and also a female Meadow Brown which had double pupils. There was also anther spider victim, this time a male Holly Blue. He looked quite tired and had lost his margins so hopefully he would have met his biological imperative already.
I was almost back with Little L when I blinding orange flash as about midriff height caught my eye. It was a stunningly fresh female bimbling around on the Blackberries and probing them with her proboscis. I tried for a few shots but she was surprisingly difficult model. She was at an awkward height, too high to get shots from above and too low to get anything form below, never flat on so a bit was always drastically out of focus and she was constantly one the move, turning this was and that round and round from one drooplet to another. I clicked away from several different angles in the hope that something would pay off and all too soon she had eaten/drunk her fill and so flew up to the treetops where she opened up fully and basked in the sun.
I rejoined Little L and we made for home, the female still sitting in her vantage point up in the canopy. I’ll be back so hopefully there will be plenty more females to capture with my lens and all in all a none too shabby visit considering the cloud and murk. Plus Little L had a great father daughter trip.
Hairstreaks seem doubtful
Yet despite the cloudy dull
Orange shines on green
We parked behind the border hedge and walked through from Wiltshire into Hampshire and both started looking at earnest at the Hedge with Little L informing me about all manner of things that are important in her world. Due to the cloud cover I wasn’t hopeful of actually finding any Brostreaks as I always associate them with sunny, almost autumnal days but it was great just wandering along and scanning the bushes as Little L chattered away. To be honest the whole trip out could have been a bust and we’d not see anything and it still would have been a great outing because of this. As it was though the butterflies started up from the scrub as we passed and due to the aforementioned cloud they seemed somewhat subdued. The Meadow Browns (come down and fly along the ground) and Gatekeepers (fly up to the middle of the canopy and along attacking anything in sight) did their best to convince me occasionally that they were Brostreaks but without the sun glinting off them they realised this wasn’t going to work as effectively as usual and I could tell that their hearts weren’t in it. The full selection of seasonal whites squabbled their way along the bottom of the hedge occasionally making fast forays out towards the middle of the field and then returning somewhat sheepishly when they realised that they weren’t a Clouded Yellow and so I wasn’t going to chase them. So far so usual and also to be expected there was even a female Holly Blue that was trying to open up to catch what little of the sun broke through.
We carried on round the corner and on to the other little enclosed area where I’d previously seen the 2nd brood Dingy. It too is quiet in the gloom but we have a peak around and spy a Meadow Brown on the deck with its wings wide open. It’s an interesting looking female as she has the patches of orange on the hind wings so I snake my feet along the ground doing my best not to disturb any of the vegetation, for as Dave reminded me, every bit of Bramble is connected to every other bit of Bramble! I managed to get within range, lift my camera and start focusing and then I see a perfectly sharp leaf though the viewfinder. The butterfly was gone oh well it was only a Meadow Brown and so I walk out and Little L and I have a backwards scan and there on a bramble is a male Hairstreak. Just like that feeding away as if he didn’t have a care in the world. I swear he must have been sitting there the whole time I was focusing all my efforts on the Meadow Brown chuckling as he slurped away. So now I had to repeat the same slow, gentle stalk, snaking my feet along the ground again so not to disturb anything; not dancing the ‘Click-step’ but instead opting for the ‘Click-shuffle’. Most of the images ultimately ended up in the bin but at the time I just wanted a record. Luckily Brostreaks are pretty sedate butterflies as once they’ve settled they don’t seem to mind a bit of human-butterfly interaction and so I was able to get some nice side on shots each time he pirouetted around the flower.
After a few moments both Little L and I watched with bated breath as he fluttered about this way and that before finally he landed within reach. Breathing a sigh of relief for I didn’t want the encounter to end we stood still and let him settle for a moment or three. After a time he started to incrementally open up, taking just over 2 minutes to go from closed to almost fully open, wings held in a very shallow ‘V’. At about a minute into this opening up he also started turning clockwise on the leaf starting from facing at 7 o’clock and slowly turning until he’d reached 11 o’clock. Turn completed, wings opened sufficiently to catch what little of the sun was puncturing through the cloud he then sat motionless for a couple of minutes before taking to the wing again. I thought that was it and so passed my camera over to Little L to have a go and the sun crept out. As she excitedly wandered about clicking away I stared at the bramble patch and it seemed like my ‘willing it into being’ worked as a medium sized, dark butterfly jinked its way along the hedge up high and the plonked itself down on a cluster of bramble flowers close to where it had been before (at least I’m taking it to be the same one). This time there was no messing and he opened up three quarters right from the get go before closing up tightly and feeding away.
Eventually we left him in peace and carried on round to the Nettle Bed. Now I’d gotten my eye in we make short work of finding another. It was literally a case of; “Well Little L there were a couple of them in here the other day…oh look there’s one!”
