Shipton Bellinger and on... 30-07-2020
Part 2
After grabbing a spot of lunch and a male on the corner of the hedge as the track headed back to the car park we carried on from the main hedge along the smooth, rock hard and strangely slippy chalk path and up the hill carefully scanning the bramble bushes and any other likely looking nectar sources as we go to no avail. When we reach the summit a marmalade butterfly bombs past us. Knowing that this is a known spot for them and judging by the size and colour I’m convinced that we’ve ticked off another of the Bug Five – Wall Brown. Phizloid however is slightly more cautious having only had a fleeting glimpse so I put it down as 2 or 3 out of five (WINK). We work our way under the arches and through the selection of micro clearings to the end but again all is quiet. Well when I say that I mean quiet for Brostreaks – there are Common Blues, the odd Brown Argus, Meadow Browns by the bucket load, some errant DGFs as well as numerous False Streaks (Hedge Browns) and the usual smattering of Whites. Still out appetites had been whetted and so worked back but on the other side of track so instead of walking through narrow paths and under arches pf shrubbery we had a hedge on our left and on our right the down sloped ever so slightly down. Again no Brostreaks but the complete list of all the others.
At the final corner of this hedgerow we paused before making the descent back down and had a little mooch around in the small scallop. The turf here was thin and springy but there was a profusion of flowering plants a little yellow and purple blobs bedecked the dark green ground colour. Again there were all the usual suspects as well as a few Small Heath and a Hummingbird Hawk Moth. Also there were a couple of male Brostreaks hanging around on the corner. They alternated their behaviour form seeking out the sun and basking before plunging into the shadows and seeking out the remaining ripe and particularly the overripe Blackberries. They wouldn’t fly far preferring instead to walk along the branches and shoots towards the fermenting drooplets their proboscis tasting the air and leading them in the right direction to the choicest morsels. At one point both were in few together but annoyingly, with my lens, I could only manage to get one or the other in focus – the other turned into a blurry blob.
Eventually sated of Brostreaks but myself in desperate need of a coffee, we stumbled back down the hill slightly dazed by numerous Brostreak encounters that we’d experienced. It came to a grand total of 9 males and a single female – although Dave added another one (or was it two?) on his walk back to the recycling centre cum car park in the village. Philzoid and I, having wished Dave well and ‘safe journies’ drove over to Perham Down – still with a few more of the ‘Bug Five’ to pick off…
Once the cars were safely deposited we strode across the small flat field towards the foot of the down ignoring the warning signs about unexploded ordinance as we went. Across this flat field there was the odd Brown and blue and a few fly-by Whites and then as we left the lush meadow and started to cross the tanks tracks that scarred the bottom of the Down Philzoid hollers out “Cloudy!” and there was Bug Five number 3 or 4 depending on whether the Wall counted or not. A great start! Slightly further on was the small springy turf area where I’d encountered my first SS Skipper on my first visit here. Unfortunately this species wasn’t here but as a consolation there were other Skippers. They came in the form of many Smessex and a single Dingy. As we were watching this a larger Dingy flew into view, it was almost twice the size that I’d have expected one to be and was also showing signs of struggling to fly. It was only when I watched it land that I twigged that this was a pair in cop.
As we’re about to set off another or the original Cloudy, I can’t work our which, bombed by ensuing this was ticked off from the Bug Five checklist. A Chalkhill Blue was another welcome addition to the day list and I also my site list (well this was only my second visit here). Once we were up the hill things quietened down somewhat and we were only seeing Browns fluttering about. I guessed that this was because of the exposed nature of the top and so we made haste towards the far side of the down and its more gentle slopes and little nooks and crannies. As we approach the favoured area sure enough a Silver Spotted Skipper pops up. Unusually it sits still long enough for us to get a few shots and tick species 4 or 5 off of the Bug Five checklist. With this done we then set to having a closer look and soon we’ve found several. My next two were involved in a failed courtship. The female sat on a leaf and slowly turned her abdomen away from the excited male which was arching his abdomen round with gusto and frantically scrabbling for purchase. The female was having none of it and crawled around and onto the underside of the leaf leaving the male sitting topside and looking a little lost poor chap.
The next we found was a stunning individual and having gotten a fair few shots on my previous visit I tried for a different view this time. So I knelt down on the backlit side and managed to get a few shots of the sun shining through the eponymous spots and the fringes and lighting the tufts of hair giving the butterfly more of a golden hue than silver. Another was busy feeding up and I managed a few shots while it took a bit of a breather in between slurps.
Time was running out but for once I didn’t really mind as we’d seen so much and the afternoon had been full of quality – to be honest there wasn’t an awful lot more that we could find and so we walked back to the cars along the foot of the down, through the wonderful field of gold and along the scars of the tank tracks. On the way we picked up Chalkhill Blue and Common Blues ‘a’ or ‘the’ Cloudy did another fly by and then there was a marmalade butterfly flying swiftly by. Both of us got a good look at it and it was a definite Wall so job done – the Bug Five in the bag! What a fantastic day, they don’t come much better than this!
Cloudy, Silver Spots
And then finally a Wall
Bug Five in the bag
In fact it was so good…
Great time with great mates
Bucket loads of Brostreaks
And see the Bug Five
At the final corner of this hedgerow we paused before making the descent back down and had a little mooch around in the small scallop. The turf here was thin and springy but there was a profusion of flowering plants a little yellow and purple blobs bedecked the dark green ground colour. Again there were all the usual suspects as well as a few Small Heath and a Hummingbird Hawk Moth. Also there were a couple of male Brostreaks hanging around on the corner. They alternated their behaviour form seeking out the sun and basking before plunging into the shadows and seeking out the remaining ripe and particularly the overripe Blackberries. They wouldn’t fly far preferring instead to walk along the branches and shoots towards the fermenting drooplets their proboscis tasting the air and leading them in the right direction to the choicest morsels. At one point both were in few together but annoyingly, with my lens, I could only manage to get one or the other in focus – the other turned into a blurry blob.
Eventually sated of Brostreaks but myself in desperate need of a coffee, we stumbled back down the hill slightly dazed by numerous Brostreak encounters that we’d experienced. It came to a grand total of 9 males and a single female – although Dave added another one (or was it two?) on his walk back to the recycling centre cum car park in the village. Philzoid and I, having wished Dave well and ‘safe journies’ drove over to Perham Down – still with a few more of the ‘Bug Five’ to pick off…
Once the cars were safely deposited we strode across the small flat field towards the foot of the down ignoring the warning signs about unexploded ordinance as we went. Across this flat field there was the odd Brown and blue and a few fly-by Whites and then as we left the lush meadow and started to cross the tanks tracks that scarred the bottom of the Down Philzoid hollers out “Cloudy!” and there was Bug Five number 3 or 4 depending on whether the Wall counted or not. A great start! Slightly further on was the small springy turf area where I’d encountered my first SS Skipper on my first visit here. Unfortunately this species wasn’t here but as a consolation there were other Skippers. They came in the form of many Smessex and a single Dingy. As we were watching this a larger Dingy flew into view, it was almost twice the size that I’d have expected one to be and was also showing signs of struggling to fly. It was only when I watched it land that I twigged that this was a pair in cop.
As we’re about to set off another or the original Cloudy, I can’t work our which, bombed by ensuing this was ticked off from the Bug Five checklist. A Chalkhill Blue was another welcome addition to the day list and I also my site list (well this was only my second visit here). Once we were up the hill things quietened down somewhat and we were only seeing Browns fluttering about. I guessed that this was because of the exposed nature of the top and so we made haste towards the far side of the down and its more gentle slopes and little nooks and crannies. As we approach the favoured area sure enough a Silver Spotted Skipper pops up. Unusually it sits still long enough for us to get a few shots and tick species 4 or 5 off of the Bug Five checklist. With this done we then set to having a closer look and soon we’ve found several. My next two were involved in a failed courtship. The female sat on a leaf and slowly turned her abdomen away from the excited male which was arching his abdomen round with gusto and frantically scrabbling for purchase. The female was having none of it and crawled around and onto the underside of the leaf leaving the male sitting topside and looking a little lost poor chap.
The next we found was a stunning individual and having gotten a fair few shots on my previous visit I tried for a different view this time. So I knelt down on the backlit side and managed to get a few shots of the sun shining through the eponymous spots and the fringes and lighting the tufts of hair giving the butterfly more of a golden hue than silver. Another was busy feeding up and I managed a few shots while it took a bit of a breather in between slurps.
Time was running out but for once I didn’t really mind as we’d seen so much and the afternoon had been full of quality – to be honest there wasn’t an awful lot more that we could find and so we walked back to the cars along the foot of the down, through the wonderful field of gold and along the scars of the tank tracks. On the way we picked up Chalkhill Blue and Common Blues ‘a’ or ‘the’ Cloudy did another fly by and then there was a marmalade butterfly flying swiftly by. Both of us got a good look at it and it was a definite Wall so job done – the Bug Five in the bag! What a fantastic day, they don’t come much better than this!
Cloudy, Silver Spots
And then finally a Wall
Bug Five in the bag
In fact it was so good…
Great time with great mates
Bucket loads of Brostreaks
And see the Bug Five
Shipton Bellinger 30-07-2020
Part 1
Having broken my duck a week earlier and with the weather finally back on track I had a good feeling about the trip when I set off to meet Philzoid in the Central Car Park. After the briefest of catch-ups we set off in convoy bombing along the back roads and eventually pulling into the other ‘car park’ moving behind the main hedge at Shipton. As we mooched over to the other side of the hedge we talked about what we were hoping for and Philzoid mentioned that there were a number of species that he’d like to see – with five in particular that he was missing out on I quickly dubbed them the Bug Five – Brown Hairstreak, Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady, Wall and Silver-spotted Skipper. Musing on whether it would be possible to get all of them we spotted a familiar silhouette on the other side of the track moving towards us from the old ‘Master Tree’. Once Dave had joined us the unholy trinity set off down the main hedge, eyes peeled for False Streaks and Brostreaks. There were plenty of the former with Meadow Browns and Hedgies doing their best to impersonate the species that we’d come to see. They didn’t play fair and didn’t stick to the rule book as they’d fly up high along the tree tops rather than sticking to the grasses and lower levels as their names suggested they should. On this first walk down the hedge quality came in the form of the most ‘un-blue blues’ – the Holly Blue which in my mind acts more like a Hairstreak a Brown Argus and a Small Copper. When we reached the end of the hedge we started scanning along the hedge on the other side of the track that runs at ninety degrees to the main hedge. There was something up high in the hedge that was the right colour, the right shape and flew in the right way but it was too brief a view to really be sure…
We carried on round to where I’d seen my first one a week previously and there sitting atop a soft thistle in the nettle bed is a Brown Hairstreak, swiftly followed by a second. The first is an absolute stunner as it pirouettes round the top of the small soft thistle head, flicking its wings open just long enough to get something on film. The second is in even better nick but he decides to hang around in the shadows lower down in the thistles. I didn’t mind this as I kept a close eye on the first and take plenty of shots marvelling at the way the colour of the topside changes from a deep brown which is almost lack through to chocolate as more and more light catches it before glistening golden in the full sun. The underside is none too shabby as well. Eventually the second puts his head above the parapet and all that can be heard is the whir of motors, the click of the shutters and the sighs of appreciation. Things were going well and we’re one down on the Bug Five! We all spent a bit of time here alternating between the Brostreaks and seeing what else is on offer. Unsurprisingly with such a substantial amount of nettles there are a few Vanessids about and along with a Smessex Skipper and a fast flying Silver-washed we recorded Peacock, Comma and Red Admiral.
We also make a few forays up the little track way and among the Peacocks and the Browns there are a further 3 males all hanging about near to a Field Maple with an Ash slightly further back in the Copse. For a fleeting moment a female descends and opens up in the shade. She must have decided that it was a little too shaded as she soon flies off and up seeking the sun I guessed. In among all this Brostreak action a Holly Blue came down to the track on the corner of the nettle bed. It must have felt a little left out as it hung around down on the deck for a good while all the time outing itself at risk of an accidental trampling. Ordinarily this would have been one of the highlights but with 6 Brostreaks about it only got a cursory check over.
We eventually made it to the other side of the nettle bed and out from the narrow track onto the hard-core topped road. Straight ahead from us was a large break in the hedge which the local farmer used to get to his field. From my previous visits I was aware that there was a strip of Brassicas that ran the length of the hedge on the margin of the field. Guessing that there might be a few Whites we strolled over to have a look. As we did so Philzoid remarked that he’d quite like a Painted Lady…
“What like that one over there?” I said pointing at a marmalade butterfly that had just flapped from one flower head to another. It was indeed a Painted Lady, and a lovely swarthy one to boot. It didn’t hang around for too long possibly as it felt a little outnumbered by the many, many Whites that were flying about all over the place down the margin of the field, but we all managed to reel off a few shots. Chuffed with this serendipitous find we mooched back to and then along the main hedge. A female Holly Blue showed well and another male showed up as well as two Small Coppers and a Peacock and these butterflies were again almost easy to lose amid the numerous Browns and Whites. As we crossed the track way at the far end of the hedge there was a Dingy Skipper down in the muddy puddle. It looked a little lonely and I couldn’t help feeling that if this was on the continent there would have been multiple butterflies of many species all taking advantage of the opportunity to mud puddle.
The Brostreaks play ball
A Painted Lady drops in
The Bug Five is on…
We carried on round to where I’d seen my first one a week previously and there sitting atop a soft thistle in the nettle bed is a Brown Hairstreak, swiftly followed by a second. The first is an absolute stunner as it pirouettes round the top of the small soft thistle head, flicking its wings open just long enough to get something on film. The second is in even better nick but he decides to hang around in the shadows lower down in the thistles. I didn’t mind this as I kept a close eye on the first and take plenty of shots marvelling at the way the colour of the topside changes from a deep brown which is almost lack through to chocolate as more and more light catches it before glistening golden in the full sun. The underside is none too shabby as well. Eventually the second puts his head above the parapet and all that can be heard is the whir of motors, the click of the shutters and the sighs of appreciation. Things were going well and we’re one down on the Bug Five! We all spent a bit of time here alternating between the Brostreaks and seeing what else is on offer. Unsurprisingly with such a substantial amount of nettles there are a few Vanessids about and along with a Smessex Skipper and a fast flying Silver-washed we recorded Peacock, Comma and Red Admiral.
We also make a few forays up the little track way and among the Peacocks and the Browns there are a further 3 males all hanging about near to a Field Maple with an Ash slightly further back in the Copse. For a fleeting moment a female descends and opens up in the shade. She must have decided that it was a little too shaded as she soon flies off and up seeking the sun I guessed. In among all this Brostreak action a Holly Blue came down to the track on the corner of the nettle bed. It must have felt a little left out as it hung around down on the deck for a good while all the time outing itself at risk of an accidental trampling. Ordinarily this would have been one of the highlights but with 6 Brostreaks about it only got a cursory check over.
We eventually made it to the other side of the nettle bed and out from the narrow track onto the hard-core topped road. Straight ahead from us was a large break in the hedge which the local farmer used to get to his field. From my previous visits I was aware that there was a strip of Brassicas that ran the length of the hedge on the margin of the field. Guessing that there might be a few Whites we strolled over to have a look. As we did so Philzoid remarked that he’d quite like a Painted Lady…
“What like that one over there?” I said pointing at a marmalade butterfly that had just flapped from one flower head to another. It was indeed a Painted Lady, and a lovely swarthy one to boot. It didn’t hang around for too long possibly as it felt a little outnumbered by the many, many Whites that were flying about all over the place down the margin of the field, but we all managed to reel off a few shots. Chuffed with this serendipitous find we mooched back to and then along the main hedge. A female Holly Blue showed well and another male showed up as well as two Small Coppers and a Peacock and these butterflies were again almost easy to lose amid the numerous Browns and Whites. As we crossed the track way at the far end of the hedge there was a Dingy Skipper down in the muddy puddle. It looked a little lonely and I couldn’t help feeling that if this was on the continent there would have been multiple butterflies of many species all taking advantage of the opportunity to mud puddle.
The Brostreaks play ball
A Painted Lady drops in
The Bug Five is on…
Martin Down 28-07-2020
It had been a few days since I’d last managed to get out properly so I took advantage of an early lunch and headed over to Martin Down. Having seen two Cloudies already I was hoping that my usual spot (behind the Greenstreak field and further into the reserve from the hotspot) would turn up at least a semi-photographable Cloudy. So I set off from Sillen’s Lane on the lookout for pretty much anything but especially anything yellowy…
The short walk up to the gate threw up all the usual fare with a Holly Blue, Peacock, two each of Common Blue and Brimstone and the bucket loads of Meadow Browns and Hedgies that I’d come to expect. What was a surprise here was a second brood Dingy; practically the first butterfly of the day fluttering around the dry but not dusty track. I paused at the gate and again it produced the goods with a Common Blue, 2 females and a male Hedgie, 3 Meadow Browns and a male Brimstone passing through. The prize for pausing was a male Holly blue threatening to open up in the sun. Not bad for a section of land about 4 metres at the hypotenuse.
I carried on along the track eagerly scanning the verge and hedge alike. Whites flew along the margins of the fields to my left whilst Common Blues danced about catching the eye and leading it away from the more drab but larger Meadow Browns which were joined now by the occasional aged Ringlet. A DGF bombed by, far too fast to follow whilst a Turtle Dove lazily passed overhead. As I watched it I was struck by the way that the head, tail and thorax/chest all appear completely still with only the ends of the wings in motion. A very lazy way of flying I felt but it does match their lackadaisical and hypnotic call. Forsaking the tunnel I veered left along the flat path leading to the hotspot. The fields opened up and the wild flowers grew in random splotches like a Pollock splatter painting. Chalkhills started appearing now amid the notable Common Blues and other usual suspects. “Wet yer lips!” rang out from somewhere low down in the foliage but try as I might I couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from what with the call being so sudden and short lived. I also reckon that they can throw their voices, just another reason that Quail are a devil to see. As I continued to progress more Chalkhills turned up as well as a Marbled White, DGF and Small Heaths. The butterflies were easy to find, all I had to do was hang around one of the clumps of Marjoram or Thyme and they would come to me. Whilst at one such clump a Smessex Skipper eventually landed and I was able to call it a Small correctly. All too soon I was carefully traversing the narrow gap though the hedge and approaching the Cloudy spot…
As I broke free from the closed in feeling of the little path as well as the ensnaring brambles that have grown up through the track this year I spotted a ghostly looking butterfly. I idly watched it land thinking to myself that it was going to be just another Chalkhill and one that looked a little tired to boot. Then I remembered that last year I’d not put in the hard graft with the Chalkhills and had made a promise to myself that I’d put a bit more effort into them this year so I raised my camera in readiness and moved in for a few shots. As I got closer I saw that my original supposition was indeed correct and it was a tired looking male; the fringes were a bit tatty and the usually resplendent sky blue was looking a bit grey and patchy. However as I looked even closer I saw that some of the hind wing lunules had nice and juicy orange tops – the heaviest looking ab.suavis I’ve encountered. It fluttered off weakly and then my attention was drawn to a Small Tort and then to another Chalkhill. This one was much fresher and also much more active. As I closed in and got the shots I thought that it was a standard male it was only when I had a closer look at home that I saw the tiniest of range tops to a couple of the lunules – a second ab.suavis. If I could have somehow combined the two I would have had the perfect specimen!
