Daneways 21-06-2022
The Solstice was here and so what better way to celebrate than visiting Daneways after work and taking advantage of the light on the longest day and worshipping Sol with other sun loving creatures?
I was changed, coffee in my travel mug, extra hot lime pickle sandwich in my bag, Iron Maiden on pause and the SATNAV urging me to “turn left at the end of the road” but I couldn’t leave. I clicked my seatbelt in and started the engine, hit play on the iPod and then the bell rang so I was away. I took the back route which was great right up until the part where I had to cut under the motorway and I lost all the 10 minutes that I’d cut off of the ETA from sitting in a queue at traffic lights. The back way wasn’t pleasant, very winding and bumpy, very reminiscent of rally driving but when I coaxed the tired car up the final hill fate smiled on me and the little car park at Siccaridge Wood was empty. Leaving the car with the engine still plinking as it cooled I set off…
Almost immediately I was struck by the heat – it fair bounced back up from the low vegetation and boiled me in my jeans. I met another couple who had also just arrived and had seen a Large Blue on the first stretch of Bank so wishing them well I started scanning more intently. My searching took me on along the side of the hill, the lush green punctuated very regularly by whites and pinks of Spotted and Pyramidal Orchids. Meadow Browns flew all over the place, the smaller, darker ones often turned out to be Ringlets (which also had a less flappy flight) and there were good numbers of Marbled Whites as well as the occasional Skipper which were of the Large variety on the whole. As I passed the gate at the Half way point I turned off to follow the track further along the hill when I spotted a grey looking butterfly. There was a Large Blue, hopefully the first of several. I managed to follow it and it went down a few times so I got a few grab shot but then it disappeared through the hedge into the neighbouring field. Oh well a grab shot is still a shot!
When I reached the end of the site I had a little look around the small field at the foot of the hill and then started to climb up the steep hill. I was accompanied along the way by various Browns and about half way up I found a Small Blue which nicely added to the narrative what with seeing the largest and the smallest Blue on the same trip. The top of the hill curves round and levels somewhat and so I was able to better focus on trying for some shots what with not having the worry about slipping and falling not exactly to my death more like falling to serious injury. A Large Blue chose this moment to appear and despite my protestations she decided that I should risk breaking my neck as she made me follow her across and down the steepest bits of the hill. She seemed to fly from one side to the other zig-zagging her way both across and up and down the side of the hill but her average progress was down. Once she got to the bottom she’d turn and fly directly back up right to the top and repeat the haphazard and apparently random descent. I watched her do this a couple of times and so I was able to try for a few more shots as I’d lurk roughly in the middle of the slope and watch and wait for her to come to me.
After a few passes I reckoned that revisiting the middle section where I’d seen my first Large Blue of the visit would be productive as the initial Blue had shown similar behavior to this one. Hence I carefully picked my way down the hill and made my way back to the middle banks. Once there I set up shop near the path that runs up thought the wood to the top fields and the Dew Pond and scanned across the more gently sloping vegetation. I didn’t have to wait too long before I spotted a Greyish butterfly flapping along atop the flower heads. After a while and a few shots (generally with a small field of grass obstructing my shot) it landed in a prime position – only for it to be buzzed by a second. I took a punt on which one would behave the most amiably and set to watching it as it fluttered here and there. Eventually it played nicely and sat posing and then a lone cloud rolled across the otherwise empty blue sky and positioned itself perfectly so as to hide the sun away. Normally this would lead to me trying to the sky blue again with some very floral yet rustic language but not today. No today I let out a small cheer as sure enough in the sudden shade the Large Blue perched and slowly opened up. I managed a few shots before the sun reappeared and the butterfly took to the air. I risked a quick glance up whilst trying to keep track of the butterfly and what it revealed made me even more determined to not lose sight of the butterfly. The sun had been escaping through a small hole in the lone cloud, a hole which was closing rapidly. Sure enough a few seconds later the light intensity dropped and so too did the butterfly and then once again it opened up. Brilliant! As the cloud moved off and the sun beat down once more the butterfly remained, wings held wide apart so I clicked away and clicked away.
Chuffed I set off back to the start of the reserve taking the uppermost of the two paths. En route again I was accompanied by descending order; Meadow Browns, Marbled Whites, Ringlets and Large Skippers as well as a lovely fresh Small Tort which bombed past. I carried on walking and lopped around to the top fields where I spotted another Small Tort, a Common Blue offered me some comparative flight views and the Meadow Browns seemed to be settling down for the night, grouping together on the Bramble leaves in the golden sunlight. It was this or maybe they were just trying to escape the now slightly oppressive heat? The top fields were starting to look a little overgrown around the edges with a lot (to my mind anyway) of Bracken encroaching and as I’d not seen a Large Blue I cut back though the woodland track down towards the middle part of the site – where I’d had most of luck so far. On the careful descent I spotted a Large Skipper on a leaf which, due to the sapling clinging to the hill, was at the same height as my camera which made a nice change from having to stoop or kneel for.
When I reached the bottom of the steep slope and the woodland slunk away I sat for a while enjoying the space and solitude. The birds called, the crickets churred, a Painted Lady and another Large Blue both shot by and a Redstart flashed past but all the while I sat content and stilled. If it wasn’t for a few annoying flies I’d probably still be there such was the somnolent effect of the tranquility. I shook myself awake and stumble on along the bottom most track to the first section of the banks. As I rounded the corner from the small patch of breakaway trees I spotted a Large Blue. It must have been a male for it was much faster flying than any of the others and was also flying incessantly. I must have watched it cris-cross the entire bank several without stopping once. I tried to follow it but didn’t get very far as it would do the odd jink and just disappear from sight, a little like the Skippers do. I didn’t mind though because as I turned to give up there was a female sitting perfectly perched. I craned in for the shot, lined up and focused…then the male reappeared. He hassled her for a bit and unseated her from her perch. In the ensuing melee they split up and I again had to take a punt on which one to follow. I ended up following one, whether it was the female or male I knew not but I guessed it was the female as after a brief look about the butterfly dropped down and sat nicely for the best set of closed wing shots of the day. With my persistence paid off I thought that would be the prime time to call it a day and so I left the butterfly in peace and made my way back to the car to drive home. The prefect way to spend the Solstice.
Not that Large really…
And more grey than blue in flight…
Still nice to see though
I was changed, coffee in my travel mug, extra hot lime pickle sandwich in my bag, Iron Maiden on pause and the SATNAV urging me to “turn left at the end of the road” but I couldn’t leave. I clicked my seatbelt in and started the engine, hit play on the iPod and then the bell rang so I was away. I took the back route which was great right up until the part where I had to cut under the motorway and I lost all the 10 minutes that I’d cut off of the ETA from sitting in a queue at traffic lights. The back way wasn’t pleasant, very winding and bumpy, very reminiscent of rally driving but when I coaxed the tired car up the final hill fate smiled on me and the little car park at Siccaridge Wood was empty. Leaving the car with the engine still plinking as it cooled I set off…
Almost immediately I was struck by the heat – it fair bounced back up from the low vegetation and boiled me in my jeans. I met another couple who had also just arrived and had seen a Large Blue on the first stretch of Bank so wishing them well I started scanning more intently. My searching took me on along the side of the hill, the lush green punctuated very regularly by whites and pinks of Spotted and Pyramidal Orchids. Meadow Browns flew all over the place, the smaller, darker ones often turned out to be Ringlets (which also had a less flappy flight) and there were good numbers of Marbled Whites as well as the occasional Skipper which were of the Large variety on the whole. As I passed the gate at the Half way point I turned off to follow the track further along the hill when I spotted a grey looking butterfly. There was a Large Blue, hopefully the first of several. I managed to follow it and it went down a few times so I got a few grab shot but then it disappeared through the hedge into the neighbouring field. Oh well a grab shot is still a shot!
When I reached the end of the site I had a little look around the small field at the foot of the hill and then started to climb up the steep hill. I was accompanied along the way by various Browns and about half way up I found a Small Blue which nicely added to the narrative what with seeing the largest and the smallest Blue on the same trip. The top of the hill curves round and levels somewhat and so I was able to better focus on trying for some shots what with not having the worry about slipping and falling not exactly to my death more like falling to serious injury. A Large Blue chose this moment to appear and despite my protestations she decided that I should risk breaking my neck as she made me follow her across and down the steepest bits of the hill. She seemed to fly from one side to the other zig-zagging her way both across and up and down the side of the hill but her average progress was down. Once she got to the bottom she’d turn and fly directly back up right to the top and repeat the haphazard and apparently random descent. I watched her do this a couple of times and so I was able to try for a few more shots as I’d lurk roughly in the middle of the slope and watch and wait for her to come to me.
