The Devenish 31-05-2022
I was hoping to pick up some Large Skippers and one of the places they’re usually easy to photograph is The Devenish hence the reason for my visit. Car dutifully abandoned I strolled along in the shade of the woodland path before coming out into the Orchid Meadow to more shade…the sun had been covered by a block of cloud. This was to set the tone for the rest of the visit with the occasional fleeting cloud dulling everything down. As I set foot into the Orchid Meadow on particular plant caught my eye as I thought it was a new species for me – Southern Marsh Orchid? The photos didn’t come out quite as expected as the vivid pinky purple came out as a slightly washed out mauve. As I looked around hopefully for butterflies I could see other pinky orchids poking their heads out above the sward. They were mainly Spotted but at least one I think is the rarer Narrow-leaved? The Orchid Meadow was certainly living up to its name. As I’m sure I’ve written before, come the sun, come the butterflies and as the sun put his hat on I started writing down their names in my book – Small Copper, then a Brown Argus and a Dingy Skipper – looking very jaded.
I carried on slightly further along the Meadow and turned up a Common Blue and a Brown Argus in the section on the other side of the path and then over near the gate leading to the Down there was a second Small Copper and another brace of Brown Argus. As I started along the track towards the far end a Specklie flew across the Meadow and carried on hugging the field margin almost if it looking for an easy way into the wood beyond the fence line. In the second half of the Meadow all went quiet and I didn’t see anything on the outward pass and on the return a male Orange-tip was the only butterfly flying as it sailed past still searching for that elusive mate although I spotted a female Brimstone hunkering down.
I was quite surprised that there weren’t any Large Skippers and still wondering if it was a little early for them here I passed through the gate and climbed first up the tunnel like track and then onto the Down proper. A Grizzlie met me at the bottom and in its aged state it certainly looking Grizzlie enough to warrant its name. As I puffed my way up the steep slope, my calves burning a Brown Argus and a brace of Common Blues offered me some respite and a chance for a breather whilst they played in between the stands of grass about half way up. Once they’d floated back down the slope I slogged on and then worked along the diagonal track across the Down making for the gully at the end of the hill. As I walked, more comfortably now I was descending, I picked up another two Brown Argus – I couldn’t work out what was happening but this species seemed to be all over the site – possibly they’d all emerged in a short timeframe and so were now jostling each other for space? The Gully was quiet so I climbed back up and walked along the top. Again there were two Brown Argus in the first scallop and then I predicted, incorrectly as it happened, that there would be two more in the second scallop. There weren’t any, in fact there wasn’t anything.
After this I chose to carry on walking along the top though the Middle Down to get to the Paddock. On the way a Small Heath bobbed along ahead of me. Flap, flap, drop, flap, flap, drop it went with. Down the Down and into the Paddock I continued on with a distant Small White and a ridiculously fresh Small Tort. I walked to the end, checking all of the little scallops where the tussock grass grew but all I could find was a Specklie and none of the hoped for Large Skippers. I did a quick check back in the Orchid Meadow finding much of the same cast doing the matinee and also had another look at the suspected Southern Marsh convincing myself that the ID was correct what with the smaller, fused lip/lobe? I checked my phone on the way back to the car and I still had plenty of time and no missed calls or texts requesting my presence and so I drove ‘home’ via Zig-zag Hill and called in at Middle Street.
I carried on slightly further along the Meadow and turned up a Common Blue and a Brown Argus in the section on the other side of the path and then over near the gate leading to the Down there was a second Small Copper and another brace of Brown Argus. As I started along the track towards the far end a Specklie flew across the Meadow and carried on hugging the field margin almost if it looking for an easy way into the wood beyond the fence line. In the second half of the Meadow all went quiet and I didn’t see anything on the outward pass and on the return a male Orange-tip was the only butterfly flying as it sailed past still searching for that elusive mate although I spotted a female Brimstone hunkering down.
I was quite surprised that there weren’t any Large Skippers and still wondering if it was a little early for them here I passed through the gate and climbed first up the tunnel like track and then onto the Down proper. A Grizzlie met me at the bottom and in its aged state it certainly looking Grizzlie enough to warrant its name. As I puffed my way up the steep slope, my calves burning a Brown Argus and a brace of Common Blues offered me some respite and a chance for a breather whilst they played in between the stands of grass about half way up. Once they’d floated back down the slope I slogged on and then worked along the diagonal track across the Down making for the gully at the end of the hill. As I walked, more comfortably now I was descending, I picked up another two Brown Argus – I couldn’t work out what was happening but this species seemed to be all over the site – possibly they’d all emerged in a short timeframe and so were now jostling each other for space? The Gully was quiet so I climbed back up and walked along the top. Again there were two Brown Argus in the first scallop and then I predicted, incorrectly as it happened, that there would be two more in the second scallop. There weren’t any, in fact there wasn’t anything.
After this I chose to carry on walking along the top though the Middle Down to get to the Paddock. On the way a Small Heath bobbed along ahead of me. Flap, flap, drop, flap, flap, drop it went with. Down the Down and into the Paddock I continued on with a distant Small White and a ridiculously fresh Small Tort. I walked to the end, checking all of the little scallops where the tussock grass grew but all I could find was a Specklie and none of the hoped for Large Skippers. I did a quick check back in the Orchid Meadow finding much of the same cast doing the matinee and also had another look at the suspected Southern Marsh convincing myself that the ID was correct what with the smaller, fused lip/lobe? I checked my phone on the way back to the car and I still had plenty of time and no missed calls or texts requesting my presence and so I drove ‘home’ via Zig-zag Hill and called in at Middle Street.
I’m not used to driving to this site and so I entered the reserve by the back entrance with The End right in front of me. This was actually serendipitous as at this time of year the best butterflies are often found here. I did worry slightly though as I took the main path as the grasses in some places were up to my midriff so perhaps I’d left it too late? Unperturbed I pressed on, marveling at the sheer number of Burnet Companion Moths – there must have been an explosion of them here for they were all over. The 5/6 Spot Burnets were also about, albeit in smaller numbers than their brown and orange cousins and I also picked up a Mother Shipton before finding the butterflies. As last year there were about two thirds of the way along the narrow track near the little hollow. It was odd to watch them as the two male Common Blues seemed much more interested in each other than the female Common Blue, they seemed to be loving tearing chunks out of each other.
I left them scrapping and set off along the Bank Path staring down into what had been the Pits but which now appeared to be only a slight depression as the grass and other vegetation had grown so tall. A really fresh Small Tort flew ahead of me slightly and forced me to take a slight detour onto the football pitch. Dip 1 was almost impenetrable, the grass growing up to my armpits but when I snaked my way along the track (at least I think it was the track – I was relying on muscle memory form February to get me through) I found a Common Blue.
After this I did the circular walk around the pond overlooking the river with Reed and Sedge Warblers providing the musical accompaniment. The Hotspot was quiet but on the final section I found a Common blue and managed to relocate the Small Tort before carrying on along the Bank Path to the end. I was determined to find a Brown Argus and so trailed along to the Hollow and then out the other side. As I was just setting off something caught my eye – a silver flash – it was the Brown Argus I was hoping for and so I bagged a few photos as ‘proof of sighting’ and then packed up and head home. It had been an enjoyable outing, nothing to set the world ablaze but more spending time with some familiar faces.
Keeping it local
Throws up the usual suspects
Still nice to see though
I left them scrapping and set off along the Bank Path staring down into what had been the Pits but which now appeared to be only a slight depression as the grass and other vegetation had grown so tall. A really fresh Small Tort flew ahead of me slightly and forced me to take a slight detour onto the football pitch. Dip 1 was almost impenetrable, the grass growing up to my armpits but when I snaked my way along the track (at least I think it was the track – I was relying on muscle memory form February to get me through) I found a Common Blue.