The Chalkhills had led me up the bank and as I turned to look long the trough and the hedge towards the Hotspot I spotted a mustard yellow butterfly flapping enthusiastically towards me. It seemed too bound through the air like a puppy eager to greet me. However once it reached me it wasn’t quite as affable and bombed about this way and that. Some faded DGFs also came into the mix making the job of following the Cloudy slightly more difficult as they occasionally erupted from the grass and left you wondering for a fraction of a second which butterfly was which. Luckily while all this was going on the sun was swallowed by the cloud and the field when from buzzing with butterflies to silent and still as if a switch had been thrown. Even luckier still the last butterfly that I’d been watching was the Cloudy and so I simply strode over, peered through the grass and then got a few shots while the butterfly was momentarily torpid. It did make the weakest of slights while I was watching in when a slither of sun split its way through the cloud but it didn’t go far.
Chuffed that plan had come to fruition I left the Cloudy in peace, marvelling that they seem to turn up at the same place year on year and wondering if it was a case of genetic memory? I worked back down the bank and along the hedge to the hotspot. All the while I was walking Browns and Whites flew past and ahead of me, disturbed by my perambulation. A stunning female Common Blue and then a Small Tort arrested my steps for a short while and then I was into the little hollow of the Hotspot. There was a fantastic selection with the usual Browns and Whites, the later sticking to the margins and the higher levels of the hedge row. Another Smessex popped up but it was the Blues which held my attention most with Chalkhills, Brown Argus, Common Blue and a cracking Small Blue. I followed the little track down past the hollow and back up again and carried on to the point where the Dyke starts back up again as it climbs up the side of the hill. This is another productive spot and so it was again today. There were a few Common Blues about, another Brown Argus, an errant Peacock and three Small Blues one of which was the smallest that I’d seen for a good few years. As I got a few shots of it I wondered what I could use to show the scale. I wondered about holding a five pence piece near to it but was worried that this might have spooked it. Also due to Co-Vid my pockets were severely lacking in change. In the end I tried to hold my mechanical pencil in the same plane as the butterfly as I knew that the lead was 0.7mm thick. Whether it worked or not I can’t decide but at least trying made me feel like I wasn’t imagining the diminutive scale of the Blue.
Pleased with the fruits of my labours across a ‘Working Lunch’ I made my way back taking the same route in reverse. There was much more of the same but a couple of things did stand out. The first of which was another Chalkhill which was a striking individual. Instead of the blue fading into grey and then into the black near the margins this one had three distinct bands of colour. From the outside in; blinding white fringes, inky black margins and then straight into the powder blue of the wings. The contrast was stunning. Then when almost back at the car a Red Admiral dropped down at the edge of the track way and set about feeding oblivious to me standing there with my camera. The final shot of the day didn’t really come off as I wanted it too as the Ringlet kept inching away from the Small Heath and so became more and more out of focus so in the end I concentrated on the just the Small Heath. So ended yet another cracking visit to Martin Down!
Cloudy in the cloud
Over lunch at Martin Down
And suavis not suave
The short walk up to the gate threw up all the usual fare with a Holly Blue, Peacock, two each of Common Blue and Brimstone and the bucket loads of Meadow Browns and Hedgies that I’d come to expect. What was a surprise here was a second brood Dingy; practically the first butterfly of the day fluttering around the dry but not dusty track. I paused at the gate and again it produced the goods with a Common Blue, 2 females and a male Hedgie, 3 Meadow Browns and a male Brimstone passing through. The prize for pausing was a male Holly blue threatening to open up in the sun. Not bad for a section of land about 4 metres at the hypotenuse.
I carried on along the track eagerly scanning the verge and hedge alike. Whites flew along the margins of the fields to my left whilst Common Blues danced about catching the eye and leading it away from the more drab but larger Meadow Browns which were joined now by the occasional aged Ringlet. A DGF bombed by, far too fast to follow whilst a Turtle Dove lazily passed overhead. As I watched it I was struck by the way that the head, tail and thorax/chest all appear completely still with only the ends of the wings in motion. A very lazy way of flying I felt but it does match their lackadaisical and hypnotic call. Forsaking the tunnel I veered left along the flat path leading to the hotspot. The fields opened up and the wild flowers grew in random splotches like a Pollock splatter painting. Chalkhills started appearing now amid the notable Common Blues and other usual suspects. “Wet yer lips!” rang out from somewhere low down in the foliage but try as I might I couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from what with the call being so sudden and short lived. I also reckon that they can throw their voices, just another reason that Quail are a devil to see. As I continued to progress more Chalkhills turned up as well as a Marbled White, DGF and Small Heaths. The butterflies were easy to find, all I had to do was hang around one of the clumps of Marjoram or Thyme and they would come to me. Whilst at one such clump a Smessex Skipper eventually landed and I was able to call it a Small correctly. All too soon I was carefully traversing the narrow gap though the hedge and approaching the Cloudy spot…
As I broke free from the closed in feeling of the little path as well as the ensnaring brambles that have grown up through the track this year I spotted a ghostly looking butterfly. I idly watched it land thinking to myself that it was going to be just another Chalkhill and one that looked a little tired to boot. Then I remembered that last year I’d not put in the hard graft with the Chalkhills and had made a promise to myself that I’d put a bit more effort into them this year so I raised my camera in readiness and moved in for a few shots. As I got closer I saw that my original supposition was indeed correct and it was a tired looking male; the fringes were a bit tatty and the usually resplendent sky blue was looking a bit grey and patchy. However as I looked even closer I saw that some of the hind wing lunules had nice and juicy orange tops – the heaviest looking ab.suavis I’ve encountered. It fluttered off weakly and then my attention was drawn to a Small Tort and then to another Chalkhill. This one was much fresher and also much more active. As I closed in and got the shots I thought that it was a standard male it was only when I had a closer look at home that I saw the tiniest of range tops to a couple of the lunules – a second ab.suavis. If I could have somehow combined the two I would have had the perfect specimen!
The Chalkhills had led me up the bank and as I turned to look long the trough and the hedge towards the Hotspot I spotted a mustard yellow butterfly flapping enthusiastically towards me. It seemed too bound through the air like a puppy eager to greet me. However once it reached me it wasn’t quite as affable and bombed about this way and that. Some faded DGFs also came into the mix making the job of following the Cloudy slightly more difficult as they occasionally erupted from the grass and left you wondering for a fraction of a second which butterfly was which. Luckily while all this was going on the sun was swallowed by the cloud and the field when from buzzing with butterflies to silent and still as if a switch had been thrown. Even luckier still the last butterfly that I’d been watching was the Cloudy and so I simply strode over, peered through the grass and then got a few shots while the butterfly was momentarily torpid. It did make the weakest of slights while I was watching in when a slither of sun split its way through the cloud but it didn’t go far.
Chuffed that plan had come to fruition I left the Cloudy in peace, marvelling that they seem to turn up at the same place year on year and wondering if it was a case of genetic memory? I worked back down the bank and along the hedge to the hotspot. All the while I was walking Browns and Whites flew past and ahead of me, disturbed by my perambulation. A stunning female Common Blue and then a Small Tort arrested my steps for a short while and then I was into the little hollow of the Hotspot. There was a fantastic selection with the usual Browns and Whites, the later sticking to the margins and the higher levels of the hedge row. Another Smessex popped up but it was the Blues which held my attention most with Chalkhills, Brown Argus, Common Blue and a cracking Small Blue. I followed the little track down past the hollow and back up again and carried on to the point where the Dyke starts back up again as it climbs up the side of the hill. This is another productive spot and so it was again today. There were a few Common Blues about, another Brown Argus, an errant Peacock and three Small Blues one of which was the smallest that I’d seen for a good few years. As I got a few shots of it I wondered what I could use to show the scale. I wondered about holding a five pence piece near to it but was worried that this might have spooked it. Also due to Co-Vid my pockets were severely lacking in change. In the end I tried to hold my mechanical pencil in the same plane as the butterfly as I knew that the lead was 0.7mm thick. Whether it worked or not I can’t decide but at least trying made me feel like I wasn’t imagining the diminutive scale of the Blue.
Pleased with the fruits of my labours across a ‘Working Lunch’ I made my way back taking the same route in reverse. There was much more of the same but a couple of things did stand out. The first of which was another Chalkhill which was a striking individual. Instead of the blue fading into grey and then into the black near the margins this one had three distinct bands of colour. From the outside in; blinding white fringes, inky black margins and then straight into the powder blue of the wings. The contrast was stunning. Then when almost back at the car a Red Admiral dropped down at the edge of the track way and set about feeding oblivious to me standing there with my camera. The final shot of the day didn’t really come off as I wanted it too as the Ringlet kept inching away from the Small Heath and so became more and more out of focus so in the end I concentrated on the just the Small Heath. So ended yet another cracking visit to Martin Down!
Cloudy in the cloud
Over lunch at Martin Down
And suavis not suave
Shipton Bellinger 23-07-2020
This was to be my third trip to Shipton for Brostreaks; “would it be third time lucky?” I wondered as I drove to the site, Iron Maiden on full whack as is customary. The timing was more likely, the time of day was spot on bit I needed a large dollop of luck when it came to the weather which was quite frankly pants! I decided there and then to treat this more as another recce ready for the visitors I’d be expecting over the coming weeks and with that in mind I also decided to check out a little area which always looks promising…
First though I made the usual pass down the main hedge – eyes mainly held at the level of the bush tops. In the cloudy conditions there wasn’t an awful lot flying and I quickly reached the end of the hedge with only a Large White to show for my efforts. On my journey down the hedge I’d bumped into a few other butterfliers and some socially distanced chats revealed that I wasn’t the only one bereft of Brostreaks. So it was onwards and upwards to the bit of the site that I wanted to have a closer look at.
At the end of the hedge is a stone road at right angles to the hedge behind which there is a small wood. If you follow the road round as it bends to the left there is a tiny track on the other side of the wood which runs parallel to the first part of the road and runs across to the small clearing where I’d recently seen my second brood Dingy Skipper. It was this little patch that I wanted a proper look at. I’d visited this spot before a few times but generally once I’d been sated with Brostreaks from the Main Hedge either that or I wasn’t willing to check it out fully because of FOMO. But this time with the cloud holding everything back I wouldn’t be missing out on much so it was worth a punt…
I’m not a gambling man by long shot suddenly romped home. There sitting atop a soft thistle was the familiar triangle shape of a Hairstreak. At first I wondered if it was a Whitter as not only was it still pretty gloomy but it was sitting in the shade from what little light was available and hence it was an unremarkable dark and dull colour. However it moved to another flower head, I got a little closer and the final part of the triumvirate, the sun chose that moment to break through the cloud.
After realising that it was in fact a Brostreak I risked a glance heavenwards – the break in the clouds was growing and more and more light was filtering down, even better behind this break a few more blue patches were drifting my way, I reckoned maybe an hour’s worth? So now I had to hope that the Brostreak would stick around hence I set too and got a few shots while he continued sitting still. He was a corker, beautifully marked and as he supped away I wondered if this was his first outing since emerging; a closer look revealed a little grey patch where the scales had rubbed off so perhaps a day or more old?
I could have spent the remained of my time here but even though this butterfly was a cracker he wasn’t actually doing very much and after a few photos I decided to risk leaving him for a bit and seeing what else there was to offer here. As I edged down the narrow path there were several different species flying despite the ‘hemmed in’ feel. Various Whites flew and there were three species of Brown in evidence and Peacocks showed really well. Reaching the end of the track without finding another Brostreak I checked out the path to the right scanning the Blackthorn on one side and the large bed of deep green nettles with the occasional light purple soft thistle peeking up above the parapets. Still no more Brostreaks but a Comma and Red Admiral seem enticed by the nettles and the small whippings of Blackthorn look good for the female Brostreaks. I retraced my footsteps and head back to the section of the path where the Brostreak was which was easy to find again as the hedge was flattened back with a Field Maple bordering the woodland behind.
The Brostreak was still there and I spent 10 more minutes or so revelling in it gloriousness and marvelling how the colours and textures shifted as it moved from flower top to flower top; from full sun to shade and back again. In the shade it seemed to become more orange and smoother looking, whilst in the sun it took on more honey tones and the scales gave it a furry appearance. I also noticed that when the fore wing is held lower it looks more rounded yet when the fore wing is held upright and forward its silhouette is very much more pointed and shark fin like. With plenty pf shots in the bag I left it alone and stood back and watched. After a couple more minutes it pirouetted around a flower top, getting its bearings, before flying off in its inimitable jinking style.
Once back on the stone road the final patch of blue dwindled to nothing and the cloud resumed it hold over the sun. The butterflies too started to phase out and it was a very quiet walk back up the length of the hedge towards the car. Among the fleeing Browns a Red Admiral seemed to have gotten caught out by the sudden coolness in the air as it sat on a Blackberry angling its wings to try and soak up a bit more sun. A Brimstone had also been caught out, unfortunately its entrapment wasn’t thermally induced, it had fallen prey to a large spider instead and the arachnid was now sizing up its victim, its palps positively quivering in greedy anticipation! And with that final image doing its best to dispel all of the brilliant Brostreak images I loaded up and made for home, third time lucky indeed!
Would a long shot pay?
Its third time luck indeed!
Brostreak sits pretty
First though I made the usual pass down the main hedge – eyes mainly held at the level of the bush tops. In the cloudy conditions there wasn’t an awful lot flying and I quickly reached the end of the hedge with only a Large White to show for my efforts. On my journey down the hedge I’d bumped into a few other butterfliers and some socially distanced chats revealed that I wasn’t the only one bereft of Brostreaks. So it was onwards and upwards to the bit of the site that I wanted to have a closer look at.
At the end of the hedge is a stone road at right angles to the hedge behind which there is a small wood. If you follow the road round as it bends to the left there is a tiny track on the other side of the wood which runs parallel to the first part of the road and runs across to the small clearing where I’d recently seen my second brood Dingy Skipper. It was this little patch that I wanted a proper look at. I’d visited this spot before a few times but generally once I’d been sated with Brostreaks from the Main Hedge either that or I wasn’t willing to check it out fully because of FOMO. But this time with the cloud holding everything back I wouldn’t be missing out on much so it was worth a punt…
I’m not a gambling man by long shot suddenly romped home. There sitting atop a soft thistle was the familiar triangle shape of a Hairstreak. At first I wondered if it was a Whitter as not only was it still pretty gloomy but it was sitting in the shade from what little light was available and hence it was an unremarkable dark and dull colour. However it moved to another flower head, I got a little closer and the final part of the triumvirate, the sun chose that moment to break through the cloud.
After realising that it was in fact a Brostreak I risked a glance heavenwards – the break in the clouds was growing and more and more light was filtering down, even better behind this break a few more blue patches were drifting my way, I reckoned maybe an hour’s worth? So now I had to hope that the Brostreak would stick around hence I set too and got a few shots while he continued sitting still. He was a corker, beautifully marked and as he supped away I wondered if this was his first outing since emerging; a closer look revealed a little grey patch where the scales had rubbed off so perhaps a day or more old?
I could have spent the remained of my time here but even though this butterfly was a cracker he wasn’t actually doing very much and after a few photos I decided to risk leaving him for a bit and seeing what else there was to offer here. As I edged down the narrow path there were several different species flying despite the ‘hemmed in’ feel. Various Whites flew and there were three species of Brown in evidence and Peacocks showed really well. Reaching the end of the track without finding another Brostreak I checked out the path to the right scanning the Blackthorn on one side and the large bed of deep green nettles with the occasional light purple soft thistle peeking up above the parapets. Still no more Brostreaks but a Comma and Red Admiral seem enticed by the nettles and the small whippings of Blackthorn look good for the female Brostreaks. I retraced my footsteps and head back to the section of the path where the Brostreak was which was easy to find again as the hedge was flattened back with a Field Maple bordering the woodland behind.
The Brostreak was still there and I spent 10 more minutes or so revelling in it gloriousness and marvelling how the colours and textures shifted as it moved from flower top to flower top; from full sun to shade and back again. In the shade it seemed to become more orange and smoother looking, whilst in the sun it took on more honey tones and the scales gave it a furry appearance. I also noticed that when the fore wing is held lower it looks more rounded yet when the fore wing is held upright and forward its silhouette is very much more pointed and shark fin like. With plenty pf shots in the bag I left it alone and stood back and watched. After a couple more minutes it pirouetted around a flower top, getting its bearings, before flying off in its inimitable jinking style.
Once back on the stone road the final patch of blue dwindled to nothing and the cloud resumed it hold over the sun. The butterflies too started to phase out and it was a very quiet walk back up the length of the hedge towards the car. Among the fleeing Browns a Red Admiral seemed to have gotten caught out by the sudden coolness in the air as it sat on a Blackberry angling its wings to try and soak up a bit more sun. A Brimstone had also been caught out, unfortunately its entrapment wasn’t thermally induced, it had fallen prey to a large spider instead and the arachnid was now sizing up its victim, its palps positively quivering in greedy anticipation! And with that final image doing its best to dispel all of the brilliant Brostreak images I loaded up and made for home, third time lucky indeed!
Would a long shot pay?
Its third time luck indeed!
Brostreak sits pretty
Perham Down 21-07-2020
I’d made a few trips to Shipton hoping to pick up an early Brostreak what with seeing reports from Sussex and Dorset that they were already out. However I’d drawn a blank on my visits but I had picked up some useful information about a Wiltshire site for Silver Spotted Skippers so today I set forth looking for them rather than the reticent Brostreaks. The new site was just the other side of Tidworth and it felt slightly odd driving past ‘Range F’ and not pulling in as I continued on my way there diligently following the Satnav.
At the first stop that I made I didn’t hang around as there were a load of Squaddies hiding in a barn so I didn’t want to draw attention to them hence I drove parked up at the foot of the down at the start of the ranges rather than in the middle. The track from the car was lined by Blackthorn and Hawthorn (I was thinking about Brostreaks?) and on one side there was a mature wood (Purps) and on the other a flat meadow which I strolled through to reach the foot of the down. As to be expected Meadow Browns flew up from the grasses along with a few Marbled Whites and DGFs. Hedgies made forays from the hedges and a Common Blue flitted from flower to flower in the lower level grasses along the path. Slightly unexpected but still a welcome sight was a second brood Dingy Skipper.
The ground started to slope gently as I reached the foot of the down and I paused in a sheltered little spot as there seemed to be a lot going on amid the springy turf. I spotted a couple of male Common Blues having a scrap that was dizzying to watch. A Holly Blue briefly drifted down from up on high and another second brood Dingy entertained me for a bit. Then there was a lime green and gold blur. I found myself willing it to settle under my breath as I stood stock still for fear of spooking it. It ceased its buzzing and dropped, flopping down and starting to nectar. As it did so it revealed an array of white spots standing out from the lime green background. It was a Silver Spot, so job done and I hadn’t even gotten to the main spot of the site!
After I’d picked up a few shots it zipped off and I tried to follow it until it eventually decided to stop toying with me and with a sudden jink to the left it just vanished. I didn’t really mind as during ‘the chase’ somehow I’d made it three quarters of the way up the steep side of the down without even noticing it! So I kept on climbing and once at the top I turned to look back across the view where I caught sight of plenty of Meadow Browns and Hedgies, a Common Blue and a DGF instead. They were all hanging out around a stretch of Bramble that lined the top of the down like a bad comb over. On along the top a clattering of Jackdaws put on an aerial display whilst the breeze tugged at my hat brim – not a good sign. So it proved to be as when I spotted my second Silver Spot the wind wrenched it away from beneath my lens not to be seen again!