After a few passes I reckoned that revisiting the middle section where I’d seen my first Large Blue of the visit would be productive as the initial Blue had shown similar behavior to this one. Hence I carefully picked my way down the hill and made my way back to the middle banks. Once there I set up shop near the path that runs up thought the wood to the top fields and the Dew Pond and scanned across the more gently sloping vegetation. I didn’t have to wait too long before I spotted a Greyish butterfly flapping along atop the flower heads. After a while and a few shots (generally with a small field of grass obstructing my shot) it landed in a prime position – only for it to be buzzed by a second. I took a punt on which one would behave the most amiably and set to watching it as it fluttered here and there. Eventually it played nicely and sat posing and then a lone cloud rolled across the otherwise empty blue sky and positioned itself perfectly so as to hide the sun away. Normally this would lead to me trying to the sky blue again with some very floral yet rustic language but not today. No today I let out a small cheer as sure enough in the sudden shade the Large Blue perched and slowly opened up. I managed a few shots before the sun reappeared and the butterfly took to the air. I risked a quick glance up whilst trying to keep track of the butterfly and what it revealed made me even more determined to not lose sight of the butterfly. The sun had been escaping through a small hole in the lone cloud, a hole which was closing rapidly. Sure enough a few seconds later the light intensity dropped and so too did the butterfly and then once again it opened up. Brilliant! As the cloud moved off and the sun beat down once more the butterfly remained, wings held wide apart so I clicked away and clicked away.
Chuffed I set off back to the start of the reserve taking the uppermost of the two paths. En route again I was accompanied by descending order; Meadow Browns, Marbled Whites, Ringlets and Large Skippers as well as a lovely fresh Small Tort which bombed past. I carried on walking and lopped around to the top fields where I spotted another Small Tort, a Common Blue offered me some comparative flight views and the Meadow Browns seemed to be settling down for the night, grouping together on the Bramble leaves in the golden sunlight. It was this or maybe they were just trying to escape the now slightly oppressive heat? The top fields were starting to look a little overgrown around the edges with a lot (to my mind anyway) of Bracken encroaching and as I’d not seen a Large Blue I cut back though the woodland track down towards the middle part of the site – where I’d had most of luck so far. On the careful descent I spotted a Large Skipper on a leaf which, due to the sapling clinging to the hill, was at the same height as my camera which made a nice change from having to stoop or kneel for.
When I reached the bottom of the steep slope and the woodland slunk away I sat for a while enjoying the space and solitude. The birds called, the crickets churred, a Painted Lady and another Large Blue both shot by and a Redstart flashed past but all the while I sat content and stilled. If it wasn’t for a few annoying flies I’d probably still be there such was the somnolent effect of the tranquility. I shook myself awake and stumble on along the bottom most track to the first section of the banks. As I rounded the corner from the small patch of breakaway trees I spotted a Large Blue. It must have been a male for it was much faster flying than any of the others and was also flying incessantly. I must have watched it cris-cross the entire bank several without stopping once. I tried to follow it but didn’t get very far as it would do the odd jink and just disappear from sight, a little like the Skippers do. I didn’t mind though because as I turned to give up there was a female sitting perfectly perched. I craned in for the shot, lined up and focused…then the male reappeared. He hassled her for a bit and unseated her from her perch. In the ensuing melee they split up and I again had to take a punt on which one to follow. I ended up following one, whether it was the female or male I knew not but I guessed it was the female as after a brief look about the butterfly dropped down and sat nicely for the best set of closed wing shots of the day. With my persistence paid off I thought that would be the prime time to call it a day and so I left the butterfly in peace and made my way back to the car to drive home. The prefect way to spend the Solstice.
Not that Large really…
And more grey than blue in flight…
Still nice to see though
Grovely Wood 19-06-2022
Choices, choices but not the choices I wanted to be making! The weather had taken a turn for the worse so Daneways seemed out and further East the forecast was for wall to wall cloud and so was further West for once Salisbury was in the enviable position of having reasonable weather while all around had worse. Whilst I was appreciative of this exceedingly rare occurence it meant that my options were limited. In the end I plumped for a visit to Grovely Woods as I would be able to visit all the little hotspots discovered during the time constraints of family walks and properly explore them as well as hopefully picking up some White Admirals...
When I arrived there were a few patches of blue in the distance so I set off under a pallid sky and so that I could reach the best bits quickly I worked in reverse order ducking under the tree branches lining the car park and climbing up the curtained hill behind. The normally narrow pathway was even more so as it was now overgrown and a couple of times I had to climb over fallen trees on my continued ascent. At my first stop I spotted a couple of Large Skippers sitting in the gloom on green bridges formed form the large grass leaves. A Red Admiral didn’t hang about and a couple of Specklies sat at different junctures of the path. The main reason for stopping here was a Ringlet, sitting wings wide open trying to absorb the little sun that was infiltrating through the cloud. As second one popped up and gave me an opportunity for a few underwing shots.
I carried on wending my way along the narrow path and slightly further on in the next more open area there were four Large Skippers dotted about amid the grasses, a couple of Ringlets flitted about and the Specklies were again down holding a certain stretch of the path as their own. As I continued I started seeing Meadow Browns entering the mix and with each set of 15 or steps I’d enter another Specklie territory. The butterfly would invariably be down on the path, wings held out resting flat on the ground and as I approached it would take to the air, buzz me a couple of times before climbing rapidly upwards to an elevated perch from where it would peek over the edge down at me. When the wood opened up near the top of the rise the margins along the side of the path widened and getting more light offered a greater range of vegetation. In the mix of this were clumps of Garlic Mustard bereft of leaves. I had a little look and managed to find a couple of Cats which I’m pretty sure were OT cats.
After this I left the woodland and climbed over the stile into the field at the top of the Down. Wandering around in the grey I slalomed in between the stands of thistles hoping for something ginger atop one of them. It didn’t seem to be though and apart from a Small Heath and the odd Meadow Brown all seemed quiet. And then out of nowhere a ginger beastie shot up out of the grass in front of me and hared off across the field. I did my best to follow it as it swerved this way and skimming the tops of the grass. As I walked to the far corner another DGF went up (or it could have been the same one?) and this time I was more successful in following it. It also led me on a merry dance but eventually I managed to get something of it as after a while it started landing in little cleared patches from where I presume it was soaking up and warmth radiated back from the thin soil.
The next stop of the Highlights of the Grovely walk was the cleared side of the hill which is arranged in a series of terraces each demarked by a strip of Bramble. As I wandered back and forth along each terrace before dropping down to the next and repeating my procession I picked up a smattering each of Meadow Browns, the odd Ringlet and Marbled White. There were also a few Large Skippers and amid them their more diminutive cousins the Small Skippers. At one stage a Red Admiral took off from within the Bramble and sailed down the hill, rising slightly each time it crossed over the threshold of the following terrace. I watched what I thought were a pair of Ringlets rise up form the vegetation in what I hoped was a courtship dance but when I approached it became clear that it was in fact a Ringlet and a somewhat confused Meadow Brown. The later followed the former, dropping down and waiting near the former looking a little pitiful as it couldn’t understand the resistance from the object of its affections. I left them in peace wondering about the outcome of a successful pairing – would a hybrid be possible and would it be viable? I soon forgot these musings though as I got back on the hunt for any one of the 6 or so DGFs that were zooming about the terraces. The Bramble was an obvious attraction for them and I had my best success from waiting for the sun to go in a little and then scouring the Bramble tops for out of place ginger bits.
I continued onwards in reverse and so the next was usually the precursor to the Terraces, the path curves round and at the centre of the arc the trees have been cleared. The grasses here were almost above my head and in the centre a huge Bramble bush overtopped them all as it sprawled half way down the hill. It was into this that a vivid orange H.Comma dropped down. It though it had got the better of me but little did it realise that just round the other side the grass was shorter and so too was the Bramble. Chuckling that I’d gotten one over on it I set off, stepping over a mass of Peacock cats as I did so and grabbing a few shots of a Red Admiral on the way.
The path rose steeply and then when I turned off left at the crossroads levelled nicely. Whoever is responsible for the Wood had been having a bit of a tidy up and the usually hemmed in ride was opened up considerably and seemed even more level then usual without the variation in the sward height of the path grasses. As I started along the ride a Red Admiral buzzed me, flew around me a couple of times and then landed down on the track. As I watched it closed up and disappeared from view. As I walked along the recently manicured track the cloud thickened and the temperature declined so the number of butterflies wen the same way as the temperature, only more so and I kept trudging away while the wind was whipping the treetops whilst whispering down below. A few Red Admirals towards the end of the Ride where the only thing of note and then the Ride arched around and joined onto the main track that runs the length of the wood shaded by the tallest trees that the wood has to offer. I cut across through the wood to one of the smaller, parallel rides that in the past has seen me right for Silver-washed and White Admiral but I now, what with the grey holding on, I spent most of my time walking with nothing to show butterfly wise even though the little bursts of sunshine occurred when I was in the best spots.