After this I did the circular walk around the pond overlooking the river with Reed and Sedge Warblers providing the musical accompaniment. The Hotspot was quiet but on the final section I found a Common blue and managed to relocate the Small Tort before carrying on along the Bank Path to the end. I was determined to find a Brown Argus and so trailed along to the Hollow and then out the other side. As I was just setting off something caught my eye – a silver flash – it was the Brown Argus I was hoping for and so I bagged a few photos as ‘proof of sighting’ and then packed up and head home. It had been an enjoyable outing, nothing to set the world ablaze but more spending time with some familiar faces.
Keeping it local
Throws up the usual suspects
Still nice to see though
Mottisfont 28-05-2022
It was the day of K’s Birthday treat (well another one as there was a visit to London Baby planned for later) and surprisingly she chose to visit Mottisfont for a wander and a picnic. I never know what this little National Trust site will hold but this visit turned out to be one of contrasts. The weather was being very contrary- cool and cloudy one minute and glaring sun with its warmth the next and this was equalled by the butterflies. For them it was a case of old and new, the established to the newcomers to the ever growing site list…
Once we’d arrived and gotten through the gates we made directly for the Rose Garden so it was over the bridge and along the upward sloping main path; a white fluttered across the main lawn and then all became quiet. It seemed like the world and his wife had had the same idea and progress around the paths was slow as people would stop and not just admire a certain Rose but go into a massive discourse on its history and keeping. Somehow we got stuck behind the slowest and more knowledgeable persons and it wasn’t a gentle stroll more like a snails’ pace creep. As we came to the final corner on the fourth quarter garden I spotted a White and when we eventually entered the end garden there was a distant Common Blue to greet me.
Things were a bit easier in this garden as the paths were wider and more numerous and I wasn’t hemmed in as in the formal Rose Quarters. The narrow path from one corner to the other along the wall was closed off which was a shame as in the past this had been a good hunting ground as you could creep up on the butterflies unawares. So I made do with sticking to the other paths and trackways through the floral maze. Butterfly numbers had started to pick up and I counted three whites – all Smalls from the size of them and also managed to relocate the Common Blue in a more sensible range. As I finished taking its photo I looked up and did a scan along the flower bed parallel to the wall and in the corner was a ‘white’. It wasn’t yellow enough for the usual suspects and in the blur of wings it took on a tangerine cream hue…As I got closer in I saw that it was a male Orange-tip still going strong.
After we’d departed from the sheltered confines of the Walled Garden and eaten lunch we walked out across the meadows. The National Trust had opened up a new bit of the meadow and so we could walk right to the end of the estate and back around to the join the river path. A few whites flew by and something shot up from the path in front of me. It landed a small way ahead of me and after a careful stalk it turned out to be a Small Copper. Slightly further on a Large White was flapping about on the wrong side of the fence which left me wondering if I’d ever get a shot of this species in 2022? Reaching the end of the field we carried on as it curved back when I spied a couple of largish butterflies up ahead. I leaned in to the closer of the two and it was a ragged and old Small Tort. After a few shots I looked up for the second butterfly – which wasn’t the expected Small tort but was in fact a Marsh Fritillary. The fringes may have been abraded away and there were patches of wear but it was still a welcome and unexpected sight! In a slight daze of disbelief I first clicked away and then wandered on bumping into a brace of Small Torts when the path joined that which led onto the riverside walk.
After the river path came the main lawn and as I strode across to the bank of the Ha-ha I spotted a Common Blue and also a very worn Dingy, another first for the site, before I re-joined the others. They decided to have a bit of a breather so I had 10 minutes or so to investigate the Ha-ha in a bit more detail. As I started picking my way carefully along the bottom of the Ha-ha I again found the Common Blue which was still pretty skittish. There were plenty of Burnet Companion Moths as well which made trying to relocate the Dingy more difficult. I’d practically fell over it earlier but now that I wanted to find it again it must have sensed my intentions and was playing hard to get. I consoled myself by following my first Meadow Brown of the year as it darted this way and that, diving into cover and at one point haranguing my second Meadow Brown. After a bit of a spiral scuffle they broke apart and I think I continued following the initial brown? My time was slipping away and so I retraced my carefully picked steps back adding a Mother Shipton to the list and finally relocating the Dingy. As a reward for my patience it sat nicely posed, calmed by the passing cloud.
After this we visited the house and then followed the streamside path from the font all the way down to the main bridge. The cloud remained steadfast and unmoving which kept the butterflies at bay apart from a solitary Specklie. I watched as if chanced its arm and flew across the river just above the water and risking death by Trout.
Good old Mottisfont
Firsts for the year and the site
Yay, Marshies fly here!
Once we’d arrived and gotten through the gates we made directly for the Rose Garden so it was over the bridge and along the upward sloping main path; a white fluttered across the main lawn and then all became quiet. It seemed like the world and his wife had had the same idea and progress around the paths was slow as people would stop and not just admire a certain Rose but go into a massive discourse on its history and keeping. Somehow we got stuck behind the slowest and more knowledgeable persons and it wasn’t a gentle stroll more like a snails’ pace creep. As we came to the final corner on the fourth quarter garden I spotted a White and when we eventually entered the end garden there was a distant Common Blue to greet me.
Things were a bit easier in this garden as the paths were wider and more numerous and I wasn’t hemmed in as in the formal Rose Quarters. The narrow path from one corner to the other along the wall was closed off which was a shame as in the past this had been a good hunting ground as you could creep up on the butterflies unawares. So I made do with sticking to the other paths and trackways through the floral maze. Butterfly numbers had started to pick up and I counted three whites – all Smalls from the size of them and also managed to relocate the Common Blue in a more sensible range. As I finished taking its photo I looked up and did a scan along the flower bed parallel to the wall and in the corner was a ‘white’. It wasn’t yellow enough for the usual suspects and in the blur of wings it took on a tangerine cream hue…As I got closer in I saw that it was a male Orange-tip still going strong.
After we’d departed from the sheltered confines of the Walled Garden and eaten lunch we walked out across the meadows. The National Trust had opened up a new bit of the meadow and so we could walk right to the end of the estate and back around to the join the river path. A few whites flew by and something shot up from the path in front of me. It landed a small way ahead of me and after a careful stalk it turned out to be a Small Copper. Slightly further on a Large White was flapping about on the wrong side of the fence which left me wondering if I’d ever get a shot of this species in 2022? Reaching the end of the field we carried on as it curved back when I spied a couple of largish butterflies up ahead. I leaned in to the closer of the two and it was a ragged and old Small Tort. After a few shots I looked up for the second butterfly – which wasn’t the expected Small tort but was in fact a Marsh Fritillary. The fringes may have been abraded away and there were patches of wear but it was still a welcome and unexpected sight! In a slight daze of disbelief I first clicked away and then wandered on bumping into a brace of Small Torts when the path joined that which led onto the riverside walk.
After the river path came the main lawn and as I strode across to the bank of the Ha-ha I spotted a Common Blue and also a very worn Dingy, another first for the site, before I re-joined the others. They decided to have a bit of a breather so I had 10 minutes or so to investigate the Ha-ha in a bit more detail. As I started picking my way carefully along the bottom of the Ha-ha I again found the Common Blue which was still pretty skittish. There were plenty of Burnet Companion Moths as well which made trying to relocate the Dingy more difficult. I’d practically fell over it earlier but now that I wanted to find it again it must have sensed my intentions and was playing hard to get. I consoled myself by following my first Meadow Brown of the year as it darted this way and that, diving into cover and at one point haranguing my second Meadow Brown. After a bit of a spiral scuffle they broke apart and I think I continued following the initial brown? My time was slipping away and so I retraced my carefully picked steps back adding a Mother Shipton to the list and finally relocating the Dingy. As a reward for my patience it sat nicely posed, calmed by the passing cloud.
After this we visited the house and then followed the streamside path from the font all the way down to the main bridge. The cloud remained steadfast and unmoving which kept the butterflies at bay apart from a solitary Specklie. I watched as if chanced its arm and flew across the river just above the water and risking death by Trout.
Good old Mottisfont
Firsts for the year and the site
Yay, Marshies fly here!