The breeze was starting to become somewhat of an annoyance by the time I’d reached the end of the Down. Luckily as the down tapered off gently into the surrounding fields of Oilseed Rape and wheat the thin wisps of shrubbery began to thicken and with this increased shelter the temperatures started to climb along with my opportunities for photography. Before examining the micro clearings between the thorns I checked out the demarking track way which snaked around the bottom of the down. The fact that it was a blinding white chalk track helped to highlight the contrast between the wildflowers of the down and the manicured and highly stylised topography of the cultivated land. A few scraggly plants were cling on, trying to reclaim their territory and on these a few Meadow Browns and Smessex sought succour whilst a Small Copper dazzled more than the chalk. From the bottom corner I stepped back onto the Down and worked through some of the little clearings. Again Meadow Browns abounded whilst the Hedgies held sway on the thickets and bushes. Both Peacock and Red Admiral added flashes of colour but the real reason I remained here were two Silver Spots which seemed to take it in turns to sit for me. They were in really good nick and the spots really stood out – that is when they sat in the ‘perfect pose’. Most of the time however they’d sit ¾ open like X-Wings caught half way between hyperspace and attack configurations. I didn’t mind though as this meant that I could capture the large, metallic sex brand on film; looking like a discarded strand of steel.
As this was a new site I decided that I should have a look around and so I set out back to the range that I’d started at – this time though unlike the way out I worked back at about half way up the slope…on average to be honest as there was plenty of walking up and down the slope after this butterfly and that. There were another two Silver Spots and a few DGFs as well as my first Small Heath of the day. Once at the range I cut back across the top to what shall hence forth be known as the ‘Hotspot’ picking up another Silver Spot and making the most of its amicable demeanour on the way.
By now it was getting ‘Mighty W’ as my dad always says and so I worked through the thickets to the foot of the Down on the ranges side and through a field of Bird’s Foot Trefoil, a Common Blues heaven as the usual green of grass was replaced with a sea of vivid custard yellow. Still dazzled by the sight I stumbled diagonally back up the Down where the Hedgies were still in great abundance, it seemed that almost every bush or piece of scrub was covered in them almost as if a crate had been upended . In amongst the smaller browns the occasional DGF would glide by - one was too knackered to fly and was using the breeze to carry it, when there was a lull in the breeze it would flop down. On one of the times it dropped and the crawled through the grass to the nectar source it had missed when it belly flopped.
I ended up back at the Down in the little patch of springy turf where I’d spotted my first Silver Spot. The Common Blues had either woken up or gathered here from other areas as there was now a plethora of them. I managed to count 9 in one view but there were still some behind me and on either side of me out of view. As well as these the Skippers were also well represented with plenty of Smessex, a definite Essex, another or possibly the same Dingy and a fly-by Silver Spot.
As I set off three Squaddies were silhouetted in the distance as they finished their ascent of the Down and I was struck by the incongruity that this haven for wildlife had come about due to the more destructive side of human nature. However my introspective and sombre mood was suddenly lifted when I rounded the corner of the thicket. There was another Squaddie edging towards me on the other side of the scrub…
“Alright mate?” he asked.
“Yeah cheers. I’ve just seen three of your mates up on the top of the hill” I replied.
“Nice one, thanks!”
And then he dove into the bush. Looks like I’d helped him avoid capture during a (serious) game of Manhunt. Chuckling about soldiers playing a ‘kids game’ and having done my good deed for the day (well I saved someone’s life) I cut back across the field and reaching the car I poured a much needed coffee. Whilst it cooled down I did too, standing in the blessed shade offered by a large Oak. Coffee drunk I decided to check a little of the wood as I had a hunch which paid out as I spotted a couple of Purple Hairstreaks up high.
On the way home I still had a little time and so popped into The Devenish for a quick progress check. I was hoping for a few Chalkhills as they’d been recorded at other sites. So I did a circuit round from the Orchid Meadow, up the first section, diagonally down the middle section and back through the tiny paddock. There were masses of Common Blues and a lovely Small Copper right at the top of the Down but no Chalkhills…Still it had been a cracking afternoon, at a cracking site, I’d gotten what I’d gone for and I’d saved someone’s life to boot! 22 185
Try out a new site
Up the Down and through gold fields
Argentum micro
At the first stop that I made I didn’t hang around as there were a load of Squaddies hiding in a barn so I didn’t want to draw attention to them hence I drove parked up at the foot of the down at the start of the ranges rather than in the middle. The track from the car was lined by Blackthorn and Hawthorn (I was thinking about Brostreaks?) and on one side there was a mature wood (Purps) and on the other a flat meadow which I strolled through to reach the foot of the down. As to be expected Meadow Browns flew up from the grasses along with a few Marbled Whites and DGFs. Hedgies made forays from the hedges and a Common Blue flitted from flower to flower in the lower level grasses along the path. Slightly unexpected but still a welcome sight was a second brood Dingy Skipper.
The ground started to slope gently as I reached the foot of the down and I paused in a sheltered little spot as there seemed to be a lot going on amid the springy turf. I spotted a couple of male Common Blues having a scrap that was dizzying to watch. A Holly Blue briefly drifted down from up on high and another second brood Dingy entertained me for a bit. Then there was a lime green and gold blur. I found myself willing it to settle under my breath as I stood stock still for fear of spooking it. It ceased its buzzing and dropped, flopping down and starting to nectar. As it did so it revealed an array of white spots standing out from the lime green background. It was a Silver Spot, so job done and I hadn’t even gotten to the main spot of the site!
After I’d picked up a few shots it zipped off and I tried to follow it until it eventually decided to stop toying with me and with a sudden jink to the left it just vanished. I didn’t really mind as during ‘the chase’ somehow I’d made it three quarters of the way up the steep side of the down without even noticing it! So I kept on climbing and once at the top I turned to look back across the view where I caught sight of plenty of Meadow Browns and Hedgies, a Common Blue and a DGF instead. They were all hanging out around a stretch of Bramble that lined the top of the down like a bad comb over. On along the top a clattering of Jackdaws put on an aerial display whilst the breeze tugged at my hat brim – not a good sign. So it proved to be as when I spotted my second Silver Spot the wind wrenched it away from beneath my lens not to be seen again!
The breeze was starting to become somewhat of an annoyance by the time I’d reached the end of the Down. Luckily as the down tapered off gently into the surrounding fields of Oilseed Rape and wheat the thin wisps of shrubbery began to thicken and with this increased shelter the temperatures started to climb along with my opportunities for photography. Before examining the micro clearings between the thorns I checked out the demarking track way which snaked around the bottom of the down. The fact that it was a blinding white chalk track helped to highlight the contrast between the wildflowers of the down and the manicured and highly stylised topography of the cultivated land. A few scraggly plants were cling on, trying to reclaim their territory and on these a few Meadow Browns and Smessex sought succour whilst a Small Copper dazzled more than the chalk. From the bottom corner I stepped back onto the Down and worked through some of the little clearings. Again Meadow Browns abounded whilst the Hedgies held sway on the thickets and bushes. Both Peacock and Red Admiral added flashes of colour but the real reason I remained here were two Silver Spots which seemed to take it in turns to sit for me. They were in really good nick and the spots really stood out – that is when they sat in the ‘perfect pose’. Most of the time however they’d sit ¾ open like X-Wings caught half way between hyperspace and attack configurations. I didn’t mind though as this meant that I could capture the large, metallic sex brand on film; looking like a discarded strand of steel.
As this was a new site I decided that I should have a look around and so I set out back to the range that I’d started at – this time though unlike the way out I worked back at about half way up the slope…on average to be honest as there was plenty of walking up and down the slope after this butterfly and that. There were another two Silver Spots and a few DGFs as well as my first Small Heath of the day. Once at the range I cut back across the top to what shall hence forth be known as the ‘Hotspot’ picking up another Silver Spot and making the most of its amicable demeanour on the way.
By now it was getting ‘Mighty W’ as my dad always says and so I worked through the thickets to the foot of the Down on the ranges side and through a field of Bird’s Foot Trefoil, a Common Blues heaven as the usual green of grass was replaced with a sea of vivid custard yellow. Still dazzled by the sight I stumbled diagonally back up the Down where the Hedgies were still in great abundance, it seemed that almost every bush or piece of scrub was covered in them almost as if a crate had been upended . In amongst the smaller browns the occasional DGF would glide by - one was too knackered to fly and was using the breeze to carry it, when there was a lull in the breeze it would flop down. On one of the times it dropped and the crawled through the grass to the nectar source it had missed when it belly flopped.
I ended up back at the Down in the little patch of springy turf where I’d spotted my first Silver Spot. The Common Blues had either woken up or gathered here from other areas as there was now a plethora of them. I managed to count 9 in one view but there were still some behind me and on either side of me out of view. As well as these the Skippers were also well represented with plenty of Smessex, a definite Essex, another or possibly the same Dingy and a fly-by Silver Spot.
As I set off three Squaddies were silhouetted in the distance as they finished their ascent of the Down and I was struck by the incongruity that this haven for wildlife had come about due to the more destructive side of human nature. However my introspective and sombre mood was suddenly lifted when I rounded the corner of the thicket. There was another Squaddie edging towards me on the other side of the scrub…
“Alright mate?” he asked.
“Yeah cheers. I’ve just seen three of your mates up on the top of the hill” I replied.
“Nice one, thanks!”
And then he dove into the bush. Looks like I’d helped him avoid capture during a (serious) game of Manhunt. Chuckling about soldiers playing a ‘kids game’ and having done my good deed for the day (well I saved someone’s life) I cut back across the field and reaching the car I poured a much needed coffee. Whilst it cooled down I did too, standing in the blessed shade offered by a large Oak. Coffee drunk I decided to check a little of the wood as I had a hunch which paid out as I spotted a couple of Purple Hairstreaks up high.
On the way home I still had a little time and so popped into The Devenish for a quick progress check. I was hoping for a few Chalkhills as they’d been recorded at other sites. So I did a circuit round from the Orchid Meadow, up the first section, diagonally down the middle section and back through the tiny paddock. There were masses of Common Blues and a lovely Small Copper right at the top of the Down but no Chalkhills…Still it had been a cracking afternoon, at a cracking site, I’d gotten what I’d gone for and I’d saved someone’s life to boot! 22 185
Try out a new site
Up the Down and through gold fields
Argentum micro
Shipton Bellinger 20-07-2020
So began the summer holidays proper. It was strange to be out butterflying this early and even stranger to not get up early and get a couple of hours work in to pay in advance for my butterflying. Instead I took the opportunity to have a lie-in and once I had leisurely broken fast I set forth seeking the gentlemen’s butterfly – the Brostreak. It was still a few days earlier than my normal first sighting date but I was hopeful having seen a few more reports trickling in from other sites and intended to use my new freedom to make a complete tour of the site covering all of the usual haunts. I parked at the back of the main hedge and with my ears still slightly bleeding from some exceeding loud Iron Maiden I rounded the corner and set off down the line of the main hedge. It was a hive of activity and by the time I’d walked the stretch singles of Comma, Red Admiral were joined by braces of Whites, numerous Peacocks and scores of Meadow and Hedge Browns. Whilst it was nice seeing all these butterflies the hedge didn’t throw up what I was hoping for.
Next stop was the little clearing round by the edge of the main road. As I was making my way from the main track a tiny carpet covered butterfly, mainly the colour of old sacks with the occasional peach flash, caught my eye. To be honest I shouldn’t have seen it as it was flying low over the tops of the short turf and should have been keeping watch on the hedgerow but I was glad that I’d slipped from my Brostreak vigil as here was a second brood Dingy. It was lovely to see one of these charismatic butterflies again as I realised that I’d missed their cheeky chappy demeanour. Its flutterings led me round into the clearing where it continued showing off for a bit before it nipped off leaving me with a lovely female Common Blue amid the long list of usual suspects.
From here I retraced my steps and worked back diligently up the main hedge, carefully watching and checking every Meadow Brown and Hedgie (of which there were a lot, hence my slow progress) that flew among the whites occasionally. I would let my eyes stray away from the confines of the hedge and in doing so I spotted a cracking Brown Argus and finally a Small Copper. However still no Brostreak so when I reached the break in the hedge I broke away and had a little walk around in the scallops where previously I’d encountered a Silver Spot. No luck today although I did spot a DGF here as well as a couple of jostling Common Blues.
As I was heading in that direction I carried on past the old Ash Master Tree and down the main track heading towards the village. In the alternating sun and shade the butterflies were patrolling and a Comma, Red Admiral and Peacock all did fly-pasts before settling on the various Bramble bushes. Speckled Woods dominated this section, flying from their chosen perches to do battle with each other, spiralling upwards seemingly never-endingly. Another Peacock on the corner where the track splits into a dual carriageway helped me decide which path to take. So I stuck with the lower side, pushing my way through some of the more overgrown sections and all the while scanning the hedge, almost trying to stare though it. However despite there being plenty of activity it still wasn’t of the type that I was hoping for and after a Brostreak free wander up and down this path I took a little sojourn in the little field on the other side of the main hedge. There was a lovely display of the soft thistles that the Brostreaks seem to have a penchant for. A Smessex and Marbled White were feeding here and so made it onto the days tally and there were also the expected Meadow Browns and Hedgies along with a Comma and a Large White feeding on the flower tops. I made a mental note to try and get back here on subsequent visits as this looks like a likely spot for the Brostreaks.
By now I reasoned that it was still a little too early for the target species and so I cut across the main track through one of the breaks in the dense hedge and strode across the large field towards the main Hedge. As I did so a DGF flew rapidly away but despite checking none of the Whites here turned into Cloudies. In previous years the scallops at the top of the hill often held the Hairstreaks I was seeking, and often the males were a bit worn suggesting that they emerged early here so from the main hedge I carried on up the hill, negotiating the slippy chalk slope and reaching the hill top in one piece. Once at the top I had a quick look around and I could see that the small path the wound its way in between the various scallops had been blocked by a fallen shrub and so I continued checking out the little patches of turf but from the alternate side. Another DGF and four male Common Blues gave me the run around in the first scallop and as I wandered along the path, hedge to my right and open down to my left, I managed to find another Red Admiral and Peacock among the many, many Browns and Whites. The final scallop was surprisingly quiet and it was starting to cloud over now so I returned via the same route to the first scallop where a Small Heath actually sat still. After this I made my downhill but on the other side of the hedge. This was much more open, stretching away to the road and it was full of flowers. All the Browns were there but a male Common Blue caught my eye above all others as it was so brilliantly fresh. At times it caught the light and appeared white.
When I checked my watch I could see that I was coming towards the end of the golden hours and also that it was still early date wise so I decided to head for home. A prompt return and one before time usually means a few extra Brownie points accrued so hopefully I’d be able to cash them in for a few more return visits. I may have been a bit early for the Shipton Brostreaks but the habitat is looking good, the weather is set to fair for Brostreaks so in a couple of days’ time a return visit to any of the spots I’d visited today should pay dividends.
Second Shipton trip
Too early for Brostreaks still
But things set to fair…
Next stop was the little clearing round by the edge of the main road. As I was making my way from the main track a tiny carpet covered butterfly, mainly the colour of old sacks with the occasional peach flash, caught my eye. To be honest I shouldn’t have seen it as it was flying low over the tops of the short turf and should have been keeping watch on the hedgerow but I was glad that I’d slipped from my Brostreak vigil as here was a second brood Dingy. It was lovely to see one of these charismatic butterflies again as I realised that I’d missed their cheeky chappy demeanour. Its flutterings led me round into the clearing where it continued showing off for a bit before it nipped off leaving me with a lovely female Common Blue amid the long list of usual suspects.
From here I retraced my steps and worked back diligently up the main hedge, carefully watching and checking every Meadow Brown and Hedgie (of which there were a lot, hence my slow progress) that flew among the whites occasionally. I would let my eyes stray away from the confines of the hedge and in doing so I spotted a cracking Brown Argus and finally a Small Copper. However still no Brostreak so when I reached the break in the hedge I broke away and had a little walk around in the scallops where previously I’d encountered a Silver Spot. No luck today although I did spot a DGF here as well as a couple of jostling Common Blues.
As I was heading in that direction I carried on past the old Ash Master Tree and down the main track heading towards the village. In the alternating sun and shade the butterflies were patrolling and a Comma, Red Admiral and Peacock all did fly-pasts before settling on the various Bramble bushes. Speckled Woods dominated this section, flying from their chosen perches to do battle with each other, spiralling upwards seemingly never-endingly. Another Peacock on the corner where the track splits into a dual carriageway helped me decide which path to take. So I stuck with the lower side, pushing my way through some of the more overgrown sections and all the while scanning the hedge, almost trying to stare though it. However despite there being plenty of activity it still wasn’t of the type that I was hoping for and after a Brostreak free wander up and down this path I took a little sojourn in the little field on the other side of the main hedge. There was a lovely display of the soft thistles that the Brostreaks seem to have a penchant for. A Smessex and Marbled White were feeding here and so made it onto the days tally and there were also the expected Meadow Browns and Hedgies along with a Comma and a Large White feeding on the flower tops. I made a mental note to try and get back here on subsequent visits as this looks like a likely spot for the Brostreaks.
By now I reasoned that it was still a little too early for the target species and so I cut across the main track through one of the breaks in the dense hedge and strode across the large field towards the main Hedge. As I did so a DGF flew rapidly away but despite checking none of the Whites here turned into Cloudies. In previous years the scallops at the top of the hill often held the Hairstreaks I was seeking, and often the males were a bit worn suggesting that they emerged early here so from the main hedge I carried on up the hill, negotiating the slippy chalk slope and reaching the hill top in one piece. Once at the top I had a quick look around and I could see that the small path the wound its way in between the various scallops had been blocked by a fallen shrub and so I continued checking out the little patches of turf but from the alternate side. Another DGF and four male Common Blues gave me the run around in the first scallop and as I wandered along the path, hedge to my right and open down to my left, I managed to find another Red Admiral and Peacock among the many, many Browns and Whites. The final scallop was surprisingly quiet and it was starting to cloud over now so I returned via the same route to the first scallop where a Small Heath actually sat still. After this I made my downhill but on the other side of the hedge. This was much more open, stretching away to the road and it was full of flowers. All the Browns were there but a male Common Blue caught my eye above all others as it was so brilliantly fresh. At times it caught the light and appeared white.
When I checked my watch I could see that I was coming towards the end of the golden hours and also that it was still early date wise so I decided to head for home. A prompt return and one before time usually means a few extra Brownie points accrued so hopefully I’d be able to cash them in for a few more return visits. I may have been a bit early for the Shipton Brostreaks but the habitat is looking good, the weather is set to fair for Brostreaks so in a couple of days’ time a return visit to any of the spots I’d visited today should pay dividends.