Eventually the Psykhe took heed of my mumblings mistaking them for prayers and so the cloud cleared and the butterflies flew. I’d reached a part of the wood I’d not visited before and as I approached a muddied puddle some Specklies took off, whose behavior annoyed a few Meadow Browns which did similar until finally they royally p*$$ed off a Red Admiral. I watched as it glided into a small clearing and settled down on the thick layer of sawdust which carpeted said clearing. As I approached for a few shots I spotted another two also taking advantage of the well-insulated flooring. I only managed to capture shots of two of them but it made a nice break from the monotony of walking and fruitlessly scanning the vegetation.
After this little interlude I returned to walking and not stalking as I reached the main track, wide as a road and tarmaced too but dark under the thick canopy. From this point on I was walking the usual route and so reenacting plenty of family visits to this site. I turned left and then got onto the ride, turned right at the cross roads and down the hill, past the cleared curve with it’s tall grasses and huge Bramble and on along towards the Terraces. It was at this point that the machinations of the weather finally reached the zenith of their evil plan and it started to rain. Luckily a fir tree (a bit like a wider Leylandii) offered me perfect cover and I took the moment to write up my notes and enjoy a coffee. As if sensing that I wasn’t the least bothered by the rain the clouds gave up and as I strolled onto the first Terrace the sun burnt away the cloud and the butterflies floated up amid the evaporating water vapour. My trawls along the Terraces brought me more of the same that I’d previously encountered but I noticed that the DGFs were slightly fewer in number but much better behaved in the afternoon sun and so I filled the memory up.
Chuffed I made my way back to the top of the Down and into the field. The DGF here did another strafing run and was gone at a dizzying speed but I did find an addition to the Tally here, a solo male Common Blue. The sun had passed and once again the cloud covered the sky and so I made my way back down the steep woodland track where it had all begun. I was accompanied on the way by the Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Large Skippers I’d come to expect. I was almost done walking when I glanced off to my right and there a trouser shredding distance into the Brambles was a Silver-washed, my first of 2022. I tried a few distant shots, stretching my arms out over the carpet of Briar and Bramble hoping to get something when out of nowhere a Jay shot through the trees and the Silver-washed went up into a nearby tree. Now it was settled and ‘safe’ I risked my jeans and slipping one foot after the other through little holes in the Brambles I managed to get just underneath it and fired off a few record shots. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to get much closer views soon. A pleasant morning, good to get a couple of Frits onto the year list but it would have been nice to have gotten my White Admiral…
Off to Grovely
Not a case of Black and White
More a Dark Green day…
When I arrived there were a few patches of blue in the distance so I set off under a pallid sky and so that I could reach the best bits quickly I worked in reverse order ducking under the tree branches lining the car park and climbing up the curtained hill behind. The normally narrow pathway was even more so as it was now overgrown and a couple of times I had to climb over fallen trees on my continued ascent. At my first stop I spotted a couple of Large Skippers sitting in the gloom on green bridges formed form the large grass leaves. A Red Admiral didn’t hang about and a couple of Specklies sat at different junctures of the path. The main reason for stopping here was a Ringlet, sitting wings wide open trying to absorb the little sun that was infiltrating through the cloud. As second one popped up and gave me an opportunity for a few underwing shots.
I carried on wending my way along the narrow path and slightly further on in the next more open area there were four Large Skippers dotted about amid the grasses, a couple of Ringlets flitted about and the Specklies were again down holding a certain stretch of the path as their own. As I continued I started seeing Meadow Browns entering the mix and with each set of 15 or steps I’d enter another Specklie territory. The butterfly would invariably be down on the path, wings held out resting flat on the ground and as I approached it would take to the air, buzz me a couple of times before climbing rapidly upwards to an elevated perch from where it would peek over the edge down at me. When the wood opened up near the top of the rise the margins along the side of the path widened and getting more light offered a greater range of vegetation. In the mix of this were clumps of Garlic Mustard bereft of leaves. I had a little look and managed to find a couple of Cats which I’m pretty sure were OT cats.
After this I left the woodland and climbed over the stile into the field at the top of the Down. Wandering around in the grey I slalomed in between the stands of thistles hoping for something ginger atop one of them. It didn’t seem to be though and apart from a Small Heath and the odd Meadow Brown all seemed quiet. And then out of nowhere a ginger beastie shot up out of the grass in front of me and hared off across the field. I did my best to follow it as it swerved this way and skimming the tops of the grass. As I walked to the far corner another DGF went up (or it could have been the same one?) and this time I was more successful in following it. It also led me on a merry dance but eventually I managed to get something of it as after a while it started landing in little cleared patches from where I presume it was soaking up and warmth radiated back from the thin soil.
The next stop of the Highlights of the Grovely walk was the cleared side of the hill which is arranged in a series of terraces each demarked by a strip of Bramble. As I wandered back and forth along each terrace before dropping down to the next and repeating my procession I picked up a smattering each of Meadow Browns, the odd Ringlet and Marbled White. There were also a few Large Skippers and amid them their more diminutive cousins the Small Skippers. At one stage a Red Admiral took off from within the Bramble and sailed down the hill, rising slightly each time it crossed over the threshold of the following terrace. I watched what I thought were a pair of Ringlets rise up form the vegetation in what I hoped was a courtship dance but when I approached it became clear that it was in fact a Ringlet and a somewhat confused Meadow Brown. The later followed the former, dropping down and waiting near the former looking a little pitiful as it couldn’t understand the resistance from the object of its affections. I left them in peace wondering about the outcome of a successful pairing – would a hybrid be possible and would it be viable? I soon forgot these musings though as I got back on the hunt for any one of the 6 or so DGFs that were zooming about the terraces. The Bramble was an obvious attraction for them and I had my best success from waiting for the sun to go in a little and then scouring the Bramble tops for out of place ginger bits.
I continued onwards in reverse and so the next was usually the precursor to the Terraces, the path curves round and at the centre of the arc the trees have been cleared. The grasses here were almost above my head and in the centre a huge Bramble bush overtopped them all as it sprawled half way down the hill. It was into this that a vivid orange H.Comma dropped down. It though it had got the better of me but little did it realise that just round the other side the grass was shorter and so too was the Bramble. Chuckling that I’d gotten one over on it I set off, stepping over a mass of Peacock cats as I did so and grabbing a few shots of a Red Admiral on the way.
The path rose steeply and then when I turned off left at the crossroads levelled nicely. Whoever is responsible for the Wood had been having a bit of a tidy up and the usually hemmed in ride was opened up considerably and seemed even more level then usual without the variation in the sward height of the path grasses. As I started along the ride a Red Admiral buzzed me, flew around me a couple of times and then landed down on the track. As I watched it closed up and disappeared from view. As I walked along the recently manicured track the cloud thickened and the temperature declined so the number of butterflies wen the same way as the temperature, only more so and I kept trudging away while the wind was whipping the treetops whilst whispering down below. A few Red Admirals towards the end of the Ride where the only thing of note and then the Ride arched around and joined onto the main track that runs the length of the wood shaded by the tallest trees that the wood has to offer. I cut across through the wood to one of the smaller, parallel rides that in the past has seen me right for Silver-washed and White Admiral but I now, what with the grey holding on, I spent most of my time walking with nothing to show butterfly wise even though the little bursts of sunshine occurred when I was in the best spots.
Eventually the Psykhe took heed of my mumblings mistaking them for prayers and so the cloud cleared and the butterflies flew. I’d reached a part of the wood I’d not visited before and as I approached a muddied puddle some Specklies took off, whose behavior annoyed a few Meadow Browns which did similar until finally they royally p*$$ed off a Red Admiral. I watched as it glided into a small clearing and settled down on the thick layer of sawdust which carpeted said clearing. As I approached for a few shots I spotted another two also taking advantage of the well-insulated flooring. I only managed to capture shots of two of them but it made a nice break from the monotony of walking and fruitlessly scanning the vegetation.
After this little interlude I returned to walking and not stalking as I reached the main track, wide as a road and tarmaced too but dark under the thick canopy. From this point on I was walking the usual route and so reenacting plenty of family visits to this site. I turned left and then got onto the ride, turned right at the cross roads and down the hill, past the cleared curve with it’s tall grasses and huge Bramble and on along towards the Terraces. It was at this point that the machinations of the weather finally reached the zenith of their evil plan and it started to rain. Luckily a fir tree (a bit like a wider Leylandii) offered me perfect cover and I took the moment to write up my notes and enjoy a coffee. As if sensing that I wasn’t the least bothered by the rain the clouds gave up and as I strolled onto the first Terrace the sun burnt away the cloud and the butterflies floated up amid the evaporating water vapour. My trawls along the Terraces brought me more of the same that I’d previously encountered but I noticed that the DGFs were slightly fewer in number but much better behaved in the afternoon sun and so I filled the memory up.