Work 27-05-2022
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Having been in work since 7:10 and what with the extended morning due to a long GCSE Exam when lunchtime came it felt like it should have been the end of the day. But no I still had two lessons to go on this, the last day of this term. So I forewent my lunch until the start of lesson 5 and grabbing my camera I went away off the fields.
The Pits was still empty – it shouldn’t be long until it’s filled with Marbled Whites and other Browns along with the golden Skippers but for now it is just part of the field that I have to get through to get where I’m going. As I broke through the trees on the corner the Specklie went up from an unseen perch and disappeared away over the hedge so I carried on. Some of the locals don’t seem to understand that the school field is actually private property instead treating it like their own personal dog park and so on top of having to avoid several piles of fresh dog mess I also had to shoo one aggressive mutt back to its owner. Growling and chuntering it slowly stalked back to its incompetent owners occasionally giving me backward glares. About half way along I happened to look down to my right in a small section of previously cleared ground which now abounds with grasses, nettles and Bugle and there sitting atop a spring of the aforementioned flower was an ominous dark triangle. As I leaned in closer I could see that it was a near immaculate Small Tort, a definite second/summer brood. After a few shots I left it to sort itself out and started back along the hedge only to have to shoo away the same, and now even more aggressive, dog from earlier. Once again the owners seemed oblivious to snarls, growls and darting forward teeth barred.
Once the dog had finally been put back on its leash (it would have been muzzled too if I’d had my way) I pressed on to the end of the field. When I reached the corner and scanned across the vegetation an orange and brown butterfly took off. I caught a glimpse of a brown diagonal strip across the fore wings and for a fraction of a second I thought I’d seen a very early Hedge Brown/Gatekeeper. Then I started running through what I was seeing a little more closely; it was too early for Hedgies, it was too large, it was too orange, it was flying with little hops and glides, it buzzed me and then it fell into place - it was a Wall! I couldn’t believe it I’d never have expected to find one here, it must have got lost and ended up here form on of the surrounding Downs. To think this was a species that before I’d wonder how I’d get to see one, hoping to find one to tick it off as I didn’t know any assured sites for it and here was one on a 20 minute walk during my lunch break on a school field, brilliant. I clicked away as it sat on the path looking at me and orientating itself to catch the sun.
On the return journey I was mighty chuffed at my brief encounter and there was also an absence of dog so I travelled much more quickly than on the way out. I did pause to relocate the Small Tort which was tentatively opening up, possibly for one of the first times and nearer to the corner a Small Heath popped up and settled a few times posing for some unobstructed shots but my thoughts were still on the First for the Site sighting of the Wall.
A Wall Brown at work
Not sure what it’s doing here
Wall on the list, yay!
The Pits was still empty – it shouldn’t be long until it’s filled with Marbled Whites and other Browns along with the golden Skippers but for now it is just part of the field that I have to get through to get where I’m going. As I broke through the trees on the corner the Specklie went up from an unseen perch and disappeared away over the hedge so I carried on. Some of the locals don’t seem to understand that the school field is actually private property instead treating it like their own personal dog park and so on top of having to avoid several piles of fresh dog mess I also had to shoo one aggressive mutt back to its owner. Growling and chuntering it slowly stalked back to its incompetent owners occasionally giving me backward glares. About half way along I happened to look down to my right in a small section of previously cleared ground which now abounds with grasses, nettles and Bugle and there sitting atop a spring of the aforementioned flower was an ominous dark triangle. As I leaned in closer I could see that it was a near immaculate Small Tort, a definite second/summer brood. After a few shots I left it to sort itself out and started back along the hedge only to have to shoo away the same, and now even more aggressive, dog from earlier. Once again the owners seemed oblivious to snarls, growls and darting forward teeth barred.
Once the dog had finally been put back on its leash (it would have been muzzled too if I’d had my way) I pressed on to the end of the field. When I reached the corner and scanned across the vegetation an orange and brown butterfly took off. I caught a glimpse of a brown diagonal strip across the fore wings and for a fraction of a second I thought I’d seen a very early Hedge Brown/Gatekeeper. Then I started running through what I was seeing a little more closely; it was too early for Hedgies, it was too large, it was too orange, it was flying with little hops and glides, it buzzed me and then it fell into place - it was a Wall! I couldn’t believe it I’d never have expected to find one here, it must have got lost and ended up here form on of the surrounding Downs. To think this was a species that before I’d wonder how I’d get to see one, hoping to find one to tick it off as I didn’t know any assured sites for it and here was one on a 20 minute walk during my lunch break on a school field, brilliant. I clicked away as it sat on the path looking at me and orientating itself to catch the sun.
On the return journey I was mighty chuffed at my brief encounter and there was also an absence of dog so I travelled much more quickly than on the way out. I did pause to relocate the Small Tort which was tentatively opening up, possibly for one of the first times and nearer to the corner a Small Heath popped up and settled a few times posing for some unobstructed shots but my thoughts were still on the First for the Site sighting of the Wall.
A Wall Brown at work
Not sure what it’s doing here
Wall on the list, yay!
Whitesheet 22-05-2022
I arrived on site a fair bit later this year and as I crossed the car park crossed my fingers and hoped that the butterflies wouldn’t be too turbo charged having warmed up significantly as then getting underside shots would be next to impossible…
I risked a look up from watching my feet as I negotiated the steep and uneven track down the side of the Down and there was my first butterfly of the day – a Glannie. Brilliant, job done but now I needed to try and get a better set of photos. To this end I hung around the first bit of slope hoping that it was a male and so that it would come back to maintain its ‘territory’. As I wandered about and watched a Small White went by and a Painted Lady flew past at supersonic speed almost as if I was watching a film being fast forwarded. This initial Painted Lady was swiftly followed (not literally) by a second and this one paused for a brief refuel. The next butterflies on the tally were a brace of Greenstreaks which messed about at the top of the hedge while I was watering it. Needless to say I didn’t capture any shots of the two Greenies as I was somewhat indisposed…or should that be ‘exposed’?
I then set off to travail the hill following the tiny trackways created as the turf slowly succumbs to gravity and creeps down the hill. I guess this is why the Glannies have done well here, the slips and falls of the ground leave exposed areas in the chalk which new species can colonise including the larval food plant and there seemed to be plenty of Plantain about. Along the ways I spotted a Common Blue, Dingy Skippers and a few Small Heaths which tried to pitifully convince me that they were really Glannies. When the real deal showed up I could almost see the look of embarrassment on their faces. The Glannies did make a fine sight as they glided skillfully along the paths and tracks and then floated down to another prominent perching spot several ‘terraces’ below. They were also quite adept a illusion as I’d be watching one intently as it dropped but when I approached the perching place it would have disappeared only to fly up from out of nowhere when I got a little closer. Common sense got the better of my valour eventually as not wanting to risk breaking my neck I retired to the bottom of the hill and walked to field at the base of the hill where it curves round.
As I started my way along the foot of the hill Adonis blues and the odd Brown Argus started appearing as the slope started to level out. I also spotted another couple of Glannies flying low by the hedge. A slightly darker Glannie turned out to actually be a Marshie when I got close enough to peer down the view finder at it. This kinda sums up how the fortunes of this species have changed over the last couple of years. When I first started I drove all the way to Hod Hill and if one was seen at Martin Down it had to be kept ‘hush, hush’. Now when one turns up after the initial flush of them at the start of their flight they only get a brief mention WINK. A Painted Lady also flew past and as it came in from the neighbouring field and shot up the side of the Down I guessed that it was a different individual from the two previously seen. Finally in this little bit before turning the corner a Small Copper popped up.
As I rounded the corner and walked down the little rise with the field before me I entered into the Glannie Hotspot as there were at least 5 or 6 all flying about. It seemed that they all had a penchant for the same sort of resting/basking spot as I’d watch one as it would start to descend as if to land and then it would put up another that had already been resting/basking. I spent the next hour just wandering backwards and forwards, wending my way through the larger clumps of grass along the animal tracks which served as paths. The butterflies were quite skittish at times but I soon worked out how close I could get before I needed to really focus on slow, smooth movements, creeping in camera poised already clicking away and so I was able to get my fill. Among the Glannies there were also Small Heath, Dingies, Common Blues, Brown Argus and a single Small Blue. The Brambles in the hedge at the initial corner housed a few Greenstreaks which contrasted nicely with the Glannies what with them being smaller, sedentary and green.