Second Shipton trip
Too early for Brostreaks still
But things set to fair…
Garston Wood 18-07-2020
The weather had been a bit hit and miss earlier in the month but now it looked to be back on track and to take advantage of this and also check in on my parents we arrange a Socially Distanced picnic at Garston Wood. We arrived a little before my mum and dad and while we waited and readied ourselves a Large White flew around in the car park while Ringlets and Meadow Browns feasted over the remains of the Bramble flowers. As we started our walk following the tried and tested trail some ‘slightly less ginger’ female Silver-washed flew across the coppice, keeping low to the ground and stopping to investigate various leaves and flowers. Having recently encountered fresh Valesina or Greenish Silver-washed today I was struck by how unapt a common name that was as the females of the normal form appear ginger with a greenish tinge whereas in strong sun the Greenish can actually appear silver? However this was only a momentary musing and I reverted to the ‘walk and talk’ of a Social Distanced meet up.
After lunch at the large log we moved on into the old Enclosure and the numbers of butterflies picked up. As we entered there was a Small White, then a brace of Peacocks and a Red Admiral. On it went with various Browns, mainly Ringlets and Meadow Browns fluttering by. The occasional Silver-washed would glide by, investigate us and then veer of sailing over the Bracken tops and away. One of the Silver-washed didn’t follow this pattern instead it went down in the verge slightly ahead of the group. I expected her to take off as we approached by she didn’t instead she crawled through the vegetation for about 50 cm before taking to the wing only to plop down again another 50cm away at the base of a tree. She stayed still as I cautiously approached and I could see that she was ovi-positing in the moss and crevices of the bark.
As we continued on up the track the most noticeable butterfly not just in terms of appearance but in number too were the Peacocks and there seemed to be one or two on each large clump of Bramble. A Comma finally joined the days tally, I’d expected one earlier as it crawled from one leaf to another and then I found what I thought was at the time the highlight of the visit – a pair of Hedgies in cop.
Chuffed we carried on into the final section of the walk – through the Plantation where some joker had hung a skull to a tree. This might have had the desired effect on the human visitors as the whole section was quiet excepting the swarm of Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Hedgies as well as the platoons of Silver-washed Fritz. Seriously it was difficult working out what to try and get a shot of and doubly difficult to approach then in their solar turbo charged state. In the end I plumbed for a reasonably well behaved Brimstone. This was lovely to look at however the real highlight of the day then deemed to turn up. Slinking and sidling in the shadows it was a Silver-washed, a Valesina and despite its preference for the shade it too was very twitchy, possibly because the darker colouring absorbs more infra-red than its orange siblings. It was also tricky to photograph because its shade seeking habits kept it further back and deeper in the cover of the undergrowth. My dad and I watched it settle down and once it had found a spot to its liking we stalked it so I was able to let my dad have a clear view before I got a few shots and we re-joined the others for the final furlong back to the car park.
Greenish Silver Frit
Slinking sidling shadow seeks
Blue rinse not ginger
After lunch at the large log we moved on into the old Enclosure and the numbers of butterflies picked up. As we entered there was a Small White, then a brace of Peacocks and a Red Admiral. On it went with various Browns, mainly Ringlets and Meadow Browns fluttering by. The occasional Silver-washed would glide by, investigate us and then veer of sailing over the Bracken tops and away. One of the Silver-washed didn’t follow this pattern instead it went down in the verge slightly ahead of the group. I expected her to take off as we approached by she didn’t instead she crawled through the vegetation for about 50 cm before taking to the wing only to plop down again another 50cm away at the base of a tree. She stayed still as I cautiously approached and I could see that she was ovi-positing in the moss and crevices of the bark.
As we continued on up the track the most noticeable butterfly not just in terms of appearance but in number too were the Peacocks and there seemed to be one or two on each large clump of Bramble. A Comma finally joined the days tally, I’d expected one earlier as it crawled from one leaf to another and then I found what I thought was at the time the highlight of the visit – a pair of Hedgies in cop.
Chuffed we carried on into the final section of the walk – through the Plantation where some joker had hung a skull to a tree. This might have had the desired effect on the human visitors as the whole section was quiet excepting the swarm of Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Hedgies as well as the platoons of Silver-washed Fritz. Seriously it was difficult working out what to try and get a shot of and doubly difficult to approach then in their solar turbo charged state. In the end I plumbed for a reasonably well behaved Brimstone. This was lovely to look at however the real highlight of the day then deemed to turn up. Slinking and sidling in the shadows it was a Silver-washed, a Valesina and despite its preference for the shade it too was very twitchy, possibly because the darker colouring absorbs more infra-red than its orange siblings. It was also tricky to photograph because its shade seeking habits kept it further back and deeper in the cover of the undergrowth. My dad and I watched it settle down and once it had found a spot to its liking we stalked it so I was able to let my dad have a clear view before I got a few shots and we re-joined the others for the final furlong back to the car park.
Greenish Silver Frit
Slinking sidling shadow seeks
Blue rinse not ginger
Shipton Bellinger 17-07-2020 First Call
Over the last few years the last day of the summer term has usually been a half day and so I’ve made it somewhat of a tradition to make my first visit to Shipton Bellinger on the way home. This year I intended to do the same but it was going to be a strange one for several reasons. First of all it was much earlier than in usual years as we’d completed enough 3 hour twilights to get the final three Teacher Training Days off in lieu. Plus I’d not been in on a Friday for 6-7 weeks as I’d been allotted Monday, Tuesday and alternate Wednesdays. The final reason for the strangeness was that I wasn’t going into work but just to say goodbye to various of members of staff that were moving on; including horror of horror my Technician. So instead of pulling up behind the hedge and wandering round to find Brostreaks already active and possibly ready to be pointed out to me by observers already on site I arrived early when the Brostreaks may have only just been getting out of bed and I would have to do all the hard graft myself at the same time as memorising my colleagues goodbye speech.
I started off by checking my watch which revealed that I had about hour until I needed to be on the road and heading into work for the final time of the 2019-20 academic year. As I walked down the length of the hedge I alternated between scanning the top and main body of the hedge on my left and the grasses beneath my feet and ahead. There were all the usual suspects, mainly the two Browns with the occasional additional Peacock, Small Heath and Specklie. The best bits on the way down and then back up the hedge were a Comma and a Holly Blue. Both species were on Bramble, the Comma feeding away merrily and the Holly Blue just sitting in the shelter and slight shade afforded by the mosaic of surrounding leaves and neither of them deemed to open up. I couldn’t fault the Comma for remaining closed, the last thing it would want to do was tear at its perfectly formed wings but the Holly Blue was just sitting there so I felt a bit miffed with it to be honest. Once I’d made it back to where I’d started I kept on going, sticking to the track as it started the steep but short climb up on the now blinding white chalk path. About half way up I was forced to pause as there was a Hummingbird Hawk Moth taking nectar from some of the very few flowers that were growing amid the barren chalk wasteland of the path.
I stopped at the top of the climb, the flat thin turf stretching out before me on one side as it metamorphosed into grassland proper, on the other side ran the ribbon of woodland and ahead of me I could make out the first of the scallops through the gateway of small trees. I hadn’t meant to pause for breath or to take in the view as time wasn’t on my side but a second Hummingbird Hawkmoth had thrown a nice spanner in the works. This time it was a little easier to get shots off (if that is actually possible?) as there was a much greater selection of flowers and they were growing in close association to one another. There were several more Peacocks in the various scallops and a female Brimstone in the final one standing out nicely amid the sea of Brown butterflies. There was more of the same on the return journey and a Brown Argus in the final flat patch upon my return to the top of the hill was a nice addition but there wasn’t a sniff of a Brostreak, not even a distant possible flying high in the hedges.
I still had some time so I wandered back down the hill making for the main hedge. When I’d safely reached the bottom, the compounded chalk slick and slippy underfoot, there was a Holly Blue taking salts from a small depression on the main track. Once I’d watched it for a bit I moved in ever so cautiously took a few shots and carefully reversed leaving my quarry still supping away. From here I did another down and back up the main hedge. There again a Holly Blue and a Comma stood out amongst the Browns but on this journey down another Brown Argus proved to be the star. Or so I thought…
On the return leg I was starting to make haste as time was ticking ever onwards. I happened to glance back up the hedge while I hurried onwards and flying towards me was a mustard yellow butterfly. It shot past me and then doubled back flying strongly ahead of me. It was a Cloudy and I slowed my pace in the hope that it would do a return patrol. Luckily it did and a few times it broke out of its straight run and investigated some of the flowers. I watched it do this a couple more times and then it had reached me. It took a sharp left turn, stalled and plopped down on a flower head. As I reached for my camera a Meadow Brown piped up and started hassling it. It flew to another flower with the Meadow Brown hot on its heels, and again, and again. Each time it landed and it was looking like I’d be able to get a shot or two off the Meadow Brown intervened. Finally it was so close that I leant down, focused and just as I was about to ‘click’ the Meadow Brown appeared on the scene again but this time rather than buzzing the Cloudy and backing off when it moved on it continued to harry the Cloudy and I had to watch my quarry being chased up, up, up and over the top of one of the tallest tress at the back of the hedge.
Grinding my teeth I made it back to the car and then onwards to work. A missed Cloudy and not hide nor hair of a Brostreak – was this prophetic fallacy? Were the butterflies reflecting my sombre and slightly sad mood? I reckon so and I must confess to barely making it through the farewell speech with choking up. Sad times…
No early Brostreaks
A meddling Meadow Brown
Reflects my blue mood
I started off by checking my watch which revealed that I had about hour until I needed to be on the road and heading into work for the final time of the 2019-20 academic year. As I walked down the length of the hedge I alternated between scanning the top and main body of the hedge on my left and the grasses beneath my feet and ahead. There were all the usual suspects, mainly the two Browns with the occasional additional Peacock, Small Heath and Specklie. The best bits on the way down and then back up the hedge were a Comma and a Holly Blue. Both species were on Bramble, the Comma feeding away merrily and the Holly Blue just sitting in the shelter and slight shade afforded by the mosaic of surrounding leaves and neither of them deemed to open up. I couldn’t fault the Comma for remaining closed, the last thing it would want to do was tear at its perfectly formed wings but the Holly Blue was just sitting there so I felt a bit miffed with it to be honest. Once I’d made it back to where I’d started I kept on going, sticking to the track as it started the steep but short climb up on the now blinding white chalk path. About half way up I was forced to pause as there was a Hummingbird Hawk Moth taking nectar from some of the very few flowers that were growing amid the barren chalk wasteland of the path.
I stopped at the top of the climb, the flat thin turf stretching out before me on one side as it metamorphosed into grassland proper, on the other side ran the ribbon of woodland and ahead of me I could make out the first of the scallops through the gateway of small trees. I hadn’t meant to pause for breath or to take in the view as time wasn’t on my side but a second Hummingbird Hawkmoth had thrown a nice spanner in the works. This time it was a little easier to get shots off (if that is actually possible?) as there was a much greater selection of flowers and they were growing in close association to one another. There were several more Peacocks in the various scallops and a female Brimstone in the final one standing out nicely amid the sea of Brown butterflies. There was more of the same on the return journey and a Brown Argus in the final flat patch upon my return to the top of the hill was a nice addition but there wasn’t a sniff of a Brostreak, not even a distant possible flying high in the hedges.
I still had some time so I wandered back down the hill making for the main hedge. When I’d safely reached the bottom, the compounded chalk slick and slippy underfoot, there was a Holly Blue taking salts from a small depression on the main track. Once I’d watched it for a bit I moved in ever so cautiously took a few shots and carefully reversed leaving my quarry still supping away. From here I did another down and back up the main hedge. There again a Holly Blue and a Comma stood out amongst the Browns but on this journey down another Brown Argus proved to be the star. Or so I thought…
On the return leg I was starting to make haste as time was ticking ever onwards. I happened to glance back up the hedge while I hurried onwards and flying towards me was a mustard yellow butterfly. It shot past me and then doubled back flying strongly ahead of me. It was a Cloudy and I slowed my pace in the hope that it would do a return patrol. Luckily it did and a few times it broke out of its straight run and investigated some of the flowers. I watched it do this a couple more times and then it had reached me. It took a sharp left turn, stalled and plopped down on a flower head. As I reached for my camera a Meadow Brown piped up and started hassling it. It flew to another flower with the Meadow Brown hot on its heels, and again, and again. Each time it landed and it was looking like I’d be able to get a shot or two off the Meadow Brown intervened. Finally it was so close that I leant down, focused and just as I was about to ‘click’ the Meadow Brown appeared on the scene again but this time rather than buzzing the Cloudy and backing off when it moved on it continued to harry the Cloudy and I had to watch my quarry being chased up, up, up and over the top of one of the tallest tress at the back of the hedge.
Grinding my teeth I made it back to the car and then onwards to work. A missed Cloudy and not hide nor hair of a Brostreak – was this prophetic fallacy? Were the butterflies reflecting my sombre and slightly sad mood? I reckon so and I must confess to barely making it through the farewell speech with choking up. Sad times…
No early Brostreaks
A meddling Meadow Brown
Reflects my blue mood
Martin Down 16-07-2020
It was warm and breezy as I walked along the hedge from Sillen’s Lane to the hotspot. I’d seen Meadow Browns, Ringlets fading fast, Small Whites in various stages of repair, tired Smessex, a Peacock flying strongly overhead, Hedgies and a Brimstone but not much was settling. Spurred on by the warmth and the breeze things were flitting about restlessly like school kids on a wet and windy day. Even the triangle was quiet today and I plodded along the dusty track turning my lens this was and that with only limited success. Things would either take off just as I focused on them or feint settling in the first place. It felt like it was going to be one of ‘those’ afternoons so I girded my loins and persevered…However as is often the way my fortunes flipped and things suddenly started behaving. Whether they’d sensed my resolve or it was a lull in the breeze who could tell (?) but now a Large White settled and Hedgies started playing ball. A Comma went over and things really came to fruition at the turn off point at the entrance to the tunnel when a male Small Blue paraded itself around wing rolling and just generally looking stunning with its immaculate fringes and scattering of powder blue scales.
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Cheered by my new found fortune I took the left hand fork, foregoing the tunnel and instead sticking to the level path that intersects the Dyke just near to the hotspot. The butterflies came thick and fast now – the field covered in Marjoram and other floral treats acted like a magnet pulling the butterflies in and holding onto them. There was a Small Heath party on the path, male Common Blues added highlights to the basic tawny coloured background. Several Whites drifted across the tops of the hay, kin to discarded feathers, and the usual assortment of Browns were bolstered by a few aged Marbled Whites. A few flashes of colour proved to be fast moving DGFs – but one equally speedy burst of colour was a more mustard hue. It was smaller as well and its flight characteristics were different, instead of a rapid, strong and direct flight this was direct for a time broken with occasional intermittent circling. It drew close enough to see that it was my first Cloudy of 2020, which promptly disappeared during another section of direct flight.
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My meanderings had brought me to the Greenstreak field where again all the usual suspects flew – the highlight being a gorgeous female Common Blue. However I hadn’t found what I’d hoped to see yet and so leaving the Browns, DGFs and Smessex behind I followed the little break through the hedge to the banks and scrapes behind and made my way towards the hollow hotspot. On the way a Peacock went up from the path both of us spooked in equal measure I felt and I was lucky enough to watch a Small Blue as it delicately deposited eggs. It was very balletic with a lot of pirouettes but instead of pointing toes, or tarsi even, the butterfly pointed with the end of its abdomen. When I reached the hotspot I spotted a couple of ghostly blues and the combination of their size and colouration giving them a more ethereal appearance than their smaller, darker cousins. They didn’t seem to have a distinct end point, they just peter out to nothingness with their endpoint undetermined. All musings aside I was pleased with my second First For the Year of the trip so I set to trying to get them on memory card (doesn’t have the same feel as ‘on film’?). The Chalkhills proved difficult as despite their ‘deathly’ appearance in the suns warmth they were pretty vital. Things weren’t made any easier by the plethora of species present either. It was a bit fox in a chicken coop for a while so instead of rushing round like said fox and snapping at everything, I stilled myself and took in the scene before me whilst plotting out my course to where the Dyke restarted so as to photograph as much as possible. As I scanned I scribbled initials and numbers down in the notebook which read; 2 Chalkhills, 3 male Common Blues, Peacock, DGF, 2 Small Coppers, Red Admiral, Brown Argus, a couple more DGFs and in the distance in the little corner I could just make out 2 Peacocks, female Brimstone, Small Copper, Brown Argus (silvery flight), 2 Common Blues and some Smessex…With everything logged I set off almost on autopilot…step, turn right, stoop, click, click, click, straighten up, twist left, click, click, click etc…I paused on the corner and added Small Heath and Small Blue to the list along with a few more male Chalkhills and a brace a piece of Large Whites and Small Whites. So twelve species all within easy reach of this one little spot!
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Now with the wind having picked up I started the ascent of the Down sticking to the various narrow animal tracks just to the right of the main path in order to see down into the Dyke more easily. It was strange to watch a butterfly being blown about all ways as it would fight against the wind staying almost still, then when the breeze would drop it would accelerate off like a rocket! They’d also be struggling across the side of the down then drop down into the sheltered Dyke and I swear I could see them give a shrug of the forewing in relief! As I continued the climb among the Common Blues and a couple of Peacocks I was noticing more and more DGFs and Whites. At one point I watched 2 Brimstones scrapping and it turned into a melee with 7 other individuals piling in and all setting off across the floor of the Dyke flying in close formation. Once at the top a Chalkhill stopped briefly and then it was decision time.
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Ordinarily I would follow the diagonal path down across the Down back to the car park but today I carried on along the top past the Lockdown picnic spot and onto the scrub where I’d previously found DIngies and Grizzlies a plenty. As I walked following the same animal tracks that ran along the side of the Down like contour lines there were DGFs everywhere. I found a strip of Bramble that was flitted about taking nectar here and there. A Peacock stood out like a sore thumb and then when it closed its wings vanished Houdini like. There was an immobile DGF and three Hedgies and I carried on adding another Peacock, a further three DGFs scattered along the final length and a Small Copper was the prize awaiting me at the end of the hedge before it shot off without so much as a shot.
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I retraced my steps and diverted from the contour thanks to those leading diagonally down with gronking Ravens overhead and DGFs and Browns (including Marbled Whites) keeping apace with me as I descended. The climb down brought me to the dry stony flats at the foot of the hill. The sparse vegetation meant lots of prime basking spots which explained the numerous Blues and Small Heath that erupted upwards when I walked towards the little oasis of springy turf mid-way along the flats. Some of the Blues actually paused here including two males and a lovely looking female Common Blue. There was of course a DGF but a (further) brace a piece of Common Blue and Marbled White made a nice change from the ubiquitous Browns of earlier. As I photographed away the jarring gronking of the Ravens was replaced by a pleasant, almost meditative “turring”. Somewhere around there were some Turtle Doves and so I crossed the flats and field towards the large island of scrub from where the calls were issuing.
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They were calling from deep within the scrub but hadn’t banked on a human finding a tunnel like path that ran 2/3’s of the length. I made a cautious advance down the track pausing often so as not to spook my quarry and also to try and locate it, after brief views I also turned up several Hedgies (with so much hedge this was a given) and also a cracking looking Dragonfly – Common Darter maybe? Having successfully gotten sight of a Turtle Dove and a few shots I tried to get a better photo but it proved impossible as the several birds were all amidst the impenetrable foliage. After several attempts I gave up and just enjoyed watching for the occasional glimpse all the while being serenaded and lulled into a very relaxed state.