Chuffed I made my way back to the top of the Down and into the field. The DGF here did another strafing run and was gone at a dizzying speed but I did find an addition to the Tally here, a solo male Common Blue. The sun had passed and once again the cloud covered the sky and so I made my way back down the steep woodland track where it had all begun. I was accompanied on the way by the Meadow Browns, Ringlets and Large Skippers I’d come to expect. I was almost done walking when I glanced off to my right and there a trouser shredding distance into the Brambles was a Silver-washed, my first of 2022. I tried a few distant shots, stretching my arms out over the carpet of Briar and Bramble hoping to get something when out of nowhere a Jay shot through the trees and the Silver-washed went up into a nearby tree. Now it was settled and ‘safe’ I risked my jeans and slipping one foot after the other through little holes in the Brambles I managed to get just underneath it and fired off a few record shots. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to get much closer views soon. A pleasant morning, good to get a couple of Frits onto the year list but it would have been nice to have gotten my White Admiral…
Off to Grovely
Not a case of Black and White
More a Dark Green day…
Work 15-06-2022
If yesterday was warm today was Mighty W as my dad says. The butterflies at lunch time were behaving accordingly – either darting about like supercharged boy racers or hiding away in the shade often with blades of grass or various leaves in the way of a decent shot. As I wandered through the Pits I notched up 5 Large Skippers bullying each other on the few open thistle tops. Down the main Hedge there were plenty of Meadow Browns and more Large Skippers, so many in fact that I gave up counting and just enjoyed the spectacle of them bimbling about. About half way along there were two Small torts one of which was starting to show its age already and there were another 6 on the long stretch of Bramble along with a single Small Heath that was being harassed by a much larger Meadow Brown. Right at the end there were a further two Small Torts and yet more Large Skippers and Meadow Browns but try as I might I couldn’t get any of the later to convert into a Ringlet.
The return journey started off well enough with the number of Small Heath rising rapidly to 5 but then it was marred by another dog walker – a great big ginger thing off the lead and growling and barking. Once it had headed away I knelt down to get a shot of one of the Small Heaths that had returned to the path only for it to come back and have a second go. Once the owner had called it back I gave up and headed back in.
On the way home I had a bit of extra time and so instead of turning right at Durrington I kept on, through Amesbury and out the other side before turning right at Hilltop and then descending the winding lanes to The Devenish. Once there I quickly made my way to the Orchid Meadow and once again there were Marbled Whites all over the place. They’d glide by as if there were a fallen feather floating on the breeze before landing and then twitching their wings shut. To my eyes they seemed even more contrasting this year with thicker black margins than I can recall. I had a look around and spotted a few Large Skippers, a grey and old Common Blue flew by and despite its arthritic look it was still too quick for my lens. There was also a Grizzlie hanging on in there with a newly emerged Small Skipper. This zipped about but only did the craw-step once although once was enough and it was gone!
I got back to looking at the Marbled Whites and the few stands of thistle were certainly popular with each stand holding at least two and one had 6 Marbs hanging off of it. I tried my luck a little further down in the Meadow but there were only a couple of Thistles at this end so slightly fewer Marbs. One stood out even more than its piratical fellows as the white held a slightly peachy pinky blush. It probably won’t come out when I look at the images later (it didn’t) but it was fascinating to compare it with the others and their perfect black and white livery.
After this I braved the Down but despite stumbling all the way along the diagonal path to the Gully and back I didn’t find the DGF. There were plenty of Marbs and Meadow Browns and also a Holly Blue. On the return leg I also found an accommodating Small Skipper although I was again ruing m=not wearing my boots. My flat Converse are great for my 12000+ steps at work but useless when it comes to clinging to the side of a Down. Somehow I managed to get back down to the Orchid Meadow without breaking my neck and spent a little longer with the Marbs before heading home. Checking the weather when I got in it looked like it was good job that I’d gotten out as the weekend weather forecast looked terrible! ☹
Marbs were everywhere
Making the most of the sun
Rain for the weekend
The return journey started off well enough with the number of Small Heath rising rapidly to 5 but then it was marred by another dog walker – a great big ginger thing off the lead and growling and barking. Once it had headed away I knelt down to get a shot of one of the Small Heaths that had returned to the path only for it to come back and have a second go. Once the owner had called it back I gave up and headed back in.
On the way home I had a bit of extra time and so instead of turning right at Durrington I kept on, through Amesbury and out the other side before turning right at Hilltop and then descending the winding lanes to The Devenish. Once there I quickly made my way to the Orchid Meadow and once again there were Marbled Whites all over the place. They’d glide by as if there were a fallen feather floating on the breeze before landing and then twitching their wings shut. To my eyes they seemed even more contrasting this year with thicker black margins than I can recall. I had a look around and spotted a few Large Skippers, a grey and old Common Blue flew by and despite its arthritic look it was still too quick for my lens. There was also a Grizzlie hanging on in there with a newly emerged Small Skipper. This zipped about but only did the craw-step once although once was enough and it was gone!
I got back to looking at the Marbled Whites and the few stands of thistle were certainly popular with each stand holding at least two and one had 6 Marbs hanging off of it. I tried my luck a little further down in the Meadow but there were only a couple of Thistles at this end so slightly fewer Marbs. One stood out even more than its piratical fellows as the white held a slightly peachy pinky blush. It probably won’t come out when I look at the images later (it didn’t) but it was fascinating to compare it with the others and their perfect black and white livery.
After this I braved the Down but despite stumbling all the way along the diagonal path to the Gully and back I didn’t find the DGF. There were plenty of Marbs and Meadow Browns and also a Holly Blue. On the return leg I also found an accommodating Small Skipper although I was again ruing m=not wearing my boots. My flat Converse are great for my 12000+ steps at work but useless when it comes to clinging to the side of a Down. Somehow I managed to get back down to the Orchid Meadow without breaking my neck and spent a little longer with the Marbs before heading home. Checking the weather when I got in it looked like it was good job that I’d gotten out as the weekend weather forecast looked terrible! ☹
Marbs were everywhere
Making the most of the sun
Rain for the weekend
Slop Bog 11-06-2022
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Was I too early? It seemed that way as normally I step off the board walk and there are the powder blue butterflies floating all about above the heather. Yet today all was quiet there weren’t even the usual Dragons and Damsels zipping over the boggy ponds. Slightly disconsolately I strolled through the first section of heather enjoying the scratch of the woody stems against my jeaned legs. A Silver-stud flew up from its hiding place and jinked its way across the heather tops. It was followed by a couple more so with an inward “Yes! Get in!” I started snaking my feet through the plants to follow them. They seemed quite flighty and my knees again seemed to be causing me a few problems. I’d find one, stalk it and stoop low enough to get a few shots and then to get the best one I’d gently lower myself down into a kneeling position and at the bottom of the movement the butterfly would take to the air – every time! I’m sure that my knees produce an ultrasonic squeak inaudible to all but bats and butterflies! Bearing this in mind I tried to adapt my style and took to balancing in a half stoop/crouch my elbows firmly locked onto my hips anchoring my camera tripod fashion. I looked ridiculous for sure but it proved to be a great work out for my gluts and calves.
After making sure I had a selection of shots on the memory card I took the path along the bank towards the rectangular pond. On the way a further 3 or 4 Silver Studs alternatively posed nicely of fluttered about seemingly ceaselessly. The little pond was home to a few blue looking Damselflies and a Chaser would quarter it occasionally but I was more interested in the Silver-studs today and so I wandered back across various little trackways to the first section of heath that I’d started at and I started finding more and more little groups of Silver-studs. On my travels not once did I find a single Silver-stud. Instead after the initial recognition that there was one another one or two also appeared - they were always grouped in twos or threes. This proved quite handy as if I failed to get onto one there were more options available only a step away.
This trend continued out onto the more open areas on either side of the path and on into the first section of drier heath (I believe it’s actually called Silver Stud Heath) and every time I’d spot a Silver-stud another couple would appear out of the woodwork as it were. The ones on the more open section of the path were slightly easier to photograph as there were fewer obstacles between the lens and the butterfly but they proved harder to approach for the same reason. After a quick Tick check (five brushed off) I moved once more into the drier heath and pootled about and in my bimbling I found a female. She proved much harder to follow than the males, not because she was faster or jinked more successfully but because the brown ground colour of her topside blended in so well with the dull browns of the heather yet to flower. Slightly annoyed to have missed a female I carried on stalking and stooping and as I pressed on I was cheered up as I noticed that the numbers were starting to build as the day wore on – from 3 first thing into double figures and hour later.