I then bumped into Hugo Brooke from the local branch and we had a chat after which I got back to scanning the field for Glannies. I got onto plenty soon enough and noticed that as the day was wearing on they were showing a tendency to close up more. On previous visits I’d found them in the early morning when they’d be sitting with wings firmly closed before gradually opening up like petals of a flower when greeting the morning sun. Now as they approached the opposite time of the day they were doing the opposite. Perhaps they were getting too warm as the sun was high in the sky and so they offered up the more reflective and white under wings which absorbed heat less effectively? Or perhaps they were just knackered from racing about all morning? Who knows? I didn’t mind though as I though that closed wings shots would have been at a premium so I more than willing for them to carry on displaying this behavior. They also seemed to have dispersed slightly and my sightings were coming in waves of twos with increasing periods between sightings which were filled by Greenstreaks at the hedge, finding another Marshie which again was partially successful in avoiding my lens and also adding a Brimstone and Speckled Wood to the days tally. The little corner which was so popular with the Greenstreaks was also proving good for Glannies and it was here that I could go if I wanted a guaranteed shot of one.
I risked a look up from watching my feet as I negotiated the steep and uneven track down the side of the Down and there was my first butterfly of the day – a Glannie. Brilliant, job done but now I needed to try and get a better set of photos. To this end I hung around the first bit of slope hoping that it was a male and so that it would come back to maintain its ‘territory’. As I wandered about and watched a Small White went by and a Painted Lady flew past at supersonic speed almost as if I was watching a film being fast forwarded. This initial Painted Lady was swiftly followed (not literally) by a second and this one paused for a brief refuel. The next butterflies on the tally were a brace of Greenstreaks which messed about at the top of the hedge while I was watering it. Needless to say I didn’t capture any shots of the two Greenies as I was somewhat indisposed…or should that be ‘exposed’?
I then set off to travail the hill following the tiny trackways created as the turf slowly succumbs to gravity and creeps down the hill. I guess this is why the Glannies have done well here, the slips and falls of the ground leave exposed areas in the chalk which new species can colonise including the larval food plant and there seemed to be plenty of Plantain about. Along the ways I spotted a Common Blue, Dingy Skippers and a few Small Heaths which tried to pitifully convince me that they were really Glannies. When the real deal showed up I could almost see the look of embarrassment on their faces. The Glannies did make a fine sight as they glided skillfully along the paths and tracks and then floated down to another prominent perching spot several ‘terraces’ below. They were also quite adept a illusion as I’d be watching one intently as it dropped but when I approached the perching place it would have disappeared only to fly up from out of nowhere when I got a little closer. Common sense got the better of my valour eventually as not wanting to risk breaking my neck I retired to the bottom of the hill and walked to field at the base of the hill where it curves round.
As I started my way along the foot of the hill Adonis blues and the odd Brown Argus started appearing as the slope started to level out. I also spotted another couple of Glannies flying low by the hedge. A slightly darker Glannie turned out to actually be a Marshie when I got close enough to peer down the view finder at it. This kinda sums up how the fortunes of this species have changed over the last couple of years. When I first started I drove all the way to Hod Hill and if one was seen at Martin Down it had to be kept ‘hush, hush’. Now when one turns up after the initial flush of them at the start of their flight they only get a brief mention WINK. A Painted Lady also flew past and as it came in from the neighbouring field and shot up the side of the Down I guessed that it was a different individual from the two previously seen. Finally in this little bit before turning the corner a Small Copper popped up.
As I rounded the corner and walked down the little rise with the field before me I entered into the Glannie Hotspot as there were at least 5 or 6 all flying about. It seemed that they all had a penchant for the same sort of resting/basking spot as I’d watch one as it would start to descend as if to land and then it would put up another that had already been resting/basking. I spent the next hour just wandering backwards and forwards, wending my way through the larger clumps of grass along the animal tracks which served as paths. The butterflies were quite skittish at times but I soon worked out how close I could get before I needed to really focus on slow, smooth movements, creeping in camera poised already clicking away and so I was able to get my fill. Among the Glannies there were also Small Heath, Dingies, Common Blues, Brown Argus and a single Small Blue. The Brambles in the hedge at the initial corner housed a few Greenstreaks which contrasted nicely with the Glannies what with them being smaller, sedentary and green.
I then bumped into Hugo Brooke from the local branch and we had a chat after which I got back to scanning the field for Glannies. I got onto plenty soon enough and noticed that as the day was wearing on they were showing a tendency to close up more. On previous visits I’d found them in the early morning when they’d be sitting with wings firmly closed before gradually opening up like petals of a flower when greeting the morning sun. Now as they approached the opposite time of the day they were doing the opposite. Perhaps they were getting too warm as the sun was high in the sky and so they offered up the more reflective and white under wings which absorbed heat less effectively? Or perhaps they were just knackered from racing about all morning? Who knows? I didn’t mind though as I though that closed wings shots would have been at a premium so I more than willing for them to carry on displaying this behavior. They also seemed to have dispersed slightly and my sightings were coming in waves of twos with increasing periods between sightings which were filled by Greenstreaks at the hedge, finding another Marshie which again was partially successful in avoiding my lens and also adding a Brimstone and Speckled Wood to the days tally. The little corner which was so popular with the Greenstreaks was also proving good for Glannies and it was here that I could go if I wanted a guaranteed shot of one.
I was conscious that I wanted to have a bit more of a look around this year and so I forced myself away from the Hotspot and made my way back along the bottom track to where I’d started earlier. As I walked or rather stumbled along the baked rock-hard path a Glannie flew with me and a few greenstreaks played with a Green-veined White on one of the low but wide growing Bramble bushes. When I reached the part of the Down that I’d started at I kept walking, along the edge of a small bowl like depression and into the filed on the other side. As I walked a Glannie flew along parallel but slightly higher up the rolling field. A couple of Whites flew ahead of me in the distance and a Painted Lady shot past so quickly that I was just left with the impression of a peach coloured dart flying before my eyes. A slower moving, more tangerine butterfly resolved into a plucky male Orange-tip and the clumps of Bramble, like most others here, held a brace of Greenstreaks. A few Small Heath flitted about on the walk back and then I made for the next part that I needed to explore…
I climbed up the steep bank and then turned right following up a much longer but more gently sloping track right to the top of the Hill and continued on as it wove round and along the ridge at the top. There are many old ‘pits’ here and at times I felt like a tightrope walker as I passed between them. I passed a Red Admiral on my way to the top of the ridge and the track arched around to the left, curving on its way to the very top yet ahead of me was a steep and tall wall of chalk and in the vegetation at the bottom of this arete a few Small Blue and Dingies flew occasionally landing precipitously on the exposed chalk of the ‘wall’. I stuck to the path and when I reached the top I spotted a Wall and after trying to follow it’s nigh impossible flights of fancy realised that part of the problem was that there were in fact two So I’d momentarily lose sight before picking up the second much further away or in a totally unexpected spot. Once I realised there were two getting shots became ever so slightly easier (if that is actually possible when it comes to Walls?) and I walked back down the hill to the car park hoping that I’d got something passable image wise. I then hit the high road and made for home but as I still had some time and also to avoid the dreaded stretch of the A303 I took the back roads via Shaftesbury which just happened to pass Fovant Badges…
After a pleasant bit of rally driving, cutting and slicing my way cross country I pulled into the lay-by and with the engine plinking as it cooled I hopped over the stile and strode purposefully into the Bowl. Almost immediately I found a Duke, and then another and another and another. It was brilliant, the Bowl could only be 5 or 6 metres across which meant there was a density of roughly 1 Duke per metre2! With about a minute of my time gone getting into the Bowl and marveling at the petty fiefdoms I then set to the photography. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed photographing a subject as much as this before they were a delight; throwing cheeky poses, looking cute one minute and then acting like an incandescent ball of rage the next. Occasionally they would leave the confines of the bottom of the bowl and fly a little way up the steep wall at the back and cling onto the tall grass stems that tumbled down over the sides of the tiny rills of the hill.