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Eventually when I was able to break free from the somnolence induced by the continual turring and I made it to the end of the tunnel without further succumbing to the avian sirens and realising that time was now in short supply I made haste along the final sections of track that completed my circuitous route. The final show was a fantastic, dusky female DGF which caught the light perfectly – topside glittering deep emerald green over the black livery whilst the spots showed up like Aluminium when she revealed her underwings. A fantastic and fitting end to a fantastic trip.
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Ghostly Chalkhill Blues
Wingtips infinitely fade
Phantom butterfly
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Cheered by my new found fortune I took the left hand fork, foregoing the tunnel and instead sticking to the level path that intersects the Dyke just near to the hotspot. The butterflies came thick and fast now – the field covered in Marjoram and other floral treats acted like a magnet pulling the butterflies in and holding onto them. There was a Small Heath party on the path, male Common Blues added highlights to the basic tawny coloured background. Several Whites drifted across the tops of the hay, kin to discarded feathers, and the usual assortment of Browns were bolstered by a few aged Marbled Whites. A few flashes of colour proved to be fast moving DGFs – but one equally speedy burst of colour was a more mustard hue. It was smaller as well and its flight characteristics were different, instead of a rapid, strong and direct flight this was direct for a time broken with occasional intermittent circling. It drew close enough to see that it was my first Cloudy of 2020, which promptly disappeared during another section of direct flight.
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My meanderings had brought me to the Greenstreak field where again all the usual suspects flew – the highlight being a gorgeous female Common Blue. However I hadn’t found what I’d hoped to see yet and so leaving the Browns, DGFs and Smessex behind I followed the little break through the hedge to the banks and scrapes behind and made my way towards the hollow hotspot. On the way a Peacock went up from the path both of us spooked in equal measure I felt and I was lucky enough to watch a Small Blue as it delicately deposited eggs. It was very balletic with a lot of pirouettes but instead of pointing toes, or tarsi even, the butterfly pointed with the end of its abdomen. When I reached the hotspot I spotted a couple of ghostly blues and the combination of their size and colouration giving them a more ethereal appearance than their smaller, darker cousins. They didn’t seem to have a distinct end point, they just peter out to nothingness with their endpoint undetermined. All musings aside I was pleased with my second First For the Year of the trip so I set to trying to get them on memory card (doesn’t have the same feel as ‘on film’?). The Chalkhills proved difficult as despite their ‘deathly’ appearance in the suns warmth they were pretty vital. Things weren’t made any easier by the plethora of species present either. It was a bit fox in a chicken coop for a while so instead of rushing round like said fox and snapping at everything, I stilled myself and took in the scene before me whilst plotting out my course to where the Dyke restarted so as to photograph as much as possible. As I scanned I scribbled initials and numbers down in the notebook which read; 2 Chalkhills, 3 male Common Blues, Peacock, DGF, 2 Small Coppers, Red Admiral, Brown Argus, a couple more DGFs and in the distance in the little corner I could just make out 2 Peacocks, female Brimstone, Small Copper, Brown Argus (silvery flight), 2 Common Blues and some Smessex…With everything logged I set off almost on autopilot…step, turn right, stoop, click, click, click, straighten up, twist left, click, click, click etc…I paused on the corner and added Small Heath and Small Blue to the list along with a few more male Chalkhills and a brace a piece of Large Whites and Small Whites. So twelve species all within easy reach of this one little spot!
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Now with the wind having picked up I started the ascent of the Down sticking to the various narrow animal tracks just to the right of the main path in order to see down into the Dyke more easily. It was strange to watch a butterfly being blown about all ways as it would fight against the wind staying almost still, then when the breeze would drop it would accelerate off like a rocket! They’d also be struggling across the side of the down then drop down into the sheltered Dyke and I swear I could see them give a shrug of the forewing in relief! As I continued the climb among the Common Blues and a couple of Peacocks I was noticing more and more DGFs and Whites. At one point I watched 2 Brimstones scrapping and it turned into a melee with 7 other individuals piling in and all setting off across the floor of the Dyke flying in close formation. Once at the top a Chalkhill stopped briefly and then it was decision time.
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Ordinarily I would follow the diagonal path down across the Down back to the car park but today I carried on along the top past the Lockdown picnic spot and onto the scrub where I’d previously found DIngies and Grizzlies a plenty. As I walked following the same animal tracks that ran along the side of the Down like contour lines there were DGFs everywhere. I found a strip of Bramble that was flitted about taking nectar here and there. A Peacock stood out like a sore thumb and then when it closed its wings vanished Houdini like. There was an immobile DGF and three Hedgies and I carried on adding another Peacock, a further three DGFs scattered along the final length and a Small Copper was the prize awaiting me at the end of the hedge before it shot off without so much as a shot.
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I retraced my steps and diverted from the contour thanks to those leading diagonally down with gronking Ravens overhead and DGFs and Browns (including Marbled Whites) keeping apace with me as I descended. The climb down brought me to the dry stony flats at the foot of the hill. The sparse vegetation meant lots of prime basking spots which explained the numerous Blues and Small Heath that erupted upwards when I walked towards the little oasis of springy turf mid-way along the flats. Some of the Blues actually paused here including two males and a lovely looking female Common Blue. There was of course a DGF but a (further) brace a piece of Common Blue and Marbled White made a nice change from the ubiquitous Browns of earlier. As I photographed away the jarring gronking of the Ravens was replaced by a pleasant, almost meditative “turring”. Somewhere around there were some Turtle Doves and so I crossed the flats and field towards the large island of scrub from where the calls were issuing.
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They were calling from deep within the scrub but hadn’t banked on a human finding a tunnel like path that ran 2/3’s of the length. I made a cautious advance down the track pausing often so as not to spook my quarry and also to try and locate it, after brief views I also turned up several Hedgies (with so much hedge this was a given) and also a cracking looking Dragonfly – Common Darter maybe? Having successfully gotten sight of a Turtle Dove and a few shots I tried to get a better photo but it proved impossible as the several birds were all amidst the impenetrable foliage. After several attempts I gave up and just enjoyed watching for the occasional glimpse all the while being serenaded and lulled into a very relaxed state.
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Eventually when I was able to break free from the somnolence induced by the continual turring and I made it to the end of the tunnel without further succumbing to the avian sirens and realising that time was now in short supply I made haste along the final sections of track that completed my circuitous route. The final show was a fantastic, dusky female DGF which caught the light perfectly – topside glittering deep emerald green over the black livery whilst the spots showed up like Aluminium when she revealed her underwings. A fantastic and fitting end to a fantastic trip.
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Ghostly Chalkhill Blues
Wingtips infinitely fade
Phantom butterfly
Work 14-07-2020
A day at work and one of those days when everything seems to turn up when you can’t get to it and then buggers off when you can! In fact I almost put this down as a ‘non-butterfly’ day despite seeing a range of species when I walked from one teaching space to another. During the morning I watched a Red Admiral fly by as I went in the side door from the car park, my hands full with work, lunch and sanitizer. Then as I walked to my Lab there was another Red Admiral – or possibly the first – waiting to torment me as I walked past the spindly stand of Buddleia on the corner. I dropped my stuff off, ran out of the side door and back to the corner of the building but it had gone. Later as I walked across to Staff Room at break again there were butterflies on this Buddleia – a brace of Whites this time and again I was without camera. I could see that they were still there when I wandered back through the link corridor to room three. From room three it was back across the Quad to the Music Room from where I was able to watch, and watch only, as a succession of species frequented the Buddleia that was standing on the corner waiting for a certain young butterflier to come by…
Finally with a lesson ‘free’ I was able to actually make a Quad crossing with my camera and was rewarded with a Large White – not an earth shattering butterfly but the only one I was able to get a shot of all day despite the Buddleia being more active than a waterhole on the Serengeti! Oh well some days are like this…
Full on frustration
Butterflies torment and tease
Single shot Large White
Finally with a lesson ‘free’ I was able to actually make a Quad crossing with my camera and was rewarded with a Large White – not an earth shattering butterfly but the only one I was able to get a shot of all day despite the Buddleia being more active than a waterhole on the Serengeti! Oh well some days are like this…
Full on frustration
Butterflies torment and tease
Single shot Large White
Grovely Wood 12-07-2020
It had only been a couple of weeks between visits but what a difference that made! Back then the butterflies had been playing hard to get and things were very flighty amid the grey – only emerging when the sun briefly came out and it became a washout not just metaphorically but in actuality when the heavens opened in a sudden squally deluge. Today the weather was set fine, warm and with very little breeze and there were butterflies everywhere. I didn’t know as we set off but this would probably be one of the best Grovely Walks I’d had. We’d almost not come as I’d had plans to visit Martin Down for an appointment with some Chalkhills but I’d been over-ruled by my wife who’d wanted a walk in some dappled shade what with the weather report showing full sun all morning and not wanting the girls to burn to a crisp.
As we pulled into the car park I was still imagining wandering along Bokerly Dyke but my daydreaming of ghostly pale Chalkhills was soon dispelled by the local butterflies as a Peacock, Silver Washed and a Comma all flitted about above the parked cars. A pretty good start by all accounts and on up the main track there seemed to be Whites lining the banks, Red Admirals littering the floor and a Holly Blue, the only representative of its family, threatening to come down on the deck but never quite landing. It reminded me of someone placing their toe in the water to check the temperature; it would flutter low along the path, one or two of its tarsi would touch down and then it would decide that it wasn’t quite right and would be off again. Whilst this was enjoyable to watch it didn’t make for any photographs so we carried on walking, the others chatting and me all the while scanning the whites. All three of the common species were flying here and occasionally taking nectar but possibly because they’re bigger and catch the eye easier, most seemed to be Large Whites.
After taking the usual left hand branch in the track we were soon following the straight Roman Road and things quietened down in the shade afforded by the wonderful mosaic layering of the Beech leaves. Occasionally I could see a Silver-washed gliding in small clearings on the further side of the Beech avenue but that was it. Luckily the others stopped to chat to an acquaintance so while they talked loudly across the wide road I nipped off ostensibly for a ‘Jimmy’ though I got side-tracked down one of the side tracks. Behind the line of trees was a cleared area – by the amount of growth possibly cleared two or three years before? But the light that flooded the area had brought on a collection of wild flowers that decorated the edges of the path. The first butterfly that I spot is really small – a fantastic Brown Argus. It is an absolute stunner and can’t be long out of the chrysalis. I do have to do a double take as it starts to open up as the angle its wings are at refract the light to give the Brown wings a speckled steel blue sheen. But no, there is no cell spot and the spots on the underside hind wing make an ‘omega’ rather than an ‘arc’ so it’s definitely a Brown Argus!
I mooch on a little bit still a bit dazzled by both the Brown Argus and from walking out of the gloom of the Beeches and slightly further on among the scores of Whites a few Marbled Whites sit nicely upon some of the taller Bracken. There are Ringlets, Meadow Browns, Hedgies, some more Marbled Whites and even more Whites and also at last 4 Peacocks scattered along the edges of the path. The butterflies don’t seem to want to venture more than a metre or so away from either side of the path, preferring to fly along the margins which is great for me as the Bracken growing between and almost as all as the saplings looks like a Tick haven. Remembering why I was down this track I do what I’d set out to do and then retraced my steps back to the others. I timed it perfectly as I fell into line as they passed and I’m not really sure they’d noticed that I’d gone.
We delve on into the Wood and once past the Witchy trees turn off left. The track’s vegetation has grown considerably over the last few months and not it looking lush and verdant with the grasses reaching up to mid-thigh. As we walk little plumes of dark smoke erupt from the grass – Ringlets and Meadow Browns. Again Peacocks feature heavily and a few Silver-washed males flap powerfully and then glide over the grass tops, their wingtips lazily grazing the tufts as they pass. At the other end of the path I spot the source of their machinations – a female, sitting out of the way and trying to look unobtrusive. After getting a few shots as I step back from her I spy an odd looking dead leaf which at the height of summer looks out of place even this far in the wood. As I peer in more closely I can see that it’s a Ringlet and then there are two, the pair of them locked together in a love embrace.
The Peacock trend continues as we stroll along the track where we usually stop and take lunch and when we start downhill towards the set of little terraced fields there are even more of them, encouraged no doubt by the more open vistas on offer. The odd Smessex, Small and Large Skipper all buzz around on the Bramble and the odd Brimstone adds almost an overdose of colour. However I can’t afford to stop for too long as the girls are now reaching the point of no return, next stop ‘H-angry squabbles’ and so I only take the occasional grab shots as we pass on by.
Eventually we reach the Down top and the girls no ravenous leap like Servals over the stile. The Wood doesn’t pass over to the Down land grasses with good grace and there are a few Oaks staunchly proclaiming their territory several metres away from the boundary fence and it’s near some of these that we roll out the blanket. As I’m doing so I snatch a look up at the canopy and sure enough I see a couple of Purps flitting about in the medium sized Oak that’s furthest into the Down and directly above is a third, which if I crane my neck right back I can watch from the comfort of the blanket! As we eat I watch as a Painted Lady ebbs and flows across the Knapweed knowing full well that by the time I’ve finished it’ll be long gone. However just as the final morsel has passed my epiglottis I watch a Purp flutter slowly down and land on a low growing Nettle. It walks over the leaf and then flies to another and then another. Strange behaviour – not quite sure why it would come down to the deck? As I was up and the others will having a bit of a rest I took a quick wonder through the good showing of thistles. There were plenty of the Browns and Whites but also a couple of DGFs. One in particular was very well behaved as it wove forwards and backwards across the purple flower heads an when the sun caught it at just the right angle the white spots shown out in silver.
After lunch we completed the final stretch pretty quickly and it was quite quiet until the Comma greeted us back from our walk in the car park. A fantastic haul for a summers’ walk where I wasn’t really ‘trying’, I love days like this.
Lovely Brown Argus
Massive numbers of Peacocks
Surprise Purple Streak
As we pulled into the car park I was still imagining wandering along Bokerly Dyke but my daydreaming of ghostly pale Chalkhills was soon dispelled by the local butterflies as a Peacock, Silver Washed and a Comma all flitted about above the parked cars. A pretty good start by all accounts and on up the main track there seemed to be Whites lining the banks, Red Admirals littering the floor and a Holly Blue, the only representative of its family, threatening to come down on the deck but never quite landing. It reminded me of someone placing their toe in the water to check the temperature; it would flutter low along the path, one or two of its tarsi would touch down and then it would decide that it wasn’t quite right and would be off again. Whilst this was enjoyable to watch it didn’t make for any photographs so we carried on walking, the others chatting and me all the while scanning the whites. All three of the common species were flying here and occasionally taking nectar but possibly because they’re bigger and catch the eye easier, most seemed to be Large Whites.
After taking the usual left hand branch in the track we were soon following the straight Roman Road and things quietened down in the shade afforded by the wonderful mosaic layering of the Beech leaves. Occasionally I could see a Silver-washed gliding in small clearings on the further side of the Beech avenue but that was it. Luckily the others stopped to chat to an acquaintance so while they talked loudly across the wide road I nipped off ostensibly for a ‘Jimmy’ though I got side-tracked down one of the side tracks. Behind the line of trees was a cleared area – by the amount of growth possibly cleared two or three years before? But the light that flooded the area had brought on a collection of wild flowers that decorated the edges of the path. The first butterfly that I spot is really small – a fantastic Brown Argus. It is an absolute stunner and can’t be long out of the chrysalis. I do have to do a double take as it starts to open up as the angle its wings are at refract the light to give the Brown wings a speckled steel blue sheen. But no, there is no cell spot and the spots on the underside hind wing make an ‘omega’ rather than an ‘arc’ so it’s definitely a Brown Argus!
I mooch on a little bit still a bit dazzled by both the Brown Argus and from walking out of the gloom of the Beeches and slightly further on among the scores of Whites a few Marbled Whites sit nicely upon some of the taller Bracken. There are Ringlets, Meadow Browns, Hedgies, some more Marbled Whites and even more Whites and also at last 4 Peacocks scattered along the edges of the path. The butterflies don’t seem to want to venture more than a metre or so away from either side of the path, preferring to fly along the margins which is great for me as the Bracken growing between and almost as all as the saplings looks like a Tick haven. Remembering why I was down this track I do what I’d set out to do and then retraced my steps back to the others. I timed it perfectly as I fell into line as they passed and I’m not really sure they’d noticed that I’d gone.
We delve on into the Wood and once past the Witchy trees turn off left. The track’s vegetation has grown considerably over the last few months and not it looking lush and verdant with the grasses reaching up to mid-thigh. As we walk little plumes of dark smoke erupt from the grass – Ringlets and Meadow Browns. Again Peacocks feature heavily and a few Silver-washed males flap powerfully and then glide over the grass tops, their wingtips lazily grazing the tufts as they pass. At the other end of the path I spot the source of their machinations – a female, sitting out of the way and trying to look unobtrusive. After getting a few shots as I step back from her I spy an odd looking dead leaf which at the height of summer looks out of place even this far in the wood. As I peer in more closely I can see that it’s a Ringlet and then there are two, the pair of them locked together in a love embrace.
The Peacock trend continues as we stroll along the track where we usually stop and take lunch and when we start downhill towards the set of little terraced fields there are even more of them, encouraged no doubt by the more open vistas on offer. The odd Smessex, Small and Large Skipper all buzz around on the Bramble and the odd Brimstone adds almost an overdose of colour. However I can’t afford to stop for too long as the girls are now reaching the point of no return, next stop ‘H-angry squabbles’ and so I only take the occasional grab shots as we pass on by.
Eventually we reach the Down top and the girls no ravenous leap like Servals over the stile. The Wood doesn’t pass over to the Down land grasses with good grace and there are a few Oaks staunchly proclaiming their territory several metres away from the boundary fence and it’s near some of these that we roll out the blanket. As I’m doing so I snatch a look up at the canopy and sure enough I see a couple of Purps flitting about in the medium sized Oak that’s furthest into the Down and directly above is a third, which if I crane my neck right back I can watch from the comfort of the blanket! As we eat I watch as a Painted Lady ebbs and flows across the Knapweed knowing full well that by the time I’ve finished it’ll be long gone. However just as the final morsel has passed my epiglottis I watch a Purp flutter slowly down and land on a low growing Nettle. It walks over the leaf and then flies to another and then another. Strange behaviour – not quite sure why it would come down to the deck? As I was up and the others will having a bit of a rest I took a quick wonder through the good showing of thistles. There were plenty of the Browns and Whites but also a couple of DGFs. One in particular was very well behaved as it wove forwards and backwards across the purple flower heads an when the sun caught it at just the right angle the white spots shown out in silver.
After lunch we completed the final stretch pretty quickly and it was quite quiet until the Comma greeted us back from our walk in the car park. A fantastic haul for a summers’ walk where I wasn’t really ‘trying’, I love days like this.
Lovely Brown Argus
Massive numbers of Peacocks
Surprise Purple Streak
Wilton Garden Centre and Godshill 11-07-2020
It was a weird morning as it was almost as if nothing was wrong? We parked in the Wilton Shopping Villages’ car park and then walked to the garden centre though the dappled shade of the early morning sun. The reason for our early bird antics was so we would be first the queue as other shopper would have to park before lining up to be let in. As we waited I checked out the Buddleia near the exit gate and I was delighted to see 2 Red Admirals and a Peacock up high. Getting shots of them both proved difficult as they both fed on the large spray of Buddleia and so getting both in focus was very tricky and made even harder as they kept moving around. As is often the way the fresher and so more attractive Admiral was the most awkward. After a bit they seemed to have their fill and split apart to find different basking places. The slightly worn individual landed even closer on one of the signs attached to the gate whereas the ’looker’ was off sitting at the top of the entrance to the centre all the way over on the other side of the car park.