Having found this one so quickly and also possibly being sated by the first I got a few shots and then we carried on without tarrying here. Down the narrow path where the Browns and Whites flew amid the occasional Peacock and a Comma. Our next close butterfly encounter was much less joyous and more macabre. I spotted a large white butterfly and realised that it was a pair of Large Whites in cop. However something was not right. The male was trying to fly but not getting anywhere – it looked a lot like the toy planes that are on a stick which fly round and round in circles close to the ceiling. When the male stopped momentarily I had a bit of a closer look and it looked like the females head was superglued to the white flower head. Only it wasn’t superglued, when I looked more closely still I could make out a couple of dagger like white legs. I had been attacked by a Crab Spider and was now held in its vice like grip. I shows the extraordinary strength they have as it was holding not only the dead weight of the female but also the locked on male when he was trying to fly full pelt away. At one point a fly even landed on the female adding a bit more weight and yet still the spider didn’t budge! After this gruesome sight we wanted to get away from the narrow path as quickly as possible and so a third male near the Field Maple/Acer (?) Master tree was given short shrift – mind you after the first encounter I don’t think there were many more different shots of the males to get.
We carried on round still chattering away and watching the hedge as we passed. Back at the main hedge I set Little L up on the rug with her book and sketch pad and went for a quick investigate stopping for a brief distanced chat with a couple of Transect walkers. On the walk up the hedge towards the usually productive end there was the usual activity of Browns and Whites and I made the occasional stop for something slightly different and in doing so added Brown Argus, Common Blue and Small Copper to the tally none of which stopped for long. The walk back I took more slowly reasoning that this would probably be the penultimate pass for the trip and the ultimate one on my own. I started scanning slightly deeper into the hedge too, trying to look past the ‘outer layer’ of bramble flowers and peering through small gaps in the almost impenetrable wall of Blackthorn and Bramble. I managed to catch a female Gatekeeper wings akimbo and also a female Meadow Brown which had double pupils. There was also anther spider victim, this time a male Holly Blue. He looked quite tired and had lost his margins so hopefully he would have met his biological imperative already.
I was almost back with Little L when I blinding orange flash as about midriff height caught my eye. It was a stunningly fresh female bimbling around on the Blackberries and probing them with her proboscis. I tried for a few shots but she was surprisingly difficult model. She was at an awkward height, too high to get shots from above and too low to get anything form below, never flat on so a bit was always drastically out of focus and she was constantly one the move, turning this was and that round and round from one drooplet to another. I clicked away from several different angles in the hope that something would pay off and all too soon she had eaten/drunk her fill and so flew up to the treetops where she opened up fully and basked in the sun.
I rejoined Little L and we made for home, the female still sitting in her vantage point up in the canopy. I’ll be back so hopefully there will be plenty more females to capture with my lens and all in all a none too shabby visit considering the cloud and murk. Plus Little L had a great father daughter trip.
Hairstreaks seem doubtful
Yet despite the cloudy dull
Orange shines on green
Martin Down 03-08-2020
Another quick trip to Martin Down as I was picking the girls up after they’d spent the morning with my mum. I only had about 45 minutes and so I planned to do a pretty rapid walk from Sillen’s Lane to the Hotspot and back. Once on site the sun was intermittently hiding behind the clouds and when it did the temperature would drop a little bit and the butterflies would calm down or in some cases drop down (to the ground). Along the boundary hedge the odd Holly Blue flew up high whilst down low the territory was occupied by Meadow Browns and the whites quartering along the hedge. At the triangle two Common Blues scrapped away regardless of me wandering past and then where the track turns I made my first stop. Something drifted down, jinking as it did so. It landed and I could see that it was the wrong colour for a Brostreak. Getting a bit closer still I could see that it was in fact a Small Copper so what it had been doing up at the top of the tree I have no idea.
A few steps on I paused again to listen to the ‘Turring’ call of at least three different Turtles Doves scattered along the length of the hedge. They didn’t show themselves but were obviously watching me because as I started walking again one by one they fell silent as I approached. I didn’t mind though as a Common Blue was mobbing a slightly larger more spectral looking butterfly which eventually managed to shake off its smaller aggressor and landed on the path. It was a lovely male Chalkhill and I was able to take advantage of the cloud cover and get some nice closed wing shots.
By this point the path was bordered on one side by a Hawthorn hedge come thicket whilst on the other there is the odd clump of Gorse but it’s mainly wild flower with Wild Thyme, Marjoram and Cow Parsley. The fact that one side if just a hedge is actually very handy as your eyes are automatically drawn to the right and the wildflowers and you can walk along and not have to scan back and forth. The patches of Marjoram act like little oases and the easiest way to get any shots is to stand by one and wait for the butterflies to fly in or climb back up. Unfortunately as I’m pressed for time all I can do today is scan over and if anything particularly nice pops up then I can wade in and try for a few shots. I manage to see a couple more Chalkhills, a few Brown Argus and more numerous Common Blues enjoying said flower oases. There are also plenty of whites and I spot all four of the main varieties flying now plus a couple of Smessex although the most numerous species by far is the Meadow Brown. I make way across the field towards the Greenstreak Hedge and I stop for a nice looking Common Blue female. Some of the spots on the underside of the forewing have merged and look a little like a moustache, this is accentuated by the cell spot and spot 2 looking like a pair of eyes.