My Duke time was interrupted and I was momentarily distracted by a Wall which dropped in and sampled few of the nectar sources before having a bit of a breather on a Bramble bush. The usually cryptic underwing looked mighty out of place against the deep green background but this did set off the chaos like pattern. Chuffed I got back to my Dukes and clicked away and clicked away without a care in the world. So absorbed was I that I felt like I’d been here for hours and so I pulled myself away with my memory card burgeoning and made it back to the car and home. The last bit of the journey I completed in record time and when I actually looked at the time later, whilst checking through the oodles of shots, I worked out that I’d only been at Fovant for about 17 minutes; so many Duke in so little time and in such little space – an awesome end to an awesome afternoon!
Blazing over chalk
With their mystery origins
The Wiltshire Glanvilles
I climbed up the steep bank and then turned right following up a much longer but more gently sloping track right to the top of the Hill and continued on as it wove round and along the ridge at the top. There are many old ‘pits’ here and at times I felt like a tightrope walker as I passed between them. I passed a Red Admiral on my way to the top of the ridge and the track arched around to the left, curving on its way to the very top yet ahead of me was a steep and tall wall of chalk and in the vegetation at the bottom of this arete a few Small Blue and Dingies flew occasionally landing precipitously on the exposed chalk of the ‘wall’. I stuck to the path and when I reached the top I spotted a Wall and after trying to follow it’s nigh impossible flights of fancy realised that part of the problem was that there were in fact two So I’d momentarily lose sight before picking up the second much further away or in a totally unexpected spot. Once I realised there were two getting shots became ever so slightly easier (if that is actually possible when it comes to Walls?) and I walked back down the hill to the car park hoping that I’d got something passable image wise. I then hit the high road and made for home but as I still had some time and also to avoid the dreaded stretch of the A303 I took the back roads via Shaftesbury which just happened to pass Fovant Badges…
After a pleasant bit of rally driving, cutting and slicing my way cross country I pulled into the lay-by and with the engine plinking as it cooled I hopped over the stile and strode purposefully into the Bowl. Almost immediately I found a Duke, and then another and another and another. It was brilliant, the Bowl could only be 5 or 6 metres across which meant there was a density of roughly 1 Duke per metre2! With about a minute of my time gone getting into the Bowl and marveling at the petty fiefdoms I then set to the photography. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed photographing a subject as much as this before they were a delight; throwing cheeky poses, looking cute one minute and then acting like an incandescent ball of rage the next. Occasionally they would leave the confines of the bottom of the bowl and fly a little way up the steep wall at the back and cling onto the tall grass stems that tumbled down over the sides of the tiny rills of the hill.
My Duke time was interrupted and I was momentarily distracted by a Wall which dropped in and sampled few of the nectar sources before having a bit of a breather on a Bramble bush. The usually cryptic underwing looked mighty out of place against the deep green background but this did set off the chaos like pattern. Chuffed I got back to my Dukes and clicked away and clicked away without a care in the world. So absorbed was I that I felt like I’d been here for hours and so I pulled myself away with my memory card burgeoning and made it back to the car and home. The last bit of the journey I completed in record time and when I actually looked at the time later, whilst checking through the oodles of shots, I worked out that I’d only been at Fovant for about 17 minutes; so many Duke in so little time and in such little space – an awesome end to an awesome afternoon!
Blazing over chalk
With their mystery origins
The Wiltshire Glanvilles
Vernditch 21-05-2022
I had made surreptitious plans to go to Fovant to check in and see how the Dukes were building but the best laid plans and all that…so instead we pulled into the car park at Vernditch. I didn’t mind too much as it might have meant that I could pick up a lost Marshie or maybe an Adonis? As we started up the hill the sun beamed down delightfully lighting the ever more verdant rides and there was the occasional moment when we’d be bathed in dappled light as the tallest of the trees bowed over the path to form an arch. Specklies were the order of the day with one right at the start of the track setting us off on the correct path. The second was by the fork in the tracks and it informed us that we needed to take the right fork. Further on a couple directed onwards at the crossroads and finally there was a Specklie by the gate into Kitts Grave enquiring if we’d had a good trip and wishing us luck on our further travels.
The woodland track was now shaded and the only traces of Bluebells and Ransoms were there bulbous green seed heads of the former and a faint whisper of garlic on the air. Birds called all around in a riotous cacophony which seemed to die to a whisper as we stepped once more into the sun as we left the wood behind and made our way along the path bordered by tall Brambles. This peace was only brief as the track was again swallowed up by woodland, the occasional break in the canopy and opportunity to both warm up and spy out any butterflies. The ubiquitous Specklies continued to dominate my tally with another couple at the edges of the first break in the trees but it was with frustration and elation in equal measure that I noted down the next species – my first Painted Lady of 2022 (joy!) which shot towards me and then disappeared up and over the trees (ahhhh!). At the next, slightly larger break a Grizzlie also played hard to get adding to my slight feeling of regret that I wasn’t on a hill somewhere surrounded by Dukes.
At the corner the girls wanted to try the new route back but then changed their minds and so we turned right and walked along the track that runs parallel to the Blandford Road. Of course a Specklie was on the corner and a Brimstone dashed past and on the Bank I watched a Greenstreak have a brief run-in with a Dingy before setting off purposefully towards the line of Bramble where I lost it from view. Further along the path another Painted Lady flew up and down, quartering the track, it went down for just long enough to confirm that the peach blur was indeed the very same species but as I carefully stalked in for a shot an aged Peacock put it up, sniggering like one of the Old Gits (Paul Whitehouse rather than Harry Enfield I think?) and so we carried on turning the next corner.
I realised that now my best chance of any butterflies lay before me and so I peeled my eyes even more than usual and scanned everything. The Gorse and Hawthorn had a distinct lack of any Greenstreaks or Holly Blues but a Brimstone flew in the distance leading me onwards. When the path opened up into the small field where I’ve previously found DGFs a female Common Blue fluttered about weakly whilst her prospective mate was acting much more frenetically slightly deeper into the field. For once the weather Gods smiled on me and a passing cloud drifted under the sun momentarily chilling the male out so I could reach in and grab a few shots. Once back on the path an aged Peacock played a game of chase with us and it put up a tiny butterfly. Judging by the size the only thing it could be was a Small Blue and after a few dizzying moments of watching it as it jinked about all over the place pulling its full repertoire of evasive manoeuvres I was able to get a few shots to confirm.
Things had definitely picked up but I was still smarting slightly from the brief encounters with the Painted Ladies. More out of habit than judgement I ambled down the slope into the Valleys. At the first a Common Blue showed appreciable accelerative skills and then at the second I spied a larger, peach coloured butterfly – a Painted Lady. I didn’t dare hope that it would rest but the scattering of cloud that was building meant that there were periods of shade which calmed it somewhat. I got to within distance and it flew but not far. I made another approach and again it flew but this time it landed even closer and then in an effort to charge itself up it opened it wings wide. Click, click was the only noise I heard for how long I don’t recall; I was in another place where all I could see was the butterfly before me, drinking it in, my initial frustrations ebbing away. Eventually I zoomed out and carried on with the walk, a little self-satisfied glow putting a spring in my step. Painted Lady isn’t exactly a rarity but you can never really tell from one year to the next how many (or even if) you’ll see and you can’t go to a particular site looking for them so to find one whilst just out for a family walk was a massive bonus.
After that I added a few more things to the tally – a Grizzlie displaced a Dingy from the edge of the final valley, a Small Heath flew by the entrance to the Wood and of course there were Specklies a plenty showing us the way back to the car park. It’s great when things turn out unexpectedly for the better!