As we wandered in our slightly befuddled and confused manner; can’t get used to this ‘going to normal shops malarkey’, we were accompanied by a few more Admirals with three in the outdoor aisles with a fourth inside above the gloves and hats along with a Peacock. Once we left I had to pass the Buddleia again and now it played host to a Meadow Brown within range, a Comma much further back and only obtainable by a little, light trespass as well as a Peacock still up high and a Red Admiral down low…near and far, high and low, I’m sure there’s a song in there somewhere? There were a few more on the short walk back to the car but to be honest I wasn’t paying attention as I contemplated a morning in.
After lunch Little L surprised me by asking if we could go out somewhere for a walk and it seemed to be the perfect day for Grayling so we set off to Godshill. We cut across the Cricket pitch and navigated our way through the wall of Gorse with Little L loving the soft, springy sandy track, the Ponies and Cows in the distance and the view itself down the valley from the top of the track before it spilt down the hill taking us with it in ever lengthening strides as gravity took over. Once down safely we wandered along various trackways, talking as we walked all the while keeping our eyes peeled for our target. We cover the ground to the apex of the triangle and then mooch around in the further fields of heather steering clear of the Ponies and Cows and while we manage to find both a male and female Silver Stud, a brace of Small Coppers, numerous Meadow Browns and Hedgies we draw a blank with the Grayling. A Peacock and Dark Green Fritillary do fly-bys, a few Small Heath appear now and again; their orange colour making them really stand out against the browns and greys of the heath. More and more Meadow Browns are flying and every Gorse seems to hold at least a couple of Hedgies as we wander onwards but the only thing which I train my lens at is an odd looking Meadow Brown – odd in that it seemed to have gotten into a bit of a muddle when closing its wings as one is bent back against the other.
When our meanderings had brought us back to the ‘Hotspot’ track a Grayling finally flies by but it was going so quickly and so erratically that I couldn’t follow it as it glided up and over the ever encroaching Bracken. Still at least it was on the yearly Tally and so under Little L’s instructions we followed the track back and set up a little camp for her in the shade under a stand of tall Gorse. As she settled down to read I scampered off across the dry Heather, the scritch and scratch sound of it against my jeans as I passed as familiar as an old friend. I get right to the top of the hill were the mess of mud and clay indicate the birth of the spring and now with muddy boots I zig-zag my way back down; partly trying to cover as much ground as possible and partly because I was following a Small Copper that was trying to take evasive manoeuvres. While I was stalking the Copper another Silver-stud passed by but I tried to stick with my quarry but it didn’t end as I’d hoped and so I got back to seeking Grayling.
I was almost at the bottom of the hill when my second Grayling pops up from a spot that I’d previously scrutinised and I follow it all the way back up the hill where it precedes to jink round a bush and disappear. Finally on the next descent a third Grayling plays ball…eventually. It went up at first and each subsequent flight got shorter and shorter until eventually it was only a few steps away. It’s in a cracking position for a lovely shot…and then another flies in and they off they both go so no decent shots, just records. This was getting a bit silly now, it must have been too hot so they were charging about all over the place so dejectedly I decide to cut my losses, collect Lottie and lead home. This was when a Grayling popped up and behaved really well. It felt like I’d gone form the frustrating to the sublime and then to the ridiculous as this one sits out in the pen and then perches on my jeans. Once I’ve ‘de-Graylinged’ myself and its sitting down on the deck I call Little L over and it behaves so nicely that she managed to get a few shots on my iPod, with the camera only an inch away from the butterfly!
As we go start to make a move it circles us and lands on Little L’s leg, then her arm where it samples a bit of sweat and after its filled up on salts it flies back and this time lands on her shoe. We want to head home but the butterfly won’t leave us and after 5 steps it still clinging onto Little L’s shoe. When it does lose its purchase it starts to follow, flying ahead and landing on the deck for us to walk past it before flying ahead again, I was thinking that at this rate we might have adopted a new pet. Luckily it gets the message and after one last quick circle round us it disappears amid the greys and browns of the heather.
On the walk back we turned out attention to various other bits and bobs. There were the ponies which Little L was pretty enamoured with, all the usual butterfly suspects flew about us; amid the Gorse it was mainly Hedgies and in amongst the Heather it was Meadow Browns but a Peacock livened things up. On the way down we’d noticed a congregation of small holes burrowed into the sand so on the way up we stopped for a sort while to watch and wait and see whether we could spot what had made them. In a very short time something landed and I think it’s a Digger Wasp (Cerceris rybyensis). The something really brightened up the day, a tiny jewel wasp glittered as the sun struck it. The minute I saw it I realised that I’d not encountered this species before as it divided up into bands of metallic green and red – a beautiful little fella, Hedychrum aureicolle – cracking! Nearer the top of the hill anther spring broke free from its geological confines collecting in the peat/hummus and trapped by clay and it seemed that even the plants wanted to get it on the spectacular stakes; Sundew and Bog Asphodel looked eerily alien and striking respectively.
By the time we got back to the car Little L was tired from the hill climbing but had been wowed by the stunning gems of the natural world – a brilliant afternoon!
A dusty heathland
Holds a cryptic character
The sneaky Grayling
As we wandered in our slightly befuddled and confused manner; can’t get used to this ‘going to normal shops malarkey’, we were accompanied by a few more Admirals with three in the outdoor aisles with a fourth inside above the gloves and hats along with a Peacock. Once we left I had to pass the Buddleia again and now it played host to a Meadow Brown within range, a Comma much further back and only obtainable by a little, light trespass as well as a Peacock still up high and a Red Admiral down low…near and far, high and low, I’m sure there’s a song in there somewhere? There were a few more on the short walk back to the car but to be honest I wasn’t paying attention as I contemplated a morning in.
After lunch Little L surprised me by asking if we could go out somewhere for a walk and it seemed to be the perfect day for Grayling so we set off to Godshill. We cut across the Cricket pitch and navigated our way through the wall of Gorse with Little L loving the soft, springy sandy track, the Ponies and Cows in the distance and the view itself down the valley from the top of the track before it spilt down the hill taking us with it in ever lengthening strides as gravity took over. Once down safely we wandered along various trackways, talking as we walked all the while keeping our eyes peeled for our target. We cover the ground to the apex of the triangle and then mooch around in the further fields of heather steering clear of the Ponies and Cows and while we manage to find both a male and female Silver Stud, a brace of Small Coppers, numerous Meadow Browns and Hedgies we draw a blank with the Grayling. A Peacock and Dark Green Fritillary do fly-bys, a few Small Heath appear now and again; their orange colour making them really stand out against the browns and greys of the heath. More and more Meadow Browns are flying and every Gorse seems to hold at least a couple of Hedgies as we wander onwards but the only thing which I train my lens at is an odd looking Meadow Brown – odd in that it seemed to have gotten into a bit of a muddle when closing its wings as one is bent back against the other.
When our meanderings had brought us back to the ‘Hotspot’ track a Grayling finally flies by but it was going so quickly and so erratically that I couldn’t follow it as it glided up and over the ever encroaching Bracken. Still at least it was on the yearly Tally and so under Little L’s instructions we followed the track back and set up a little camp for her in the shade under a stand of tall Gorse. As she settled down to read I scampered off across the dry Heather, the scritch and scratch sound of it against my jeans as I passed as familiar as an old friend. I get right to the top of the hill were the mess of mud and clay indicate the birth of the spring and now with muddy boots I zig-zag my way back down; partly trying to cover as much ground as possible and partly because I was following a Small Copper that was trying to take evasive manoeuvres. While I was stalking the Copper another Silver-stud passed by but I tried to stick with my quarry but it didn’t end as I’d hoped and so I got back to seeking Grayling.
I was almost at the bottom of the hill when my second Grayling pops up from a spot that I’d previously scrutinised and I follow it all the way back up the hill where it precedes to jink round a bush and disappear. Finally on the next descent a third Grayling plays ball…eventually. It went up at first and each subsequent flight got shorter and shorter until eventually it was only a few steps away. It’s in a cracking position for a lovely shot…and then another flies in and they off they both go so no decent shots, just records. This was getting a bit silly now, it must have been too hot so they were charging about all over the place so dejectedly I decide to cut my losses, collect Lottie and lead home. This was when a Grayling popped up and behaved really well. It felt like I’d gone form the frustrating to the sublime and then to the ridiculous as this one sits out in the pen and then perches on my jeans. Once I’ve ‘de-Graylinged’ myself and its sitting down on the deck I call Little L over and it behaves so nicely that she managed to get a few shots on my iPod, with the camera only an inch away from the butterfly!
As we go start to make a move it circles us and lands on Little L’s leg, then her arm where it samples a bit of sweat and after its filled up on salts it flies back and this time lands on her shoe. We want to head home but the butterfly won’t leave us and after 5 steps it still clinging onto Little L’s shoe. When it does lose its purchase it starts to follow, flying ahead and landing on the deck for us to walk past it before flying ahead again, I was thinking that at this rate we might have adopted a new pet. Luckily it gets the message and after one last quick circle round us it disappears amid the greys and browns of the heather.
On the walk back we turned out attention to various other bits and bobs. There were the ponies which Little L was pretty enamoured with, all the usual butterfly suspects flew about us; amid the Gorse it was mainly Hedgies and in amongst the Heather it was Meadow Browns but a Peacock livened things up. On the way down we’d noticed a congregation of small holes burrowed into the sand so on the way up we stopped for a sort while to watch and wait and see whether we could spot what had made them. In a very short time something landed and I think it’s a Digger Wasp (Cerceris rybyensis). The something really brightened up the day, a tiny jewel wasp glittered as the sun struck it. The minute I saw it I realised that I’d not encountered this species before as it divided up into bands of metallic green and red – a beautiful little fella, Hedychrum aureicolle – cracking! Nearer the top of the hill anther spring broke free from its geological confines collecting in the peat/hummus and trapped by clay and it seemed that even the plants wanted to get it on the spectacular stakes; Sundew and Bog Asphodel looked eerily alien and striking respectively.
By the time we got back to the car Little L was tired from the hill climbing but had been wowed by the stunning gems of the natural world – a brilliant afternoon!
A dusty heathland
Holds a cryptic character
The sneaky Grayling
Alners Gorse 10-07-2020
Part 2
John heads back to try and recover his lens hood and the ‘party’ move on as well so it’s just me and another bloke (who it turns out is from near to where I grew up in Poole) left to the Banks. The Valesina comes and goes, numerous Silver-washed vie for our attention including a pair in cop. Once John has returned, unfortunately empty handed, I make my way back into the reserve to try and catch up with more Hairstreaks. I find a couple near the Hotspot tree which had been pointed out to me earlier but both are up high, topping up their tans whilst the sun is still showing through the cloud. Among the Specklies and other Browns the main highlight of my wander back to the main hedge is another Valesina. I was watching a Hedgie as it fluttered down low in a Bramble. As it passed a little ‘alcove’ in the bush one of the leaves caught my eye. It was moving incorrectly for it to be the slight breeze that was gently playing over the bushes. It was also the wrong colour and shape. I looked a little more closely and realised it was a Valesina. They really are remarkable creatures; so different on their topsides that they could be easily mistaken for a different species like black Leopards being called Panthers, but now I was able to see the difference in the underside as well, something I hadn’t appreciated fully before. She fluttered about striking various poses but never quite sitting square-on. I didn’t mind though as with these shots, combined with those from earlier I now had the full Valesina repertoire.
I carried on after this leaving her in pace and followed the border hedge into the bottom corner. This is prime Hairstreak territory and in the past I’ve found both Brostreaks and Whitters here, on one notable occasion both species were in shot and forming a triumvirate with a Meadow Brown. However today there is only a Purp and they’re up too high for my lens to get anything sensible. I stare at the hedge and surrounding tree tops while I drink a coffee and have lunch but apart from Peacocks and various Browns the only other butterflies of note here are the Smessex Skippers. Lunch finished I had a choice to make – stay in one place and wait for the sun to come back out of hiding or have a bit of an explore while the cloud held the butterflies back…I plumbed for the latter reasoning that it would be good use of the down time, I’d get a feel for the place ready for subsequent visits plus I was sure I’d hear the clicks of cameras and sighs of pleasure should a Whitter or Brostreak turn up. So I started retracing my footsteps which led me to opposite corner of this diamond shaped site, working along the edges I pass the ‘hotspot’ tree which now holds2 fewer Purp than earlier and there are Browns and Whites about including a couple more Marbled Whites that had been noticeable by their absence since my first forays of the morning.
More stuff starts turning up once I start walking to the 3rd edge probably driven out of hiding by the occasional breaks in the cloud when the sun was able to blast down. There were a few more Peacocks, a lovely female Brimstone and a couple of ‘abs’. As well as a wing damaged Hedgie one individual had only one pupil apiece in its eyes. I’ve found one of these before but have been hoping to catch up with another for some time. There was also an ab.arete Ringlet. Wrinting this now, several months since the day and with the season drawing to a close I can appreciate how common this aberration can be as I’ve seen 4 or 5 of them this year from different sites. This one however was by far the best with the tiniest markings. Even better than this it as a female so when she opened up during a break in the cloud instead of the usual ‘eyes/rings’ on the topside there were a few white pinpricks.
Chuffed I thought about making my way home as by now I’d reached the final corner of the diamond and the straight , wide track that lay ahead of me was tempting me up the hill. I debated about just popping back to the Hairstreak patch and doing one last check for Brostreaks or Whitters but a couple that had only just left there informed me as they passed by that they’d only seen the one Purp there. As I watched them go and readied myself to follow suit John arrived and so we walked and talked up the hill to the cars. He’d still recovered his lens hood but hoped to find it as he was coming back in a few days. I wish I was!
As the day wore on
Aberrants became the norm
No more Hairstreaks though
P.S.John did go back a few days later and there was his lens hood, sitting atop the gate post; we’re a nice bunch us butterfliers!
I carried on after this leaving her in pace and followed the border hedge into the bottom corner. This is prime Hairstreak territory and in the past I’ve found both Brostreaks and Whitters here, on one notable occasion both species were in shot and forming a triumvirate with a Meadow Brown. However today there is only a Purp and they’re up too high for my lens to get anything sensible. I stare at the hedge and surrounding tree tops while I drink a coffee and have lunch but apart from Peacocks and various Browns the only other butterflies of note here are the Smessex Skippers. Lunch finished I had a choice to make – stay in one place and wait for the sun to come back out of hiding or have a bit of an explore while the cloud held the butterflies back…I plumbed for the latter reasoning that it would be good use of the down time, I’d get a feel for the place ready for subsequent visits plus I was sure I’d hear the clicks of cameras and sighs of pleasure should a Whitter or Brostreak turn up. So I started retracing my footsteps which led me to opposite corner of this diamond shaped site, working along the edges I pass the ‘hotspot’ tree which now holds2 fewer Purp than earlier and there are Browns and Whites about including a couple more Marbled Whites that had been noticeable by their absence since my first forays of the morning.
More stuff starts turning up once I start walking to the 3rd edge probably driven out of hiding by the occasional breaks in the cloud when the sun was able to blast down. There were a few more Peacocks, a lovely female Brimstone and a couple of ‘abs’. As well as a wing damaged Hedgie one individual had only one pupil apiece in its eyes. I’ve found one of these before but have been hoping to catch up with another for some time. There was also an ab.arete Ringlet. Wrinting this now, several months since the day and with the season drawing to a close I can appreciate how common this aberration can be as I’ve seen 4 or 5 of them this year from different sites. This one however was by far the best with the tiniest markings. Even better than this it as a female so when she opened up during a break in the cloud instead of the usual ‘eyes/rings’ on the topside there were a few white pinpricks.
Chuffed I thought about making my way home as by now I’d reached the final corner of the diamond and the straight , wide track that lay ahead of me was tempting me up the hill. I debated about just popping back to the Hairstreak patch and doing one last check for Brostreaks or Whitters but a couple that had only just left there informed me as they passed by that they’d only seen the one Purp there. As I watched them go and readied myself to follow suit John arrived and so we walked and talked up the hill to the cars. He’d still recovered his lens hood but hoped to find it as he was coming back in a few days. I wish I was!
As the day wore on
Aberrants became the norm
No more Hairstreaks though
P.S.John did go back a few days later and there was his lens hood, sitting atop the gate post; we’re a nice bunch us butterfliers!
Alners Gorse 10-07-2020
Part 1
It had been several years since my last visit to Alners Gorse but over that time I’ve kept my eye on the sightings that would come in from the site and I noticed in successive years they had one of, if not the earliest sightings of Brostreaks. I’d also noticed that Whitters, Valesina and Purple Hairstreaks had been recently recorded and so when deciding where to head next my thoughts erred towards Dorset. With the weather report looking a bit ropey but a ringing endorsement from the Oracle I set off under leaden skies heading hopefully towards a tiny blue patch of sky away to the west.
I was a bit surprised when I arrived on site to find the car park and the verge almost full with cars and even more surprised when I spied no-one else on the walked down the hill and only a couple of people in the far left corner by the gate. Where all the hoards were would eventually become apparent but nor now I didn’t mind in the slightest as it felt like I had the whole reserve to myself. Along the way I encountered a few Meadow Browns and Ringlets that had come out in the gloom (I’d missed the blue sky patch it seemed) and as I passed the Oak which was ringed in Brambles I met a few other enthusiasts eagerly surveilling the tops of the border trees. After a few pleasantries I carried on following the hedge deeper into the site and looking for clumps of brambles and flowers amid the grasses. There was a definite brightening, the clouds now taking on a whiter tone and with the increasing light intensity more and more butterflies were starting to fly. By the time I’d reached the newly cleared woodland towards the back of the site I’d picked up Smessex and Large Skippers as well as Hedgies a plenty and a few fluttery Whites. In this new clearing (the last time I’d been here it had been impenetrable coniferous woodland) the sun broke through momentarily and a Marbled White led me across the intermittently tussocky ground to a stand of bramble. Large and Small Whites were present but there were 4 or 5 Silver-washed that really caught the eye.
By now the sky was unfolding like the introduction to the Simpsons and so I hurried back to the hedge and the Oaks that I’d started at. The other two enthusiasts are there also and so all three of us adopt the Hairstreak searchers pose – standing stock still, head crammed back into your spine and conversing without looking anywhere but at the tree tops. A few Hairstreak like butterflies make a foray of two from the main hedge to the free standing Oaks and vice versa and a couple of Ringlets and Hedgies try and catch us out but they don’t fly high enough, look square cut enough nor jink properly. One Purp does flutter around slightly lower which draws our attention away from the hedge and towards the Oak behind us. It’s the one that’s ringed at its base in bramble and while our scrutiny is side-tracked I have a proper look at this. A Red Admiral is sunning itself and numerous Hedgies have taken up residence; so many in fact that it’s become something of a Gatekeeper High Rise. While we continue our scanning one of the smaller grey butterflies drifts down and eventually lands on the Bramble. It slowly opens up and the third enthusiast who’s a regular stands aside and let enthusiast number 2 (who turned out to be John) and myself in one the butterfly. It’s a Purple Hairstreak, slightly worn in that it looks a paler, more faded grey but the purple flashes were still in really good nick and they glimmered in the morning sun.