I moved onto the next section of heath and avoiding the cows started the stalking and stopping. This section was slightly easier to work as it had been recently grazed so the terrain was more uniform and flatter hence when a butterfly went up I could watch to see where it landed without losing it as it weaved around various tussocks. As I wandered back and forth a second female went up but she was much better behaved than the first - sitting nicely for a selection of shots.
I carried on here and then my phone rang. It was Philzoid and so while I took the call I sought some shade and wandered along the trackways under the Pines. Whilst I was talking I ended up following the wide track that led into the more boggy part of the site. Here I found the exception to the rule for here there was a lone Silver-stud, all on its tod. I felt the need to get a few shots and so I reverted to alternating between holding my phone to my ear with my shoulder scrunched up and trying one handededly.
After this I grabbed a few final shots and then headed home. So a 50% success rate, I think I might need to plan out these double headers a little better but at least I got the more distant target species…
Sapphire blue smoke puffs
Floating o’er heather tops
Success at Slop Bog
After making sure I had a selection of shots on the memory card I took the path along the bank towards the rectangular pond. On the way a further 3 or 4 Silver Studs alternatively posed nicely of fluttered about seemingly ceaselessly. The little pond was home to a few blue looking Damselflies and a Chaser would quarter it occasionally but I was more interested in the Silver-studs today and so I wandered back across various little trackways to the first section of heath that I’d started at and I started finding more and more little groups of Silver-studs. On my travels not once did I find a single Silver-stud. Instead after the initial recognition that there was one another one or two also appeared - they were always grouped in twos or threes. This proved quite handy as if I failed to get onto one there were more options available only a step away.
This trend continued out onto the more open areas on either side of the path and on into the first section of drier heath (I believe it’s actually called Silver Stud Heath) and every time I’d spot a Silver-stud another couple would appear out of the woodwork as it were. The ones on the more open section of the path were slightly easier to photograph as there were fewer obstacles between the lens and the butterfly but they proved harder to approach for the same reason. After a quick Tick check (five brushed off) I moved once more into the drier heath and pootled about and in my bimbling I found a female. She proved much harder to follow than the males, not because she was faster or jinked more successfully but because the brown ground colour of her topside blended in so well with the dull browns of the heather yet to flower. Slightly annoyed to have missed a female I carried on stalking and stooping and as I pressed on I was cheered up as I noticed that the numbers were starting to build as the day wore on – from 3 first thing into double figures and hour later.
I moved onto the next section of heath and avoiding the cows started the stalking and stopping. This section was slightly easier to work as it had been recently grazed so the terrain was more uniform and flatter hence when a butterfly went up I could watch to see where it landed without losing it as it weaved around various tussocks. As I wandered back and forth a second female went up but she was much better behaved than the first - sitting nicely for a selection of shots.
I carried on here and then my phone rang. It was Philzoid and so while I took the call I sought some shade and wandered along the trackways under the Pines. Whilst I was talking I ended up following the wide track that led into the more boggy part of the site. Here I found the exception to the rule for here there was a lone Silver-stud, all on its tod. I felt the need to get a few shots and so I reverted to alternating between holding my phone to my ear with my shoulder scrunched up and trying one handededly.
After this I grabbed a few final shots and then headed home. So a 50% success rate, I think I might need to plan out these double headers a little better but at least I got the more distant target species…
Sapphire blue smoke puffs
Floating o’er heather tops
Success at Slop Bog
Martin Down 11-06-2022
I was planning on a double header to hopefully tick off a couple more species for the year. I was planning on Silver-studded Blues down at Slop Bog so a trip before or after to martin Down for DGFs would make sense as it’s on the way. Things were looking good weather wise as well right up until the morning itself when the forecast changed from sun all the way to sunny intervals and breezy with it. Cursing the Weathermen I set off anyway hoping that the cloud might help with the usually overactive DGFs…
Having successfully raced the cloud I arrived with blue sky still overhead and so I set off quickly crossing the road and wandering through the various gates on my way to the Kitts Grave area. I’d seen DGFs here previously and being boxed in by the tall hedges meant I might have more success both with finding and then following them. On the way a Meadow Brown played hard to get and a Muntjac and fawn crossed the path before I entered the first field (it’s usually the last when I walk there from the Vernditch end). Once in the field try as I might I couldn’t see anything big, bold and ginger and there were only a few Small Heath and Meadow Browns about. I wondered if I was too early both in terms of calendar and chronologically but pressed on anyway. Through the Valleys all was quiet and as I trailed along at the edge of the hedge I almost stood on an Adder, still sluggish in the cool under a recently arrived cloud.
As I strode onwards the cloud retreated and a few Meadow Browns started to fly. I had a quick look under a sheet of corrugated iron and a Slow Worm was having a bit of a lie-in and then I entered into a new field that I’d not visited before. As I turned to close the gate a Roe Deer bounced away into Vernditch and as I watched it Meadow Browns flew up from the grass in little puffs of smoke. A quick walk around the edges produced the expected Small Heath and Meadow Browns, more of which were hanging out on the Bramble around the margins of the field. After my little exploratory sojourn I got back on track walking back along the tops of the Valleys (Large Skipper) and then down into the Dew Pond field. Whilst there were the odd Meadow Brown about things were pretty quiet still although this spot did have something new, a female Common Blue. Back in the First Field a Hare shot off and a male Common Blue flitted about but there was still a dearth of DGFs so I decided to check out Martin Down proper and a Brimstone waved me on.
I once again braved the road crossing and then as I stepped off of the hard stony car park and onto the soft cushioned path of the reserve a Red Admiral passed me by and led me further into the reserve. I crossed the Bowl with a few of the now ubiquitous Meadow Browns and a little Grizzlie and started walking along the top of the Dyke. There a fresh Small Tort flew and another Grizzlie tempted me to climb down into the Dyke. Whilst I was down there a few Common Blues and an Adonis went past and at the end err I climbed back out another brace of Small Torts delighted in zipping past at breakneck speed only to return close by for a nectar pitstop. A Large Skipper on an Orchid was a nice addition to the photo montage although I think I already have this species in my ‘On Orchid Collection’.
I started off along the flat part of the site, the series of fields leading towards the Butts and once again it was all Meadow Browns and Small Heaths. A ‘Kee-Ahh’ made me look up from the ground and int eh next field along a large group of gulls were feasting on some form of flying insect. The reason I’d looked up is the ‘Kee-Ahh’ call belongs to Mediterranean Gulls and as I watched I started ticking off diagnostic features; bigger and stockier, brighter red and heavier bills, black rather than chocolate brown hoods, backs and wings lighter grey almost white and wing tips pure white – all checked off but why they were so far inland I couldn’t fathom. I crept up on them and used a lone stand of Hawthorn as cover so that I could a little closer but they were still pretty distant.
In the field behind the Butts I found a lone Fragrant Orchid which was just starting to open up and then I wandered around in the thinly turfed field on the other side. In there a few aging Adonis fluttered about and as always the little path round to the other side of the Butts was alive with Small Heath. I pressed on, still hoping for a DGF but the distinct lack of Knapweed suggested that I’d come a little too early but I kept checking just in case. The banks of the Dyke were covered in Orchids – mainly Spotted but there were a few Pyramidal poking their heads above the parapet too. Down at the Half-way point the Burnt-tips were almost over but I got a few shots of the one that was in the best condition for the sake of completeness.
Along the little track at the Half-way Point a brace of Small Blues flew and then I completed the miniature circuit ending up back at the Burnt-tips. As I retraced my steps back along the Dyke top I paid slightly more attention to the Orchids and managed to find an all-white Spotted which I believe is the form ‘Albiflora’ and there were also a few Fragrants in the mix now that I had my eye in. The final stretch held a few more Adonis and Small Heaths, there another one of those really fresh Small Torts and then I was once again being assailed by the Med Gulls. As I watched them I chatted to the enthusiast that I’ve encountered several times before who told me that he’d only seen one DGF earlier in the morning over near the Dew Pond. So it seemed that I had been a little too early, though only just. Promising myself that I’d try and make it back soon I returned to the car and made for Slop Bog…
Double Header day
Too early for DGFs
On to Slop Bog then
Having successfully raced the cloud I arrived with blue sky still overhead and so I set off quickly crossing the road and wandering through the various gates on my way to the Kitts Grave area. I’d seen DGFs here previously and being boxed in by the tall hedges meant I might have more success both with finding and then following them. On the way a Meadow Brown played hard to get and a Muntjac and fawn crossed the path before I entered the first field (it’s usually the last when I walk there from the Vernditch end). Once in the field try as I might I couldn’t see anything big, bold and ginger and there were only a few Small Heath and Meadow Browns about. I wondered if I was too early both in terms of calendar and chronologically but pressed on anyway. Through the Valleys all was quiet and as I trailed along at the edge of the hedge I almost stood on an Adder, still sluggish in the cool under a recently arrived cloud.