Specklies and the Blues
Main event; Painted Ladies
Nice tick on the list
The woodland track was now shaded and the only traces of Bluebells and Ransoms were there bulbous green seed heads of the former and a faint whisper of garlic on the air. Birds called all around in a riotous cacophony which seemed to die to a whisper as we stepped once more into the sun as we left the wood behind and made our way along the path bordered by tall Brambles. This peace was only brief as the track was again swallowed up by woodland, the occasional break in the canopy and opportunity to both warm up and spy out any butterflies. The ubiquitous Specklies continued to dominate my tally with another couple at the edges of the first break in the trees but it was with frustration and elation in equal measure that I noted down the next species – my first Painted Lady of 2022 (joy!) which shot towards me and then disappeared up and over the trees (ahhhh!). At the next, slightly larger break a Grizzlie also played hard to get adding to my slight feeling of regret that I wasn’t on a hill somewhere surrounded by Dukes.
At the corner the girls wanted to try the new route back but then changed their minds and so we turned right and walked along the track that runs parallel to the Blandford Road. Of course a Specklie was on the corner and a Brimstone dashed past and on the Bank I watched a Greenstreak have a brief run-in with a Dingy before setting off purposefully towards the line of Bramble where I lost it from view. Further along the path another Painted Lady flew up and down, quartering the track, it went down for just long enough to confirm that the peach blur was indeed the very same species but as I carefully stalked in for a shot an aged Peacock put it up, sniggering like one of the Old Gits (Paul Whitehouse rather than Harry Enfield I think?) and so we carried on turning the next corner.
I realised that now my best chance of any butterflies lay before me and so I peeled my eyes even more than usual and scanned everything. The Gorse and Hawthorn had a distinct lack of any Greenstreaks or Holly Blues but a Brimstone flew in the distance leading me onwards. When the path opened up into the small field where I’ve previously found DGFs a female Common Blue fluttered about weakly whilst her prospective mate was acting much more frenetically slightly deeper into the field. For once the weather Gods smiled on me and a passing cloud drifted under the sun momentarily chilling the male out so I could reach in and grab a few shots. Once back on the path an aged Peacock played a game of chase with us and it put up a tiny butterfly. Judging by the size the only thing it could be was a Small Blue and after a few dizzying moments of watching it as it jinked about all over the place pulling its full repertoire of evasive manoeuvres I was able to get a few shots to confirm.
Things had definitely picked up but I was still smarting slightly from the brief encounters with the Painted Ladies. More out of habit than judgement I ambled down the slope into the Valleys. At the first a Common Blue showed appreciable accelerative skills and then at the second I spied a larger, peach coloured butterfly – a Painted Lady. I didn’t dare hope that it would rest but the scattering of cloud that was building meant that there were periods of shade which calmed it somewhat. I got to within distance and it flew but not far. I made another approach and again it flew but this time it landed even closer and then in an effort to charge itself up it opened it wings wide. Click, click was the only noise I heard for how long I don’t recall; I was in another place where all I could see was the butterfly before me, drinking it in, my initial frustrations ebbing away. Eventually I zoomed out and carried on with the walk, a little self-satisfied glow putting a spring in my step. Painted Lady isn’t exactly a rarity but you can never really tell from one year to the next how many (or even if) you’ll see and you can’t go to a particular site looking for them so to find one whilst just out for a family walk was a massive bonus.
After that I added a few more things to the tally – a Grizzlie displaced a Dingy from the edge of the final valley, a Small Heath flew by the entrance to the Wood and of course there were Specklies a plenty showing us the way back to the car park. It’s great when things turn out unexpectedly for the better!
Specklies and the Blues
Main event; Painted Ladies
Nice tick on the list
Sidbury Hill 14-05-2022
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The Marshies were starting to fly and so when Dave suggested a meet up my thoughts initially went to The Hill. However recently I’ve found myself preferring the quiet of my Duke site which holds all of the same species as The Hill as well as being more reliable for Walls and Dukes and slightly easier on the knees and ankles. So it was agreed and I sent Dave off a hastily drawn map (possibly a little too hasty as I sent Dave along the bottom track eek!) of how to get to the site and where to park and then I waited for the day to arrive, fingers crossed for favourably weather…
On the day the sun shone for most of the time with only the odd small cloud passing over and dulling things down momentarily and so we set off. It was still earlyish and the butterflies were just starting to wake up but in the little walk to and around the triangle we’d picked up two each of Dingy Skipper, Brown Argus and Small Heath as well as a nicely marked Grizzlie. After this we lopped back around to towards the main track but took the smaller, parallel and more vegetated track. As we wandered and chatted we were treated to the wonderful sight of a plethora of butterflies all busily interacting and making for a dizzying spectacle. Again there was a Brown Argus seeing off anything that had the temerity to come within a metre of it. A Small Copper went up and slightly further on a second showed itself whilst all around Dingies, Grizzlies and Small Heath got in each other’s way and even a Greenstreak got in on the fray. All of this from the start of the path and so it continued all the way along and round. It was almost too much and I didn’t know where to pint my lens first.
We then set to working up the middle field making our way to the corner that the Dukes seem to prefer. The little path across the field about half way up its length came into its own as along its length I counted 8 Dingies and a brown Argus but the stars of the show were the brace of Dukes. The site certainly looked to be living up to its’ name as in the corner there was a third Duke as well as more Dingies and a few Greenstreaks. We completed three parts of the square when walking back towards the main track but stopped frequently as something or other presented itself to us and in this short stretch of path we racked up a Brown Argus, two Small Blues, three Common Blues a few Greenstreaks and a Grizzlie or two. But the star of the show waited for us on the corner, unusually sitting up at about chest height in a sapling – it was a fresh Duchess.
We were only on the main track for a few steps and then we branched off to have a mooch around the gently sloping thin turfed area. Just like elsewhere there seemed to be butterflies everywhere and Brown Argus were particularly noticeable here – mainly because of the good growth of Rock Rose – and in a very short space of time I’d counted 6 which along with the two brilliantly fresh Small Coppers and Common Blue contrasted nicely with the more cryptically marked Dingies. With the temperature creeping up I was conscious that the Walls might get a little too flighty and so we pressed on up the stony, steep main track towards the crossroads. When we got there at least three Walls played hard to get, especially as they had an annoying habit of spooking each other. They were great to watch, nigh on impossible to photograph and so we carried on into the rings where hopefully the combination of the breeze and shade might make it slightly cooler and so they might be more compliant.
The Rings proved to be as productive as ever eventually after a slow start with only a Wall and the ubiquitous Dingy showing. As the grass grew shorter and we started curving round the number and variety started to pick up. So much so that noting things down became increasingly difficult and meant that I was missing out on stuff. There were certain highlights that stuck in my memory…both Dave and I clinging to the steep inner side of the ring while attempting to photograph a Wall, watching a Small Blue having a pop at a Wall, the sight of something orangey that wasn’t a Wall but turned out to be a fresh Marshie and a Greenstreak looking a little lost at the very top of the hill when most of the literature suggests they like to hang around at the bottom of the slopes. The species list comprised of Common Blue, Dingies, Grizzlie, Greenstreak, Small Copper, Small Blue, Brown Argus, Small Heath, our first Marshie and at least 5 Walls. We continued on and climbed briefly out of the Rings and then back down as we worked along the Northmost part. After watching and adding a Green-veined White we eventually turned back as the wood was encroaching on the ring and the grass was short and lacking any wildflowers and the was a deep, rumbling lowing which was possibly the Highland Bull. There was much shouting and on our way back into the Rings where the Walls had been we could see why as there was the rest of the herd blocking our way back down. The shouting was the farmer who was trying to get them to head down for what looked like a salt lick or a feed with no luck, they provided us with a masterclass in ignoring.