After a short bask she must have warmed sufficiently as she made off up into the Oak sitting high up on a leaf and then peering down and inspecting us. As she’d made her move so did I and wishing Enthusiast 3 well John and I headed off deeper into the reserve towards some of the prime spots that John knew about and ultimately making for the ‘Banks’ at the far end of the reserve. Our trail takes us past most of the prime sites but all was quiet so on we went, leaving the diamond of the reserve behind and walking through grass lined paths and mixed woodland. The expected butterflies all fly and the highlights are a super fresh Specklie and the numerous Silver-washed Frits.
I was a bit surprised when I arrived on site to find the car park and the verge almost full with cars and even more surprised when I spied no-one else on the walked down the hill and only a couple of people in the far left corner by the gate. Where all the hoards were would eventually become apparent but nor now I didn’t mind in the slightest as it felt like I had the whole reserve to myself. Along the way I encountered a few Meadow Browns and Ringlets that had come out in the gloom (I’d missed the blue sky patch it seemed) and as I passed the Oak which was ringed in Brambles I met a few other enthusiasts eagerly surveilling the tops of the border trees. After a few pleasantries I carried on following the hedge deeper into the site and looking for clumps of brambles and flowers amid the grasses. There was a definite brightening, the clouds now taking on a whiter tone and with the increasing light intensity more and more butterflies were starting to fly. By the time I’d reached the newly cleared woodland towards the back of the site I’d picked up Smessex and Large Skippers as well as Hedgies a plenty and a few fluttery Whites. In this new clearing (the last time I’d been here it had been impenetrable coniferous woodland) the sun broke through momentarily and a Marbled White led me across the intermittently tussocky ground to a stand of bramble. Large and Small Whites were present but there were 4 or 5 Silver-washed that really caught the eye.
By now the sky was unfolding like the introduction to the Simpsons and so I hurried back to the hedge and the Oaks that I’d started at. The other two enthusiasts are there also and so all three of us adopt the Hairstreak searchers pose – standing stock still, head crammed back into your spine and conversing without looking anywhere but at the tree tops. A few Hairstreak like butterflies make a foray of two from the main hedge to the free standing Oaks and vice versa and a couple of Ringlets and Hedgies try and catch us out but they don’t fly high enough, look square cut enough nor jink properly. One Purp does flutter around slightly lower which draws our attention away from the hedge and towards the Oak behind us. It’s the one that’s ringed at its base in bramble and while our scrutiny is side-tracked I have a proper look at this. A Red Admiral is sunning itself and numerous Hedgies have taken up residence; so many in fact that it’s become something of a Gatekeeper High Rise. While we continue our scanning one of the smaller grey butterflies drifts down and eventually lands on the Bramble. It slowly opens up and the third enthusiast who’s a regular stands aside and let enthusiast number 2 (who turned out to be John) and myself in one the butterfly. It’s a Purple Hairstreak, slightly worn in that it looks a paler, more faded grey but the purple flashes were still in really good nick and they glimmered in the morning sun.
After a short bask she must have warmed sufficiently as she made off up into the Oak sitting high up on a leaf and then peering down and inspecting us. As she’d made her move so did I and wishing Enthusiast 3 well John and I headed off deeper into the reserve towards some of the prime spots that John knew about and ultimately making for the ‘Banks’ at the far end of the reserve. Our trail takes us past most of the prime sites but all was quiet so on we went, leaving the diamond of the reserve behind and walking through grass lined paths and mixed woodland. The expected butterflies all fly and the highlights are a super fresh Specklie and the numerous Silver-washed Frits.
When we reach the gateway into the large field and the hedge which is termed ‘the banks’ there’s a bit of a queue which explained the numerous cars I’d seen on my arrival. Everyone was as clustered as Social Distancing would allow around the one tall bramble bush that is growing up and over the gate post before merging with the hedge. It’s quite amazing to watch groups of people stepping forward, staring intently at a piece of hedge and then stepping aside before re-joining the queue at the back. Once John and I had negotiated the Holly Blue that had decided to come down to the deck we were able to pass through the gate and see what everyone had been queuing for. As I scanned the bush I checked and ticked off the species - a beautiful male Beautiful Demoiselle – if I reached the front of the queue in time that would be a first but worth all the excitement? A Green-veined White and a Large White – doubtful. Gatekeeper – not unless it was an aberrant. Peacocks – flashy, stunning, beautiful, conceited, narcissistic – whatever you think about them they’re not really worth forming a queue for. Could it be one of the Silver-washed that were using the Bramble like an ‘all you can eat’ Buffet? Very possibly…and in fact definitely and I could see why. Among the bright ginger males and the more muted ‘orange with a hint of green’ females there was a striking Valesina. At first glance she appears almost monochrome but as she turns purples and blues cascade across the surfaces of her wings. She is very flighty, much more agitated than the others and is often further back in the hedge, within the shade or under the leaves using them as parasols. These quirks in behaviour should make her an annoying subject, but only add to her allure. I can almost understand the queuing for a brief uninterrupted moment with her more than makes up for the loss of butterflying time.
Looking for Hairstreaks
Amid Dorsets’ hidden gem
Greenish takes top spot!
Looking for Hairstreaks
Amid Dorsets’ hidden gem
Greenish takes top spot!
Garston Wood 07-09-2020
With marking done and the next sets of remote lessons prepared and uploaded my thoughts turned to lunch and the possibly of combining the days exercise (yep still on that one – I’m used to doing about 11000 steps a day during a normal days work so to go from that to sitting on my bed played havoc with my legs) with a picnic lunch before returning to face the next onslaught of electronic marking. So my wife packed a lunch and sorted the drinks out whist the girls finished up their ‘lessons’ and pretty soon we were pulling into the car park at Garston Wood. Having been in the ‘Bubble’ the day before it was typical that today the weather had turned for the worst. Gone was the glorious sun and mini heatwave, gone the sky of blue and the faintest of wisps of cloud. Instead it was dull grey and despite the thermometer telling me that the temperature was high enough for it to be considered ‘warm’ the slight cling of moisture in the air and the threat of rain/drizzle made it feel much cooler – so much so that a jumper was required.
As we strolled along the bottom things were very quiet – the damper weather dampening the spirits of the butterflies but I scanned among the Bracken just in case anything was sitting waiting for the return of the sun. This paid off in a short while as I thought I saw a Green-veined White a little way away. However when I got bit nearer I could see that my supposition was incorrect and it was in fact a slightly worn Black Arches which was sitting in such a way as to reveal the pink marks along the abdomen, something I’d not seen before.
After this we trailed round to the large log so we could have our lunch with nary a butterfly to be seen. It was strange after the encounters that I’d had here recently for it to be this quiet. As we reached the log the threatened rain arrived but luckily the canopy offered enough cover that we didn’t notice and with lunch eaten I was feeling a little more hopeful as the rain seemed to have washed away a little of the cloud; the merest hint of sun was creeping through and it started to actually feel as warm as the thermometer suggested. With the rising temperatures finally some butterflies took to the air. Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers started crawling out the tussocks of grass and the Bramble enclaves and round near the White Admiral spot a Comma basked for all it was worth on a Bramble leaf.
Even though the butterflies were flying I was a little too busy just walking and talking with my girls and before I realised we were almost through the Plantation and back at the car! Luckily my wife wanted to look at some of the flowers so I had a couple of minutes of reprieve. I hurried through the shortcut from the Plantation and out onto the main path. The usual suspects were about – Skippers, Gatekeeper, Meadow Browns, Specklies and as well as a few tired looking Marbled Whites plenty of Ringlets. One in particular caught my eye as instead of the set of concentric circles which give the species its common name there were little pinpricks of white – it was an ab.arete. Chuffed with this last minute find I re-joined my girls and we completed the walk and made for home.
The weather cools down
The butterflies hide away
Not the arête though!
As we strolled along the bottom things were very quiet – the damper weather dampening the spirits of the butterflies but I scanned among the Bracken just in case anything was sitting waiting for the return of the sun. This paid off in a short while as I thought I saw a Green-veined White a little way away. However when I got bit nearer I could see that my supposition was incorrect and it was in fact a slightly worn Black Arches which was sitting in such a way as to reveal the pink marks along the abdomen, something I’d not seen before.
After this we trailed round to the large log so we could have our lunch with nary a butterfly to be seen. It was strange after the encounters that I’d had here recently for it to be this quiet. As we reached the log the threatened rain arrived but luckily the canopy offered enough cover that we didn’t notice and with lunch eaten I was feeling a little more hopeful as the rain seemed to have washed away a little of the cloud; the merest hint of sun was creeping through and it started to actually feel as warm as the thermometer suggested. With the rising temperatures finally some butterflies took to the air. Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers started crawling out the tussocks of grass and the Bramble enclaves and round near the White Admiral spot a Comma basked for all it was worth on a Bramble leaf.
Even though the butterflies were flying I was a little too busy just walking and talking with my girls and before I realised we were almost through the Plantation and back at the car! Luckily my wife wanted to look at some of the flowers so I had a couple of minutes of reprieve. I hurried through the shortcut from the Plantation and out onto the main path. The usual suspects were about – Skippers, Gatekeeper, Meadow Browns, Specklies and as well as a few tired looking Marbled Whites plenty of Ringlets. One in particular caught my eye as instead of the set of concentric circles which give the species its common name there were little pinpricks of white – it was an ab.arete. Chuffed with this last minute find I re-joined my girls and we completed the walk and made for home.
The weather cools down
The butterflies hide away
Not the arête though!
Martin Down 05-07-2020
The Blues are back in town…
I only had about an hour and so once the car was abandoned at Sillen’s Lane I strode quickly down the main track towards the Hotspot directly. On the way a Small White and a Marbled White flew on one side of the track. When I say ‘flew’ they actually flapped for a bit not making any headway and then were swept away by the gusty breeze. Bearing this in mind I made a mental note to pay particular attention to the sheltered spots in the lee of the wind. The first of these was the triangular patch near to old gateway where they access track to neighbouring fields adjoined the main track in a ‘T’. A Red Admiral caught my attention at first when it landed and momentarily hung form the hedge. After this I shifted my gaze downwards and swept it across the grasses. As I did I picked up good numbers of Skippers glistening amid a straw coloured backdrop. Something darker flitted about at the furthest point of the triangle but I couldn’t relocate it again and I was left with the impression that it was a Small Blue. However I dropped this idea when a few seconds later a Brown Argus popped up and started to hassle first one and then both of the male Common Blues. There were also a few representatives of the Browns about with a single Meadow Brown and three Ringlets, a Marbled White dropped in but the Lycaenids had the bigger contingent when they were joined by three separate Small Coppers. It was interesting to note some of the different nectaring behaviours. The Small Coppers liked to sit atop the larger more sturdy flowers (Queens Lace?) whilst the Common Blue flew lower favouring the Clover. The Bad Attitude was all over the place and was much more catholic in its tastes. A lovely little representation of resource Partitioning.
I could have stayed here for the whole of my time on site but I was eager to see if the Chalkhills had made an appearance and as none were forthcoming at the triangle I set off again towards the Hotspot stopping now and again at where the little clumps of Knapweed acted as oases in the sea of dried grasses. There were plenty more Smessex zipping about all over the place and between the aforementioned Knapweed oases and a Large White stopped, slowed by the fall in temperature that accompanied a brief increase in cloud cover. Most of the Browns were Meadow but the Ringlets were more eye catching as their darker colour contrasted more pleasingly with the beige of the grass. One in particular stood out less as it was an ab.arete with tiny little pinpricks of white instead of the beautiful eyed rings.
When I reached the Hotspot is was disappointingly quiet as the cloud that had grounded the Large White earlier had hung around. As I scanned around the sides and then the bottom of the Dyke all I found was a single Peacock feeding up, the gloom making it appear even more garish than usual. I checked out the hollow and as I took the tiny path a DGF appeared, then another and another. All told I saw 6 in an area the size of a small kitchen and 4 of these were sitting on the deck in a line along the path practically sucking up warmth from the dust beneath them. I carried on round past the Hollow, crossing the main track and working my way round into the little Meadow where the Greenstreaks had been up until a month ago which now feels more like 6. A Small Heath was added to the Tally, a couple of Whites and the ubiquitous Meadow Browns and Ringlets and in the small meadow the sole occupant was a Small Copper.
I’d completed a rough circle and was now almost back where I’d seen the Peacock. I’d love to have walked all the way up to the top of the Down as I had an inkling that was where the Chalkhills would be found but time was against me so I only ascended about 100metres up scanning all about me as I went. Again there was a Peacock though it was probably the initial one I’d seen but there was also a Small Tortoiseshell hiding among the leaves down in the bottom of the Dyke. I tried to move in for a shot but because I had to watch my footing so as not to go ‘A over T’ and also as I didn’t want to trample anything it was there one minute and then the next time I looked up it had gone. As if to cheer me up though three more DGFs flew about me and one plopped down practically right in front of me.
As is so often the way I realised I needed to head back, put me head down, ranked up the pace and then when I was almost back at the car realised I still had a bit of excess time. This was fortuitous as I checked my watch, discovered my chronological advantage and spotted a Small Copper basking on the chalky path at the tip of the triangular patch that I’d started at. So I now spent my remaining minutes here catching up with probably the same butterflies that I had seen earlier. Again there were two Small Coppers, making the three with the one still basking on the path. I relocated one Common Blue and then the second, the Browns has burgeoned although there was still only a single Marbled White, the Brown Argus was hassling anything that entered into its flight path and the Smessex were all over the place. Things were slightly different now though as I found a/the Small Blue – proving that I hadn’t imagined it earlier, a DGF did a fly by and a pair of Smessex were busy copulating. As I made to leave the Red Admiral was back, sitting wings flat to the ground on the track but taking off and flying a short way every time I got within range. I tore myself away and said my goodbyes to the erstwhile martial siren most chuffed that the Blues are back in town!
A quick stomp around
Plenty of variety
Blues are back in town
I could have stayed here for the whole of my time on site but I was eager to see if the Chalkhills had made an appearance and as none were forthcoming at the triangle I set off again towards the Hotspot stopping now and again at where the little clumps of Knapweed acted as oases in the sea of dried grasses. There were plenty more Smessex zipping about all over the place and between the aforementioned Knapweed oases and a Large White stopped, slowed by the fall in temperature that accompanied a brief increase in cloud cover. Most of the Browns were Meadow but the Ringlets were more eye catching as their darker colour contrasted more pleasingly with the beige of the grass. One in particular stood out less as it was an ab.arete with tiny little pinpricks of white instead of the beautiful eyed rings.
When I reached the Hotspot is was disappointingly quiet as the cloud that had grounded the Large White earlier had hung around. As I scanned around the sides and then the bottom of the Dyke all I found was a single Peacock feeding up, the gloom making it appear even more garish than usual. I checked out the hollow and as I took the tiny path a DGF appeared, then another and another. All told I saw 6 in an area the size of a small kitchen and 4 of these were sitting on the deck in a line along the path practically sucking up warmth from the dust beneath them. I carried on round past the Hollow, crossing the main track and working my way round into the little Meadow where the Greenstreaks had been up until a month ago which now feels more like 6. A Small Heath was added to the Tally, a couple of Whites and the ubiquitous Meadow Browns and Ringlets and in the small meadow the sole occupant was a Small Copper.
I’d completed a rough circle and was now almost back where I’d seen the Peacock. I’d love to have walked all the way up to the top of the Down as I had an inkling that was where the Chalkhills would be found but time was against me so I only ascended about 100metres up scanning all about me as I went. Again there was a Peacock though it was probably the initial one I’d seen but there was also a Small Tortoiseshell hiding among the leaves down in the bottom of the Dyke. I tried to move in for a shot but because I had to watch my footing so as not to go ‘A over T’ and also as I didn’t want to trample anything it was there one minute and then the next time I looked up it had gone. As if to cheer me up though three more DGFs flew about me and one plopped down practically right in front of me.
As is so often the way I realised I needed to head back, put me head down, ranked up the pace and then when I was almost back at the car realised I still had a bit of excess time. This was fortuitous as I checked my watch, discovered my chronological advantage and spotted a Small Copper basking on the chalky path at the tip of the triangular patch that I’d started at. So I now spent my remaining minutes here catching up with probably the same butterflies that I had seen earlier. Again there were two Small Coppers, making the three with the one still basking on the path. I relocated one Common Blue and then the second, the Browns has burgeoned although there was still only a single Marbled White, the Brown Argus was hassling anything that entered into its flight path and the Smessex were all over the place. Things were slightly different now though as I found a/the Small Blue – proving that I hadn’t imagined it earlier, a DGF did a fly by and a pair of Smessex were busy copulating. As I made to leave the Red Admiral was back, sitting wings flat to the ground on the track but taking off and flying a short way every time I got within range. I tore myself away and said my goodbyes to the erstwhile martial siren most chuffed that the Blues are back in town!
A quick stomp around
Plenty of variety
Blues are back in town
Vernditch 04-07-2020
As we were heading out for some fresh air and exercise to Vernditch I debated about whether to take my camera. The skies were leaden, there was moisture in the air and the BBC weather App looked to be pretty accurate (funny how they manage to forecast crap weather so accurately?) so there was little prospect of any sunny intervals as it was black clouds for the whole day. On the flip side though the cloudy conditions should make getting shots of Ringlets easier. In the end I took my camera and instead of it loosely swung over my shoulder I hung it round my next and stuffed it down inside the dry of my jacket.
The walk up through the wood was very quiet and I saw only a single Meadow Brown on the walk between the Car Park and the first of the fields at Kitt’s Grave. All the way my camera hung uselessly round my neck, a deadweight and feeling like an unlucky mascot like the Albatross a al Coleridge. But then I had one of those moments of serendipity when the whole feel of a day turns on its head and your mood flips 180 degrees. As we walked through the gate at Kitt’s Grave a ‘Blue’ sized butterfly took off from the path. As it weakly fluttered up and about I caught flashes of purple at the front of the butterfly. Neurones fired and I realised that it was a female Purple Hairstreak. It flew towards a small Oak that I’d not recognised as such before and settled a bit too high up for photos. My luck held though as it didn’t seem to feel comfortable here and so flew back across the path to the trees that line the field. I followed it and again it moved, and again. It just didn’t seem to find somewhere that it liked until the fourth trip after which is settled down and stayed put. Ironically each time it moved it managed to put itself in a better position for photos. At first it was too high, then it was at about shoulder height but in the gloom under the canopy and in the penultimate perch it was reasonably well lit and at a reasonable height but there were leaves partially obscuring it. The final ‘resting’ place was much better, low down on a small branch sticking out from the main body of the tree. After a few shots I re-joined the family grouping and we carried on the walk.
As we dove along the woodland path in the tunnel of trees I only saw butterflies in the small breaks from the gloom where clumps of trees had been cleared or fallen. There seemed to be a particular formulation of butterflies; Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Marbled Whites in a 4:3:1 mix. This pattern seemed to be constant as we followed the path onwards and eventually as it turned right and then right again forming the homeward stretch. As we approached the small Bramble bush that had produced a White Admiral we came across another one of the monstrous snails, this one was called Sally!