On through the gap in the Greenstreak Hedge and there is no repeat performance from my previous visit as there isn’t a Cloudy to greet me so instead I settle for checking out the clumps of Marjoram. All the usual suspects are present and so I try and spend a bit of time with the Chalkhills although it’s tricky as the breeze has strengthened so when they land anywhere but on the ground they get blown about all over the place, and even on the ground the breeze catches the tops of the wings. As I carry on towards the hollow at Bokerley a fresh brown Argus stops by, a few more Chalkhills fly by and my attention is diverted to a cracking looking Small Tort which doesn’t stop long enough in one place.
After this I walked down the track and through the hollow to the dip where Bokerley starts up again. There were more of the same flying here with the addition of a few more Smessex and a Small Heath. I tried out the wait and see technique by a clump of Marjoram and it worked a treat. There were a couple of Meadow Browns, a Brown Argus and two male Common Blues and on the furthest side of the clump what in the dull light looked like a third Common Blue. As I slowly stepped round to get a better view I could see that there were chequers along the margins – it was a second brood Adonis Blue.
With time almost up I started back along the main track towards the car park on the hurry up, trying not to pay attention to the butterflies that were flying across the fields now on my left. At one point I succumbed as I spied a female Common Blue which didn’t seem all correct. She had one wing which was all washed out – possible water damage. Then there was a ragged Small Tort and finally a Holly Blue which caught the light so it practically glowed against the dark green of the hedge. Still I’d made it back in the nick of time and with another productive Martin Down trip in the bag.
Pop to Martin Down
With second brood Adonis
Glory days are back
A few steps on I paused again to listen to the ‘Turring’ call of at least three different Turtles Doves scattered along the length of the hedge. They didn’t show themselves but were obviously watching me because as I started walking again one by one they fell silent as I approached. I didn’t mind though as a Common Blue was mobbing a slightly larger more spectral looking butterfly which eventually managed to shake off its smaller aggressor and landed on the path. It was a lovely male Chalkhill and I was able to take advantage of the cloud cover and get some nice closed wing shots.
By this point the path was bordered on one side by a Hawthorn hedge come thicket whilst on the other there is the odd clump of Gorse but it’s mainly wild flower with Wild Thyme, Marjoram and Cow Parsley. The fact that one side if just a hedge is actually very handy as your eyes are automatically drawn to the right and the wildflowers and you can walk along and not have to scan back and forth. The patches of Marjoram act like little oases and the easiest way to get any shots is to stand by one and wait for the butterflies to fly in or climb back up. Unfortunately as I’m pressed for time all I can do today is scan over and if anything particularly nice pops up then I can wade in and try for a few shots. I manage to see a couple more Chalkhills, a few Brown Argus and more numerous Common Blues enjoying said flower oases. There are also plenty of whites and I spot all four of the main varieties flying now plus a couple of Smessex although the most numerous species by far is the Meadow Brown. I make way across the field towards the Greenstreak Hedge and I stop for a nice looking Common Blue female. Some of the spots on the underside of the forewing have merged and look a little like a moustache, this is accentuated by the cell spot and spot 2 looking like a pair of eyes.
On through the gap in the Greenstreak Hedge and there is no repeat performance from my previous visit as there isn’t a Cloudy to greet me so instead I settle for checking out the clumps of Marjoram. All the usual suspects are present and so I try and spend a bit of time with the Chalkhills although it’s tricky as the breeze has strengthened so when they land anywhere but on the ground they get blown about all over the place, and even on the ground the breeze catches the tops of the wings. As I carry on towards the hollow at Bokerley a fresh brown Argus stops by, a few more Chalkhills fly by and my attention is diverted to a cracking looking Small Tort which doesn’t stop long enough in one place.
After this I walked down the track and through the hollow to the dip where Bokerley starts up again. There were more of the same flying here with the addition of a few more Smessex and a Small Heath. I tried out the wait and see technique by a clump of Marjoram and it worked a treat. There were a couple of Meadow Browns, a Brown Argus and two male Common Blues and on the furthest side of the clump what in the dull light looked like a third Common Blue. As I slowly stepped round to get a better view I could see that there were chequers along the margins – it was a second brood Adonis Blue.
With time almost up I started back along the main track towards the car park on the hurry up, trying not to pay attention to the butterflies that were flying across the fields now on my left. At one point I succumbed as I spied a female Common Blue which didn’t seem all correct. She had one wing which was all washed out – possible water damage. Then there was a ragged Small Tort and finally a Holly Blue which caught the light so it practically glowed against the dark green of the hedge. Still I’d made it back in the nick of time and with another productive Martin Down trip in the bag.
Pop to Martin Down
With second brood Adonis
Glory days are back