On the day the sun shone for most of the time with only the odd small cloud passing over and dulling things down momentarily and so we set off. It was still earlyish and the butterflies were just starting to wake up but in the little walk to and around the triangle we’d picked up two each of Dingy Skipper, Brown Argus and Small Heath as well as a nicely marked Grizzlie. After this we lopped back around to towards the main track but took the smaller, parallel and more vegetated track. As we wandered and chatted we were treated to the wonderful sight of a plethora of butterflies all busily interacting and making for a dizzying spectacle. Again there was a Brown Argus seeing off anything that had the temerity to come within a metre of it. A Small Copper went up and slightly further on a second showed itself whilst all around Dingies, Grizzlies and Small Heath got in each other’s way and even a Greenstreak got in on the fray. All of this from the start of the path and so it continued all the way along and round. It was almost too much and I didn’t know where to pint my lens first.
We then set to working up the middle field making our way to the corner that the Dukes seem to prefer. The little path across the field about half way up its length came into its own as along its length I counted 8 Dingies and a brown Argus but the stars of the show were the brace of Dukes. The site certainly looked to be living up to its’ name as in the corner there was a third Duke as well as more Dingies and a few Greenstreaks. We completed three parts of the square when walking back towards the main track but stopped frequently as something or other presented itself to us and in this short stretch of path we racked up a Brown Argus, two Small Blues, three Common Blues a few Greenstreaks and a Grizzlie or two. But the star of the show waited for us on the corner, unusually sitting up at about chest height in a sapling – it was a fresh Duchess.
We were only on the main track for a few steps and then we branched off to have a mooch around the gently sloping thin turfed area. Just like elsewhere there seemed to be butterflies everywhere and Brown Argus were particularly noticeable here – mainly because of the good growth of Rock Rose – and in a very short space of time I’d counted 6 which along with the two brilliantly fresh Small Coppers and Common Blue contrasted nicely with the more cryptically marked Dingies. With the temperature creeping up I was conscious that the Walls might get a little too flighty and so we pressed on up the stony, steep main track towards the crossroads. When we got there at least three Walls played hard to get, especially as they had an annoying habit of spooking each other. They were great to watch, nigh on impossible to photograph and so we carried on into the rings where hopefully the combination of the breeze and shade might make it slightly cooler and so they might be more compliant.
The Rings proved to be as productive as ever eventually after a slow start with only a Wall and the ubiquitous Dingy showing. As the grass grew shorter and we started curving round the number and variety started to pick up. So much so that noting things down became increasingly difficult and meant that I was missing out on stuff. There were certain highlights that stuck in my memory…both Dave and I clinging to the steep inner side of the ring while attempting to photograph a Wall, watching a Small Blue having a pop at a Wall, the sight of something orangey that wasn’t a Wall but turned out to be a fresh Marshie and a Greenstreak looking a little lost at the very top of the hill when most of the literature suggests they like to hang around at the bottom of the slopes. The species list comprised of Common Blue, Dingies, Grizzlie, Greenstreak, Small Copper, Small Blue, Brown Argus, Small Heath, our first Marshie and at least 5 Walls. We continued on and climbed briefly out of the Rings and then back down as we worked along the Northmost part. After watching and adding a Green-veined White we eventually turned back as the wood was encroaching on the ring and the grass was short and lacking any wildflowers and the was a deep, rumbling lowing which was possibly the Highland Bull. There was much shouting and on our way back into the Rings where the Walls had been we could see why as there was the rest of the herd blocking our way back down. The shouting was the farmer who was trying to get them to head down for what looked like a salt lick or a feed with no luck, they provided us with a masterclass in ignoring.
When we were able to climb back down into the Ring the return journey produced a very similar list but with a female Wall and a brace of Walls acting much better behaved near the entrance. Then we wandered back down the track and on our way to the middle field called in at the Beech wood. I couldn’t see any Birds Nest Orchids and the White Helleborines were only just starting to show so it’s still a little early for these shade loving enthusiasts and we made our way back into the light and wandered along to the end corner beloved by the Dukes. Whilst we watched the smallest Brown Argus ever a Duke duly appeared and in amongst several Greenstreaks and Dingies Brimstone and Small White did a fly-by adding themselves to the tally. Then we worked back across to the middle path and spent some time with two Dukes that we relocated – at least I think they were the original two – they may have been new individuals?
With the rest of the afternoon still to use we now turned our attentions to the main field and the surrounding environs. The well rutted track had collected some of the little rain that we’d had and was proving very popular with certain butterflies – a Small Blue, Small Heath and Dingy Skipper all partook of some salts while we stood and watched. In the grasses beyond we also found at least three Marshies – some were fresh out of the box, still gleaming as their wings finished drying but there was one old timer in the mix with a few knocks and bumps.
The field also had a few Common Blues and Small Heath and at one point two Walls shot by as did an Orange-tip – another addition to the Tally. Once we’d crossed the site we reached the Triangle where it had all begun and now it was alive with Small Blues, a Marshie popped up and yet another Wall and the very first bit of ground held more of the same but with a few freshly emerged Adonis Blues – their electric blue looked stunning in the sunlight.
Surprisingly time was still in plentiful supply and so we once again took the smaller, greener, parallel path which eventually joined the track with the ‘puddle’ and again it was buzzing with butterflies. Back by the puddle the Marshies were still flying in the field and then we turned our attentions to the puddle. Over the time we watched 4 different species showed up to take salts; a Dingy, Grizzlie and Small Heath as well as up to six Small Blues. They showed up at different times with only the Small Blue congregating en masse. It was a nice relaxing way to end the trip, crouched down in the sun watching the butterflies gathering a la animals round the waterhole. Eventually we tore ourselves away and made it back to the cars. And so ended a cracking trip, with cracking company and butterflies to a cracking site; cracking all round!
Sidbury Hillfort
Was alive with butterflies
A right cracking day!
With the rest of the afternoon still to use we now turned our attentions to the main field and the surrounding environs. The well rutted track had collected some of the little rain that we’d had and was proving very popular with certain butterflies – a Small Blue, Small Heath and Dingy Skipper all partook of some salts while we stood and watched. In the grasses beyond we also found at least three Marshies – some were fresh out of the box, still gleaming as their wings finished drying but there was one old timer in the mix with a few knocks and bumps.
The field also had a few Common Blues and Small Heath and at one point two Walls shot by as did an Orange-tip – another addition to the Tally. Once we’d crossed the site we reached the Triangle where it had all begun and now it was alive with Small Blues, a Marshie popped up and yet another Wall and the very first bit of ground held more of the same but with a few freshly emerged Adonis Blues – their electric blue looked stunning in the sunlight.
Surprisingly time was still in plentiful supply and so we once again took the smaller, greener, parallel path which eventually joined the track with the ‘puddle’ and again it was buzzing with butterflies. Back by the puddle the Marshies were still flying in the field and then we turned our attentions to the puddle. Over the time we watched 4 different species showed up to take salts; a Dingy, Grizzlie and Small Heath as well as up to six Small Blues. They showed up at different times with only the Small Blue congregating en masse. It was a nice relaxing way to end the trip, crouched down in the sun watching the butterflies gathering a la animals round the waterhole. Eventually we tore ourselves away and made it back to the cars. And so ended a cracking trip, with cracking company and butterflies to a cracking site; cracking all round!
Sidbury Hillfort
Was alive with butterflies
A right cracking day!