As I strode onwards the cloud retreated and a few Meadow Browns started to fly. I had a quick look under a sheet of corrugated iron and a Slow Worm was having a bit of a lie-in and then I entered into a new field that I’d not visited before. As I turned to close the gate a Roe Deer bounced away into Vernditch and as I watched it Meadow Browns flew up from the grass in little puffs of smoke. A quick walk around the edges produced the expected Small Heath and Meadow Browns, more of which were hanging out on the Bramble around the margins of the field. After my little exploratory sojourn I got back on track walking back along the tops of the Valleys (Large Skipper) and then down into the Dew Pond field. Whilst there were the odd Meadow Brown about things were pretty quiet still although this spot did have something new, a female Common Blue. Back in the First Field a Hare shot off and a male Common Blue flitted about but there was still a dearth of DGFs so I decided to check out Martin Down proper and a Brimstone waved me on.
I once again braved the road crossing and then as I stepped off of the hard stony car park and onto the soft cushioned path of the reserve a Red Admiral passed me by and led me further into the reserve. I crossed the Bowl with a few of the now ubiquitous Meadow Browns and a little Grizzlie and started walking along the top of the Dyke. There a fresh Small Tort flew and another Grizzlie tempted me to climb down into the Dyke. Whilst I was down there a few Common Blues and an Adonis went past and at the end err I climbed back out another brace of Small Torts delighted in zipping past at breakneck speed only to return close by for a nectar pitstop. A Large Skipper on an Orchid was a nice addition to the photo montage although I think I already have this species in my ‘On Orchid Collection’.
I started off along the flat part of the site, the series of fields leading towards the Butts and once again it was all Meadow Browns and Small Heaths. A ‘Kee-Ahh’ made me look up from the ground and int eh next field along a large group of gulls were feasting on some form of flying insect. The reason I’d looked up is the ‘Kee-Ahh’ call belongs to Mediterranean Gulls and as I watched I started ticking off diagnostic features; bigger and stockier, brighter red and heavier bills, black rather than chocolate brown hoods, backs and wings lighter grey almost white and wing tips pure white – all checked off but why they were so far inland I couldn’t fathom. I crept up on them and used a lone stand of Hawthorn as cover so that I could a little closer but they were still pretty distant.
In the field behind the Butts I found a lone Fragrant Orchid which was just starting to open up and then I wandered around in the thinly turfed field on the other side. In there a few aging Adonis fluttered about and as always the little path round to the other side of the Butts was alive with Small Heath. I pressed on, still hoping for a DGF but the distinct lack of Knapweed suggested that I’d come a little too early but I kept checking just in case. The banks of the Dyke were covered in Orchids – mainly Spotted but there were a few Pyramidal poking their heads above the parapet too. Down at the Half-way point the Burnt-tips were almost over but I got a few shots of the one that was in the best condition for the sake of completeness.
Along the little track at the Half-way Point a brace of Small Blues flew and then I completed the miniature circuit ending up back at the Burnt-tips. As I retraced my steps back along the Dyke top I paid slightly more attention to the Orchids and managed to find an all-white Spotted which I believe is the form ‘Albiflora’ and there were also a few Fragrants in the mix now that I had my eye in. The final stretch held a few more Adonis and Small Heaths, there another one of those really fresh Small Torts and then I was once again being assailed by the Med Gulls. As I watched them I chatted to the enthusiast that I’ve encountered several times before who told me that he’d only seen one DGF earlier in the morning over near the Dew Pond. So it seemed that I had been a little too early, though only just. Promising myself that I’d try and make it back soon I returned to the car and made for Slop Bog…
Double Header day
Too early for DGFs
On to Slop Bog then
Portland - Broadcroft Quarry 03-06-2022
With the weather not playing ball I had little hope of finding anything butterfly wise on a flying visit back home to Dorset. My wife was keen to have a look at some of the craft and antique shops and local galleries on the island so I dropped her off at Easton and nipped back to Broadcroft Quarry. I’d visited Portland many times before and it’s produced plenty of Avian goodies (Booted and Melodious Warbler, Pomarine and Great Skuas, Manx and Balearic Shearwaters, Rose Coloured Starling, Woodchat Shrike, Siberian Chiff-Chaff etc etc.) however I’d never visited for butterflies hence Broadcroft had been chosen specifically for Lulworth Skipper.
Luckily as I walked across the playing fields towards the thick wall of Bramble that is the entrance to the reserve the sun was shining intermittently so my hopes rose. As I walked in almost immediately there was a Common Blue to greet me. Slightly further on I spotted a Small Heath and then I came across masses of Small Blues, they were literally everywhere and the lawn of yellow Kidney Vetch explained why. A little more wandering and scanning the grasses and a dirty yellow butterfly went up and jinked left and right, veered off on an almost impossible trajectory and then plopped back down several metres away from where I’d expected it to. It could only be one thing, typical Skipper ‘jizz’ and the dirty coloration meant that it was a Lulworth – job done in a matter of minutes!
As I’d found my quarry so quickly I had a bit more of a look about the rest of the old quarry. It was a strange mix of exposed rock and untidy looking vegetation, in short it looked fantastic and the patches of exposed rock meant that you could follow the butterflies without worrying about trampling or damaging the habitat. As I scanned about various things popped up into view, most were obvious against the dusty backdrop. There were Small Blues a plenty, the most numerous butterfly by far, the odd early rising Meadow Browns showed up and there were also a couple of Painted Lady flying about. One was fresher than the other but was also much more flighty so I had to settle for the more faded individual that also looked like it had had an argument with a pair of scissors. There were a few Common Blues about as well and as I strode about unconcerned along the spills scattered across the floor they stood out like a smattering of sapphires. After a bit of wandering I stumbled onto a Dingy Skipper which was one of the few butterflies that was actually well camouflaged against the rough back ground. Slightly further ahead of me a Specklie was guarding its section of path but somehow it managed to always stay right at the edge of the range of my lens and again there were masses and masses of Small Blues. The Common Blues had found each other, or at least a couple had, for hanging from the top of a tall strand of grass a pair were locked together in cop.
I stopped for a bite to eat (only a few minutes) at the top of one of the small hillocks and almost immediately I was surrounded by Small blues, some crawled over my boots whilst others investigated my uneaten sandwich still in it’s wrapper. In the end I gave up eating and set off on another mooch amid the Blues. I was once again struck by the strangeness of the site; wild and turbulent, an eclectic mix of old and new, wild and manufactured. The butterflies that I saw were of the same variety but strangely I only saw a single Lulworth which was probably the same individual, still I consoled myself that it was still quite early in their flight so hopefully the numbers would build significantly in the coming weeks. As I wandered further and further around the seemingly inhospitable habitat I saw the same species in roughly the same proportions. There were the odd Meadow Brown or Common Blue, ubiquitous Small Blues and a very pale Dingy. A different brace of Painted Lady played in the hollows and pits one disturbed a Red Admiral from its perch long enough for me to get a look and an ID but little else. As I retraced my steps back a Holly Blue fluttered down to join the days tally.
All too quickly my time was spent and so vowing to return I trooped back to the car and then onto to pick up my wife. We didn’t get very far on the return journey as we pulled over to take in first the wonderful vista showing the lagoons of the Fleet behind the large pebble spit of Chesil Beech and at the bottom of the hill as we were leaving the Island we called in so that we cold have a proper look at Chesil Beach. We walked to the end of the spit and then on along the tarmacked path our feet feeling soft and wrapped up in cotton wool as we walked over level and smooth ground. When we reached the slopes at the end of the Island it was pretty quiet butterfly so I followed a Small White up the side of the hill and along one of the terraced paths clinging to the lower slopes of the cliff while my wife had a sit down. As I drew near to the beach hut at the culmination of the path a Small Heath flew by, then a Common Blue and of course there were Small Blue everywhere again – I’ve never seen anything like it. However nothing was stopping for their photo including a larger orange butterfly…which unfortunately was just a Wall (there’s a statement I didn’t think I’d utter). I managed a few grab shots of this and that and then joining my wife we headed back to the car and then to my second home.
Dorset shopping trip
Limestone scars and jutting rocks
Lulworths at Portland
Luckily as I walked across the playing fields towards the thick wall of Bramble that is the entrance to the reserve the sun was shining intermittently so my hopes rose. As I walked in almost immediately there was a Common Blue to greet me. Slightly further on I spotted a Small Heath and then I came across masses of Small Blues, they were literally everywhere and the lawn of yellow Kidney Vetch explained why. A little more wandering and scanning the grasses and a dirty yellow butterfly went up and jinked left and right, veered off on an almost impossible trajectory and then plopped back down several metres away from where I’d expected it to. It could only be one thing, typical Skipper ‘jizz’ and the dirty coloration meant that it was a Lulworth – job done in a matter of minutes!