As we carried on we saw more and more of the same species of snail although these were numbered rather than named so I’m guessing that they are part of a release/capture research study? I took a break from Mollusc monitoring and investigated the field opposite what will now be known as WA Bush. The Brown ratio held fast but a larger orange butterfly, a DGF, provided some nice colour to the grey. They’re already looking a bit tatty and worn so I can’t see them lasting into August as in some years which just brought it home to me how odd this year has been – it’s like we’ve had summer and we’re now ‘enjoying’ a damp autumn…
Along the path we continued with more Browns and another couple of DGFs which were feasting on Thistles further down at the bottom of the shallow ‘valley’. There were also more snails including numbers 18 and 645 (so possibly quite an extensive study) and a Scarlet Tiger blazed by brightening the dullness no end. As we picnicked the odd DGF flew in to investigate but apart little else probably put off by the mizzle.
On the return journey there were only two highlights of the walk. The first was a little patch of longer grass on the side of the path surrounded by large beech trees. Droplets of rain still clung to the seed heads making it look like the brace of Meadow Browns and the brace of Ringlets were sitting on diamond encrusted thrones. In the cool drear they sat tight allowing close photos for once, a nice change from the usual behaviour of erupting from the grass as you focus the lens on them. The second came from a male Silver-washed which was feeding on a small patch of Bramble when we had almost finished the walk. I didn’t try for any shots of this because I didn’t fancy getting my legs ripped to shreds and also I felt like I’d used up my quota of luck for the day on the Purple Hairstreak.
Mizzle and damp drear
Flash of purple brightens day
Slither slow Sally
The walk up through the wood was very quiet and I saw only a single Meadow Brown on the walk between the Car Park and the first of the fields at Kitt’s Grave. All the way my camera hung uselessly round my neck, a deadweight and feeling like an unlucky mascot like the Albatross a al Coleridge. But then I had one of those moments of serendipity when the whole feel of a day turns on its head and your mood flips 180 degrees. As we walked through the gate at Kitt’s Grave a ‘Blue’ sized butterfly took off from the path. As it weakly fluttered up and about I caught flashes of purple at the front of the butterfly. Neurones fired and I realised that it was a female Purple Hairstreak. It flew towards a small Oak that I’d not recognised as such before and settled a bit too high up for photos. My luck held though as it didn’t seem to feel comfortable here and so flew back across the path to the trees that line the field. I followed it and again it moved, and again. It just didn’t seem to find somewhere that it liked until the fourth trip after which is settled down and stayed put. Ironically each time it moved it managed to put itself in a better position for photos. At first it was too high, then it was at about shoulder height but in the gloom under the canopy and in the penultimate perch it was reasonably well lit and at a reasonable height but there were leaves partially obscuring it. The final ‘resting’ place was much better, low down on a small branch sticking out from the main body of the tree. After a few shots I re-joined the family grouping and we carried on the walk.
As we dove along the woodland path in the tunnel of trees I only saw butterflies in the small breaks from the gloom where clumps of trees had been cleared or fallen. There seemed to be a particular formulation of butterflies; Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Marbled Whites in a 4:3:1 mix. This pattern seemed to be constant as we followed the path onwards and eventually as it turned right and then right again forming the homeward stretch. As we approached the small Bramble bush that had produced a White Admiral we came across another one of the monstrous snails, this one was called Sally!
As we carried on we saw more and more of the same species of snail although these were numbered rather than named so I’m guessing that they are part of a release/capture research study? I took a break from Mollusc monitoring and investigated the field opposite what will now be known as WA Bush. The Brown ratio held fast but a larger orange butterfly, a DGF, provided some nice colour to the grey. They’re already looking a bit tatty and worn so I can’t see them lasting into August as in some years which just brought it home to me how odd this year has been – it’s like we’ve had summer and we’re now ‘enjoying’ a damp autumn…
Along the path we continued with more Browns and another couple of DGFs which were feasting on Thistles further down at the bottom of the shallow ‘valley’. There were also more snails including numbers 18 and 645 (so possibly quite an extensive study) and a Scarlet Tiger blazed by brightening the dullness no end. As we picnicked the odd DGF flew in to investigate but apart little else probably put off by the mizzle.
On the return journey there were only two highlights of the walk. The first was a little patch of longer grass on the side of the path surrounded by large beech trees. Droplets of rain still clung to the seed heads making it look like the brace of Meadow Browns and the brace of Ringlets were sitting on diamond encrusted thrones. In the cool drear they sat tight allowing close photos for once, a nice change from the usual behaviour of erupting from the grass as you focus the lens on them. The second came from a male Silver-washed which was feeding on a small patch of Bramble when we had almost finished the walk. I didn’t try for any shots of this because I didn’t fancy getting my legs ripped to shreds and also I felt like I’d used up my quota of luck for the day on the Purple Hairstreak.
Mizzle and damp drear
Flash of purple brightens day
Slither slow Sally
Five Rivers 03-07-2020
Today was a very strange day in that I had to do the school run – something I’ve not done for a fair few years now but K’s school have opened up on a ‘Bubble’ timetable for year 10’s and on this morning she was sitting doing tonal drawings for her GCSE Art. As I needed to pick her up at 12:15 which coincided with lunch I decided to put the laptop down and pick my camera up instead as K’s school backs onto Five Rivers.
I didn’t have as long as usual so instead of my leisurely proceeding I shifted up a gear and strode across the car park and down through the glades. On the way a Green-veined White sat on the path and singletons of Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood flew in the dullness as the cloud had swallowed the sun. As I reached the towering Bramble at the end of the Glades the sun came out and with it the butterflies and also a huge beetle which seemed a little bit perturbed that it was at the top of a tall flower and didn’t really know where it was going next- I reckon it’s a Lesser Stag Beetle, a first for me if it is but I’m ready to be corrected. Where before there had been nothing but a sea of grass and the tall white flowers now the odd golden Smessex, Meadow Brown or Ringlet sat atop the flowers and the huge Bramble had come alive with Meadow Browns and Ringlets. Amid their duller distant cousins sat a pair of Red Admirals and a (H) Comma, feeding up and occasionally hassling each other or the Large White which dropped in unannounced.
My striding took me on to Comma Corner but rather than following the path up and walking along the top banks I turned right and followed the hedge that runs parallel to the football pitch. This turned out to be a good idea as almost immediately I spot a small, ruddy looking butterfly. As I get in closer I can see that it’s a Hedgie and an excessa at that; with two small dark dots on each of his forewings. Unfortunately another flies in and I lose sight of him before he has a chance to open up again. Whilst these two are scrapping a third sits nonchalantly nearby looking slightly embarrassed by the actions of his peers. At the end of the hedge I follow the track up and check out the compost heap on the corner of the copse where there is another Hedge Brown and a cracking looking Comma. On the way out a Peacock takes off from the path.
Time was marching onwards and so I cut up one side of the bank and walked along central path scanning down into the banks as I go. A the middle Bank the large Buddleia had gotten so large that it collapsed in on itself and so instead of the tall bush now sprawls over almost a third of the bank at waist height. This makes it much trickier for getting shots as now the butterflies can sit right at the back and so are out of range of your lens. Luckily there are only a few flower heads in bloom and most of those are on the outer fringes so even though I miss out on the Red Admiral on the far right and a Comma on the far left I manage at least a record shot of the Small Tort in the middle front. Sadly these vanessids aren’t joined by the hoped for Painted Lady. Also here a few Marbled White and the odd Smessex make themselves known whilst the other browns are staying out of sight. At the end Bank a Smessex sits still long enough for me to have a closer look and positively identify it as an Essex – lucky for me it was a male so it was a straight forward ID but it won’t be long now until things get much trickier due to there being more females about with the additional problem of wear and tear masking some of the salient feature of identification.
The cloud had recovered the sun so the chances of relocating the DGF from the other day had dwindled so I turn about and start making my way back to meet K from school. At least this was my intention but I got a bit waylaid at the middle bank as I couldn’t resist following a golden Skipper. It was a female so no useful sex brand to help out but I had a hunch that it was a Small and after a bit it finally landed and in such a pose that I could examine the underside of the antennae. Indicators blinking and my hunch proved correct - a Small indeed. Then there was a lovely looking Marbled White on Bank 1 - another female. I love the creamy ground colour of the female Marbled White – cracking. Of course another stop had to be made at the Towering Bramble where now a single Red Admiral had the whole bush to itself. I still manged to make it back in time to successfully complete the School Run. I could get used to this – is it too late to become a Stay At Home Dad?
A stay at home dad
Picks up a lovely Essex
And a Marbled White
I didn’t have as long as usual so instead of my leisurely proceeding I shifted up a gear and strode across the car park and down through the glades. On the way a Green-veined White sat on the path and singletons of Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood flew in the dullness as the cloud had swallowed the sun. As I reached the towering Bramble at the end of the Glades the sun came out and with it the butterflies and also a huge beetle which seemed a little bit perturbed that it was at the top of a tall flower and didn’t really know where it was going next- I reckon it’s a Lesser Stag Beetle, a first for me if it is but I’m ready to be corrected. Where before there had been nothing but a sea of grass and the tall white flowers now the odd golden Smessex, Meadow Brown or Ringlet sat atop the flowers and the huge Bramble had come alive with Meadow Browns and Ringlets. Amid their duller distant cousins sat a pair of Red Admirals and a (H) Comma, feeding up and occasionally hassling each other or the Large White which dropped in unannounced.
My striding took me on to Comma Corner but rather than following the path up and walking along the top banks I turned right and followed the hedge that runs parallel to the football pitch. This turned out to be a good idea as almost immediately I spot a small, ruddy looking butterfly. As I get in closer I can see that it’s a Hedgie and an excessa at that; with two small dark dots on each of his forewings. Unfortunately another flies in and I lose sight of him before he has a chance to open up again. Whilst these two are scrapping a third sits nonchalantly nearby looking slightly embarrassed by the actions of his peers. At the end of the hedge I follow the track up and check out the compost heap on the corner of the copse where there is another Hedge Brown and a cracking looking Comma. On the way out a Peacock takes off from the path.
Time was marching onwards and so I cut up one side of the bank and walked along central path scanning down into the banks as I go. A the middle Bank the large Buddleia had gotten so large that it collapsed in on itself and so instead of the tall bush now sprawls over almost a third of the bank at waist height. This makes it much trickier for getting shots as now the butterflies can sit right at the back and so are out of range of your lens. Luckily there are only a few flower heads in bloom and most of those are on the outer fringes so even though I miss out on the Red Admiral on the far right and a Comma on the far left I manage at least a record shot of the Small Tort in the middle front. Sadly these vanessids aren’t joined by the hoped for Painted Lady. Also here a few Marbled White and the odd Smessex make themselves known whilst the other browns are staying out of sight. At the end Bank a Smessex sits still long enough for me to have a closer look and positively identify it as an Essex – lucky for me it was a male so it was a straight forward ID but it won’t be long now until things get much trickier due to there being more females about with the additional problem of wear and tear masking some of the salient feature of identification.
The cloud had recovered the sun so the chances of relocating the DGF from the other day had dwindled so I turn about and start making my way back to meet K from school. At least this was my intention but I got a bit waylaid at the middle bank as I couldn’t resist following a golden Skipper. It was a female so no useful sex brand to help out but I had a hunch that it was a Small and after a bit it finally landed and in such a pose that I could examine the underside of the antennae. Indicators blinking and my hunch proved correct - a Small indeed. Then there was a lovely looking Marbled White on Bank 1 - another female. I love the creamy ground colour of the female Marbled White – cracking. Of course another stop had to be made at the Towering Bramble where now a single Red Admiral had the whole bush to itself. I still manged to make it back in time to successfully complete the School Run. I could get used to this – is it too late to become a Stay At Home Dad?
A stay at home dad
Picks up a lovely Essex
And a Marbled White
Garston Wood 02-07-2020
I thought that an early morning visit with the temperatures below 15 degrees would have meant that the butterflies were relatively calm. I thought this…however as is often the way the data didn’t support the hypothesis and so if this had been a proper scientific hypothesis I’d be heading back to the drawing board. As I was in fact in Garston Wood I had to just press on and see what would happen!
It had started well enough as upon exiting the car the cloud was covering the sun but it was still bright enough for the butterflies to fly. As I walked the site in reverse, starting from the car park and walking uphill through the Plantation and I reached the first of the small clearings Meadow Browns and Ringlets erupted form the grass like Death Eaters apparating in a flurry of hexes (guess what I’ve been reading recently…). There was the odd smaller golden blur of ailing Large Skippers now getting on into their dotage some of them. This was to be expected and pretty much par for the course but what I hadn’t expected was that the first Silver Washed I saw was a turbo charged as on the hottest of days. True the cloud had wandered off somewhere and the sun was shining nicely now. I carried on and over the course of the next two clearings on my left and the one after that on the right I spotted more of the same; huge numbers of Meadow Browns and Ringlets, some acting like Purple Hairstreaks and fluttering around at the top of the smaller trees before floating feather like downwards and landing on a thistle top or patch of Bramble whilst the Silver Washed tore through the clearings like boy racers tearing through a city centre. At this last clearing the cloud had regrouped and rallied momentarily and all the Silver Washed suddenly calmed down, some even stopped for refuelling.
As I was about to turn the corner and take the path out of the Plantation I paused to watch a very small yet bright Meadow Brown. As it crept out of hiding out onto an exposed leaf in an attempt to soak up the sun I could see that it was actually my second Hedgie frustratingly too high for a shot but still as a reasonable height to enjoy. After a few moments savouring one of my favourites I pulled myself away and carried on through the gate and out of the Plantation. I carried on walking our usual route in reverse and so instead of the walk up the straight track it was a walk down the straight. One of the large Brambles which climbed up one of the non-coppiced trees formed a wall of thorns and flowers and I counted three Commas and two Red Admirals here and on the other side of the track another Comma was disturbed by a passing Green-veined White as if fed on the low growing carpet of Bramble.
I dove on down trying to get to the spot where I’d encountered White Admirals twice before now whilst the sun still held the cloud at bay. A quick glance up suggested it was fighting a losing battle so I quickened the pace trying to ignore the Silver Washed that tore across the path as I knew for a fact that they had no intention of stopping despite their apparent interest in this flower or the other. As I reached the large mound of Bramble which looks like an old fashioned haystack, not a round toilet roll looking thing but like a little house with a pitched roof, I slowed down. I’d made it! A quick scan around and I noted several Commas, a Peacock and a few Silver Washed as well as a myriad of Ringlets and Meadow Browns all causing a fuss and a kerfuffle. As looked the Bramble over again and a silvery fighter jet fast butterfly launched itself from a leaf and tore off through the air. It was a White Admiral and as I watched it, trying to see if it would come back or land somewhere else it rose and made into the wood behind the Bramble stack. I was hoping that it would come back but the sun finally capitulated to the cloud and surrendered. As the surroundings lost their definition and as the gloom engulfed those butterflies that had previously been manic they calmed down and sat still. The White Admiral was nowhere to be seen so I consoled myself with the Aristocrat display. I counted four Comma, a Peacock was the closest but also the most twitchy of the butterflies and trying to remain unobtrusive a Red Admiral slightly further into the stack.
Once I’d gotten shots of these I checked the heavens again and it looked like the cloud was going to have an extended reign so I retraced my steps up the gentle slope and at the top made my way down the main track stopping on the way to hear that I’d missed out on a Valesina and a few Purple Hairstreaks – typical. The final push down the hill saw me adding Marbled White to the trip tally but not the aforementioned species - oh well you can’t have everything and some days you have to put up with only a little though that might be a bit harsh on the Peacocks, Commas and Red Admirals.
So new hypothesis – above a certain temperature it doesn’t really matter and butterflies will still fly as long as the sun shines! Need to start collecting data now…
So starting early
Didn’t go quite as hoped
Frantic butterflies!
It had started well enough as upon exiting the car the cloud was covering the sun but it was still bright enough for the butterflies to fly. As I walked the site in reverse, starting from the car park and walking uphill through the Plantation and I reached the first of the small clearings Meadow Browns and Ringlets erupted form the grass like Death Eaters apparating in a flurry of hexes (guess what I’ve been reading recently…). There was the odd smaller golden blur of ailing Large Skippers now getting on into their dotage some of them. This was to be expected and pretty much par for the course but what I hadn’t expected was that the first Silver Washed I saw was a turbo charged as on the hottest of days. True the cloud had wandered off somewhere and the sun was shining nicely now. I carried on and over the course of the next two clearings on my left and the one after that on the right I spotted more of the same; huge numbers of Meadow Browns and Ringlets, some acting like Purple Hairstreaks and fluttering around at the top of the smaller trees before floating feather like downwards and landing on a thistle top or patch of Bramble whilst the Silver Washed tore through the clearings like boy racers tearing through a city centre. At this last clearing the cloud had regrouped and rallied momentarily and all the Silver Washed suddenly calmed down, some even stopped for refuelling.
As I was about to turn the corner and take the path out of the Plantation I paused to watch a very small yet bright Meadow Brown. As it crept out of hiding out onto an exposed leaf in an attempt to soak up the sun I could see that it was actually my second Hedgie frustratingly too high for a shot but still as a reasonable height to enjoy. After a few moments savouring one of my favourites I pulled myself away and carried on through the gate and out of the Plantation. I carried on walking our usual route in reverse and so instead of the walk up the straight track it was a walk down the straight. One of the large Brambles which climbed up one of the non-coppiced trees formed a wall of thorns and flowers and I counted three Commas and two Red Admirals here and on the other side of the track another Comma was disturbed by a passing Green-veined White as if fed on the low growing carpet of Bramble.
I dove on down trying to get to the spot where I’d encountered White Admirals twice before now whilst the sun still held the cloud at bay. A quick glance up suggested it was fighting a losing battle so I quickened the pace trying to ignore the Silver Washed that tore across the path as I knew for a fact that they had no intention of stopping despite their apparent interest in this flower or the other. As I reached the large mound of Bramble which looks like an old fashioned haystack, not a round toilet roll looking thing but like a little house with a pitched roof, I slowed down. I’d made it! A quick scan around and I noted several Commas, a Peacock and a few Silver Washed as well as a myriad of Ringlets and Meadow Browns all causing a fuss and a kerfuffle. As looked the Bramble over again and a silvery fighter jet fast butterfly launched itself from a leaf and tore off through the air. It was a White Admiral and as I watched it, trying to see if it would come back or land somewhere else it rose and made into the wood behind the Bramble stack. I was hoping that it would come back but the sun finally capitulated to the cloud and surrendered. As the surroundings lost their definition and as the gloom engulfed those butterflies that had previously been manic they calmed down and sat still. The White Admiral was nowhere to be seen so I consoled myself with the Aristocrat display. I counted four Comma, a Peacock was the closest but also the most twitchy of the butterflies and trying to remain unobtrusive a Red Admiral slightly further into the stack.
Once I’d gotten shots of these I checked the heavens again and it looked like the cloud was going to have an extended reign so I retraced my steps up the gentle slope and at the top made my way down the main track stopping on the way to hear that I’d missed out on a Valesina and a few Purple Hairstreaks – typical. The final push down the hill saw me adding Marbled White to the trip tally but not the aforementioned species - oh well you can’t have everything and some days you have to put up with only a little though that might be a bit harsh on the Peacocks, Commas and Red Admirals.
So new hypothesis – above a certain temperature it doesn’t really matter and butterflies will still fly as long as the sun shines! Need to start collecting data now…
So starting early
Didn’t go quite as hoped
Frantic butterflies!