As I’d found my quarry so quickly I had a bit more of a look about the rest of the old quarry. It was a strange mix of exposed rock and untidy looking vegetation, in short it looked fantastic and the patches of exposed rock meant that you could follow the butterflies without worrying about trampling or damaging the habitat. As I scanned about various things popped up into view, most were obvious against the dusty backdrop. There were Small Blues a plenty, the most numerous butterfly by far, the odd early rising Meadow Browns showed up and there were also a couple of Painted Lady flying about. One was fresher than the other but was also much more flighty so I had to settle for the more faded individual that also looked like it had had an argument with a pair of scissors. There were a few Common Blues about as well and as I strode about unconcerned along the spills scattered across the floor they stood out like a smattering of sapphires. After a bit of wandering I stumbled onto a Dingy Skipper which was one of the few butterflies that was actually well camouflaged against the rough back ground. Slightly further ahead of me a Specklie was guarding its section of path but somehow it managed to always stay right at the edge of the range of my lens and again there were masses and masses of Small Blues. The Common Blues had found each other, or at least a couple had, for hanging from the top of a tall strand of grass a pair were locked together in cop.
I stopped for a bite to eat (only a few minutes) at the top of one of the small hillocks and almost immediately I was surrounded by Small blues, some crawled over my boots whilst others investigated my uneaten sandwich still in it’s wrapper. In the end I gave up eating and set off on another mooch amid the Blues. I was once again struck by the strangeness of the site; wild and turbulent, an eclectic mix of old and new, wild and manufactured. The butterflies that I saw were of the same variety but strangely I only saw a single Lulworth which was probably the same individual, still I consoled myself that it was still quite early in their flight so hopefully the numbers would build significantly in the coming weeks. As I wandered further and further around the seemingly inhospitable habitat I saw the same species in roughly the same proportions. There were the odd Meadow Brown or Common Blue, ubiquitous Small Blues and a very pale Dingy. A different brace of Painted Lady played in the hollows and pits one disturbed a Red Admiral from its perch long enough for me to get a look and an ID but little else. As I retraced my steps back a Holly Blue fluttered down to join the days tally.
All too quickly my time was spent and so vowing to return I trooped back to the car and then onto to pick up my wife. We didn’t get very far on the return journey as we pulled over to take in first the wonderful vista showing the lagoons of the Fleet behind the large pebble spit of Chesil Beech and at the bottom of the hill as we were leaving the Island we called in so that we cold have a proper look at Chesil Beach. We walked to the end of the spit and then on along the tarmacked path our feet feeling soft and wrapped up in cotton wool as we walked over level and smooth ground. When we reached the slopes at the end of the Island it was pretty quiet butterfly so I followed a Small White up the side of the hill and along one of the terraced paths clinging to the lower slopes of the cliff while my wife had a sit down. As I drew near to the beach hut at the culmination of the path a Small Heath flew by, then a Common Blue and of course there were Small Blue everywhere again – I’ve never seen anything like it. However nothing was stopping for their photo including a larger orange butterfly…which unfortunately was just a Wall (there’s a statement I didn’t think I’d utter). I managed a few grab shots of this and that and then joining my wife we headed back to the car and then to my second home.
Dorset shopping trip
Limestone scars and jutting rocks
Lulworths at Portland
On the way home from Priddy Pools 02-06-2022
As I drove home I spied a familiar looking hill ahead of me and as I had another hour at least of Butterflying before a Brownie point was used up I decided to get value for money and so pulled in at Cotley. It was comparatively late in the season for the Marshies but I hoped there would be maybe a few fresher ones about but before I made my way to the Hollow I checked out the old lay-by on the other side of the hedge. It’s always worth a check and proved this again. First up was a male Orange-tip looking a little tired taking nectar and then it was bombarded by a second male which was fresher looking and the black wingtips clashed nicely with the orange of the fore wing. A Large White actually sat for its photo before a Green-veined White chased it off and then to almost complete the set a Brimstone sailed by. A lovely fresh Small Tort appeared and on the return leg out of the defunct lay-by a Peacock plopped down. None too shabby a start – almost a full-house of Wiltshire Whites including my first Large White shots of the year.
20 670
20a 675
21 682 001
22 696
I started climbing up track feeling like H. M. Stanley as the vegetation hemmed me in and towered over me. A Green-veined White that was trapped in the jungle tunnel flew ahead of me and sometimes plopped down waiting for me to broach the next layer of undergrowth and a Beautiful Demoiselle helicoptered out of the way. When I finally broke through the Green-veined White nipped off without even a backward glance and so I pressed on to the Hollow which was quite, quite dazzling. I looked around and just didn’t know where to point my lens. This little spot was jam packed with everything that the rest of the site had to offer, condensed down and concentrated. There were Small Heath and Marshies, Common Blues and Brown Argus, here a Large Skipper, there an Adonis Blue and whizzing by behind me a Greenstreak. I managed to stumble overstimulated to the first patch of Bramble and on it were a brace each of Small Torts and Marshies, another Large Skippper and a Painted Lady.
23 706
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30 763
31 771
32 799
Up ahead I could see another couple who were equally as dazzled by myself and while we chatted a Meadow Brown passed by and all the butterflies carried on as if we weren’t there. As the couple said “this must have been what it was like in the past”, and if this is even half as good as it was I feel a very raw sorrow for the actions of my species. Wishing the others well I carried on along from the Hollow. In times past at the end of the Hollow you’d be met by a wall of impenetrable Bramble and the only was to the rest of the Hill would be to climb up and out and walk along on of the higher paths round to the Bowl. But now a path has been cleared along the fence and so I had a look at what had previously been hidden behind the veil of Briar. There on a low but wide growing patch of Bramble was sight for sore eyes. Among the brown Argus, Large Skipper, Marshies and Small Copper were 9 freshly emerged Small Torts. They looked immaculate, like the paint had only just dried and against the dark green leaves they positively glowed. Around the edges another species got itself onto the tally for the day and that was the Small Blue, or rather Small Blues as there were several of them.
33 802
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35 818
Just on from the Bramble patch a second Meadow Brown hung about feeding at head height on the slope and then I was back out into the open at the foot of the Amphitheatre. The grass was the tallest that I could recall and therefore spotting the butterflies was harder work here than I remembered but on the far side where the path hugged the fence the turf was slightly shorter and so I was soon noting down Common, Adonis and Small Blues as well as Brown Argus, Small Heaths and the odd Marshie. Some of the butterflies followed me on my way as I skirted around the bottom of the Hill and there were more of the same at the scrape with the addition of a Large Skipper or three. The Marshies here caught my eye as they stood out the most of all the species that flew here. One of these went up and glided off West but I couldn’t follow it as this year the section of the path was overgrown with the vegetation towering up to my chest. Instead I turned my lens towards the remaining Marshie in the scrape.
36 859
37 875
38 893
39 908
40 929
41 942
42 949
43 954 cover
On the way back I was again amazed by the sheer number and variety of butterflies even adding a Dingy and a Grizzlie into the mix. Back at the end of the Hollow Path the Meadow Brown hung in the same place and the low, wide Bramble still had more than its fair share of Small Torts. The Hollow was even more bedazzling this time round now that I was somewhat footsore and in need of a caffeine hit. As I left down the track a Specklie flew across the path and disappeared deep into cover and at the end I bumped into two of the gentleman from earlier at Priddy Pools and one of the Orange-tips as well. So ended a cracking day and I still had the afternoon free as well!
Somerset Small Pearls
To replace the Wiltshire ones
Bonus Cotley stop
20 670
20a 675
21 682 001
22 696
I started climbing up track feeling like H. M. Stanley as the vegetation hemmed me in and towered over me. A Green-veined White that was trapped in the jungle tunnel flew ahead of me and sometimes plopped down waiting for me to broach the next layer of undergrowth and a Beautiful Demoiselle helicoptered out of the way. When I finally broke through the Green-veined White nipped off without even a backward glance and so I pressed on to the Hollow which was quite, quite dazzling. I looked around and just didn’t know where to point my lens. This little spot was jam packed with everything that the rest of the site had to offer, condensed down and concentrated. There were Small Heath and Marshies, Common Blues and Brown Argus, here a Large Skipper, there an Adonis Blue and whizzing by behind me a Greenstreak. I managed to stumble overstimulated to the first patch of Bramble and on it were a brace each of Small Torts and Marshies, another Large Skippper and a Painted Lady.
23 706
24 714
25 721
26 736
27 743
28 756
29 760
30 763
31 771
32 799
Up ahead I could see another couple who were equally as dazzled by myself and while we chatted a Meadow Brown passed by and all the butterflies carried on as if we weren’t there. As the couple said “this must have been what it was like in the past”, and if this is even half as good as it was I feel a very raw sorrow for the actions of my species. Wishing the others well I carried on along from the Hollow. In times past at the end of the Hollow you’d be met by a wall of impenetrable Bramble and the only was to the rest of the Hill would be to climb up and out and walk along on of the higher paths round to the Bowl. But now a path has been cleared along the fence and so I had a look at what had previously been hidden behind the veil of Briar. There on a low but wide growing patch of Bramble was sight for sore eyes. Among the brown Argus, Large Skipper, Marshies and Small Copper were 9 freshly emerged Small Torts. They looked immaculate, like the paint had only just dried and against the dark green leaves they positively glowed. Around the edges another species got itself onto the tally for the day and that was the Small Blue, or rather Small Blues as there were several of them.
33 802
34 814
35 818
Just on from the Bramble patch a second Meadow Brown hung about feeding at head height on the slope and then I was back out into the open at the foot of the Amphitheatre. The grass was the tallest that I could recall and therefore spotting the butterflies was harder work here than I remembered but on the far side where the path hugged the fence the turf was slightly shorter and so I was soon noting down Common, Adonis and Small Blues as well as Brown Argus, Small Heaths and the odd Marshie. Some of the butterflies followed me on my way as I skirted around the bottom of the Hill and there were more of the same at the scrape with the addition of a Large Skipper or three. The Marshies here caught my eye as they stood out the most of all the species that flew here. One of these went up and glided off West but I couldn’t follow it as this year the section of the path was overgrown with the vegetation towering up to my chest. Instead I turned my lens towards the remaining Marshie in the scrape.
36 859
37 875
38 893
39 908
40 929
41 942
42 949
43 954 cover
On the way back I was again amazed by the sheer number and variety of butterflies even adding a Dingy and a Grizzlie into the mix. Back at the end of the Hollow Path the Meadow Brown hung in the same place and the low, wide Bramble still had more than its fair share of Small Torts. The Hollow was even more bedazzling this time round now that I was somewhat footsore and in need of a caffeine hit. As I left down the track a Specklie flew across the path and disappeared deep into cover and at the end I bumped into two of the gentleman from earlier at Priddy Pools and one of the Orange-tips as well. So ended a cracking day and I still had the afternoon free as well!
Somerset Small Pearls
To replace the Wiltshire ones
Bonus Cotley stop
Priddy Pools 02-06-2022
With things not looking good for Small Pearls on the eastern fringes of the Westcountry I had to venture further into the West to get my annual fix of Small Pearls, something I’d never had to do before and also something I was gutted to be doing. Still it was actually a nice drive and en route I passed Cotley Hill…
The instructions I’d been given said to park in the car park, cross the road and follow the path marked by the boulders. When I set off it looked like an odd habitat but then I’d never seen them anywhere other than Bentley Wood so perhaps this is preferable for them? Scanning across the tall grasses and hillocks it reminded me of Cors Caron up near Tregaron but alas this didn’t hold Large Heath, only their smaller cousins. Further along the path a Small Pearl bombed by at breakneck speed. I’d arrived early in the hope that the butterflies would still be roosting and just waking up but it looked like that hope would be in vain – ho hum. Still I dutifully followed the path and on one side of me I could see the seral succession from damp acid grassland into almost fen woodland. Up ahead there was the small hill that the instructions told me was the hotspot and I joined another enthusiast in wandering around the tiny trackways over and around the hill. Every now and again our progress would be punctuated by us bending or kneeling to get a photo or five of a Small Pearl that had deemed to stop. Usually I’d look for the taller, spiked reeds or little clumps of Bugle but here the butterflies showed a penchant for the yellow flower (buttercups, Hawksheads, Birds Foot Trefoil etc). They also like the Bramble and most of my early shots were from on or very near to the large clumps growing across the top and on one side of the hill.
Whilst things were going well, plenty of upper side shots and a twofer, the underside shots were in a premium. Either they’d landed and open up immediately or if they did sit with their wings closed there would be a blade or three of grass obstructing that perfect under side image. I pressed on and started wandering slightly further afield. First I went further up the hill and encountered a Greenstreak on one of the Bramble bushes along the margins and then I tried on the other side of hill where there were a series of little hollows. These proved to be great little spots as the butterflies would sit and wait for any passing clouds to move on and for the sun to shine out and generally they were more approachable here. I also left the pond at one point and checked out the Pond. The Dragonflies were far too rapid for my camera and autofocus and so I just enjoyed watching them; they seemed to be wearing furry little body warmers so I presumed that they were Downy Emeralds?
Back at the Hill I spent the next couple of hours sitting and waiting for Small Pearls to either appear after the cloud had passed or to settle down so that I could get some shots. There were plenty of Small Heath about and my first Large Skipper of the year also turned up but it must have been taking lessons from the Small Pearls as once I spotted it, it was gone, just leaving a fuzzy yellow blur on my retina. A Common Blue floated down the hill but I couldn’t follow it as if drifted off across the tops of the Cotton Grass and a Large White flew in the distance. The birding was also pretty good with the lilting descending call of the Willow Warbler, the not quite as repetitive but still repetitive call of the Chiff-Chaff and in amongst various bubbling and scratching of Sedge and Reed Warblers, Whitethroats, Blackcaps and (possibly) Garden Warbler there was the fisherman’s reel from a Gropper (Grasshopper Warbler to the uninitiated). However I was here for the Small Pearls and all of these sightings and hearings(?) were the back drop to much wandering, stopping, kneeling and clicking of my camera. In the end I came away with what I hoped would be a nice collection of shots of at least 8 individuals including maybe one or two underside shots without any obstructions.
The instructions I’d been given said to park in the car park, cross the road and follow the path marked by the boulders. When I set off it looked like an odd habitat but then I’d never seen them anywhere other than Bentley Wood so perhaps this is preferable for them? Scanning across the tall grasses and hillocks it reminded me of Cors Caron up near Tregaron but alas this didn’t hold Large Heath, only their smaller cousins. Further along the path a Small Pearl bombed by at breakneck speed. I’d arrived early in the hope that the butterflies would still be roosting and just waking up but it looked like that hope would be in vain – ho hum. Still I dutifully followed the path and on one side of me I could see the seral succession from damp acid grassland into almost fen woodland. Up ahead there was the small hill that the instructions told me was the hotspot and I joined another enthusiast in wandering around the tiny trackways over and around the hill. Every now and again our progress would be punctuated by us bending or kneeling to get a photo or five of a Small Pearl that had deemed to stop. Usually I’d look for the taller, spiked reeds or little clumps of Bugle but here the butterflies showed a penchant for the yellow flower (buttercups, Hawksheads, Birds Foot Trefoil etc). They also like the Bramble and most of my early shots were from on or very near to the large clumps growing across the top and on one side of the hill.
Whilst things were going well, plenty of upper side shots and a twofer, the underside shots were in a premium. Either they’d landed and open up immediately or if they did sit with their wings closed there would be a blade or three of grass obstructing that perfect under side image. I pressed on and started wandering slightly further afield. First I went further up the hill and encountered a Greenstreak on one of the Bramble bushes along the margins and then I tried on the other side of hill where there were a series of little hollows. These proved to be great little spots as the butterflies would sit and wait for any passing clouds to move on and for the sun to shine out and generally they were more approachable here. I also left the pond at one point and checked out the Pond. The Dragonflies were far too rapid for my camera and autofocus and so I just enjoyed watching them; they seemed to be wearing furry little body warmers so I presumed that they were Downy Emeralds?
Back at the Hill I spent the next couple of hours sitting and waiting for Small Pearls to either appear after the cloud had passed or to settle down so that I could get some shots. There were plenty of Small Heath about and my first Large Skipper of the year also turned up but it must have been taking lessons from the Small Pearls as once I spotted it, it was gone, just leaving a fuzzy yellow blur on my retina. A Common Blue floated down the hill but I couldn’t follow it as if drifted off across the tops of the Cotton Grass and a Large White flew in the distance. The birding was also pretty good with the lilting descending call of the Willow Warbler, the not quite as repetitive but still repetitive call of the Chiff-Chaff and in amongst various bubbling and scratching of Sedge and Reed Warblers, Whitethroats, Blackcaps and (possibly) Garden Warbler there was the fisherman’s reel from a Gropper (Grasshopper Warbler to the uninitiated). However I was here for the Small Pearls and all of these sightings and hearings(?) were the back drop to much wandering, stopping, kneeling and clicking of my camera. In the end I came away with what I hoped would be a nice collection of shots of at least 8 individuals including maybe one or two underside shots without any obstructions.