Martin Down 08-05-2022
After a successful if brief meet up with Philzoid and then moving on to get not only my first Duke of the year but an aberrant to boot on the Saturday when Sunday dawned I was eager for more. But my plans were foiled by the Etsy Maker Market which meant that instead of travailing a hill somewhere in the sun I’d be stuck indoors and worse still in the centre of Southampton. Once they opened the doors I settled down in a corner to catch up on some work and left the girls to wander and pore over various craft-ware items. I’d barely begun when the girls were back and we were going. I couldn’t believe it we’d only been in for about 30 minutes but they were done already and so instead we had a look around a few shops even calling in at John Lewis to partake of a free coffee and cake and then a quick whiz around Ikea and we were away home. As we drove back I couldn’t conceal my pleasure as I reckoned I could get a couple of hours at Martin Down…
It had reached the time of year when the top of the Dyke should hold plenty of Marshies and so I parked in the main car park instead of Sillen’s Lane and quickly strode along the narrow tracks from the car park and then down and up again across the ‘Bowl’. A few Dingies flew before me but I was eager to seek Marshies and so after a few shots I was away again and down into the Dyke. Once in the shelter of the Dyke I felt the temperature noticeably rise and the sun felt stronger than before as the warmth radiated back at me from the walls of the ditch. I started scanning left, in front, right, left again etc. and started noticing ever smaller movements almost as if I was focusing in. A Dingy was the first butterfly on the scene as is often the way but it was swiftly followed by a Small Copper. It was quite flighty but luckily it was so bright I could keep track of it against the verdant green background. Next up came a larger butterfly which glided effortlessly over the grass tops – my first Marshie. It was being hassled by a Small Copper and slightly further on I spotted another two Marshies jostling about at the end of this little section of the Dyke. At one point I left the Dyke and followed one of the Marshies as it made a break for freedom but it didn’t go very far. A passing cloud chose that exact moment to cover the sun stilling the Marshie and allowing me to get in nice and close. After a while the butterfly decided that leaving the Dyke wasn’t all it was cracked up to be and so floated back down into the depths. I followed it and spent some time just watching and enjoying occasionally stopping in for a shot or three, picking up at least another three Dingies as well as a Grizzlie and an Orange-tip passing through.
I could have stayed ensconced in the Dyke for the rest of the afternoon but at this time of year every second counts as you can never tell when the weather will be decent enough and there are a whole range of family commitments that loom large on the horizon so to make the most of it I unwillingly tore myself away and rose out the Dyke like a Grumpelstiltskin of old and headed for the Butts. Shortly my way was blocked as they’d moved he electric fence and sheep onto this part of the Dyke and so I had to forego the great little area for Small Blues to bimble along the top track, hoping all the while they next year they don’t move it to the area I’d found all the Marshies in? I wandered down into the field behind the Butts and found a female Small Blue which cheered me up again. At the far end of the field there was also a Grizzled Skipper but it was kind of ironic that two of the smallest butterflies should have such a large expanse of field to themselves.
I walked around and down into the thin turfed field on the other side of the Butts and rooted around the vegetation on the margins which turned up another Small Copper and a pair of Brimstones. The male was very insistent but the female was having none of it unfortunately and so I missed out on adding Brimstone to my In Cop collection again. Down along the main track I picked up various Grizzlies and Dingies as well as a Holly Blue and four Brimstones all flying en masse; three were males and the fourth was a very harried looking female. The scene was reminiscent of that played out on ponds and lakes when a group of drake Mallards viciously court a lone duck. A Green Hairstreak popped up and with a ‘nothing to see here’ led me into the cover of the half way point. Along the tiny stretch of path a Small Copper waited to greet me but didn’t hang around and at the end were both a Holly Blue and a Greenstreak on the last Bramble bush.
It had been pretty good so far but I was slightly concerned that in the favourable conditions there was a distinct lack of Common Blue and Brown Argus? Normally I can tick those off either before or at the same time as Marshies yet here I was today still missing the more common of the triumvirate. To try and remedy this I decided the best thing to do was head towards the Butts and once the sun returned have a mooch around so once more I strode down into the Dyke and worked my way along only this time in reverse. There were more Dingies and a Small Copper (possibly the same as at the halfway point) and also a lovely dark Marshie which had both a fine dusting of white scales and small patches of wear in equal measure – it was more of a nearly new than a fresh out of the box job.
The cloud that had joined me at the Half-way Point persisted all the way along the Dyke keeping everything else that I’d hoped to have seen in the Dyke hidden and so eventually I climbed to the top of the Butts and looked longingly for the sun from the summit. I looked back towards the car park spotted a Holly Blue below me. When I looked the other way I could see the sun creeping across the reserve and heading towards me so I climbed down and clung to the steep side of the Butt and awaited the Sun. When it arrived the Holly Blue started to open up and I clicked away.
Chuffed I climbed back up and walked a little way along the top of the Butts and looked back down the way the sun had come. There was an orange flash which screamed out Small Copper and so having already risked life and limb for a Holly Blue I thought nothing off descending the Butts on the tiniest of steps cut into the steepest part of the bank. As I got near to where the Small Copper had was a sivler bullet hot out from nowhere and buzzed the Small Copper. My first Brown Argus of the year instantly reminding me of its belligerent nature. After a few shots it was off again to attack something bigger than itself but more successfully than the Bad Tempered Ladybird. In its wake was a Common Blue which I could only manage a few grab shots of before it fell onto the BA’s radar. As I stood and watched first this butterfly and then that appeared but all were singletons, not a brace did I see. After the BA and Common Blue came a Marshie – it too fell victim to the ire of the BA. It seemed that the BA was working up the scale as next a Brimstone took its turn to be pummelled by the chocolate orange ball of rage. Other singletons kept a low profile included a Dingy, a Grizzlie and hiding on the end a Small Heath.
After this I rounded the corner of the Butts and made for the car park. In the first little scallop at the foot of the Butts I counted 3 Dingies and a Grizzlie before a massive block of cloud crept up on us unawares and stopped play as it hid the sun from view. Not too bad for an unexpected trip out of only 1 and ½ hours duration – 4 firsts for the year including some great Marshies!
Boisterous Marshies
‘Ere, look out here comes the Fuzz
And a singles club?
It had reached the time of year when the top of the Dyke should hold plenty of Marshies and so I parked in the main car park instead of Sillen’s Lane and quickly strode along the narrow tracks from the car park and then down and up again across the ‘Bowl’. A few Dingies flew before me but I was eager to seek Marshies and so after a few shots I was away again and down into the Dyke. Once in the shelter of the Dyke I felt the temperature noticeably rise and the sun felt stronger than before as the warmth radiated back at me from the walls of the ditch. I started scanning left, in front, right, left again etc. and started noticing ever smaller movements almost as if I was focusing in. A Dingy was the first butterfly on the scene as is often the way but it was swiftly followed by a Small Copper. It was quite flighty but luckily it was so bright I could keep track of it against the verdant green background. Next up came a larger butterfly which glided effortlessly over the grass tops – my first Marshie. It was being hassled by a Small Copper and slightly further on I spotted another two Marshies jostling about at the end of this little section of the Dyke. At one point I left the Dyke and followed one of the Marshies as it made a break for freedom but it didn’t go very far. A passing cloud chose that exact moment to cover the sun stilling the Marshie and allowing me to get in nice and close. After a while the butterfly decided that leaving the Dyke wasn’t all it was cracked up to be and so floated back down into the depths. I followed it and spent some time just watching and enjoying occasionally stopping in for a shot or three, picking up at least another three Dingies as well as a Grizzlie and an Orange-tip passing through.
I could have stayed ensconced in the Dyke for the rest of the afternoon but at this time of year every second counts as you can never tell when the weather will be decent enough and there are a whole range of family commitments that loom large on the horizon so to make the most of it I unwillingly tore myself away and rose out the Dyke like a Grumpelstiltskin of old and headed for the Butts. Shortly my way was blocked as they’d moved he electric fence and sheep onto this part of the Dyke and so I had to forego the great little area for Small Blues to bimble along the top track, hoping all the while they next year they don’t move it to the area I’d found all the Marshies in? I wandered down into the field behind the Butts and found a female Small Blue which cheered me up again. At the far end of the field there was also a Grizzled Skipper but it was kind of ironic that two of the smallest butterflies should have such a large expanse of field to themselves.
I walked around and down into the thin turfed field on the other side of the Butts and rooted around the vegetation on the margins which turned up another Small Copper and a pair of Brimstones. The male was very insistent but the female was having none of it unfortunately and so I missed out on adding Brimstone to my In Cop collection again. Down along the main track I picked up various Grizzlies and Dingies as well as a Holly Blue and four Brimstones all flying en masse; three were males and the fourth was a very harried looking female. The scene was reminiscent of that played out on ponds and lakes when a group of drake Mallards viciously court a lone duck. A Green Hairstreak popped up and with a ‘nothing to see here’ led me into the cover of the half way point. Along the tiny stretch of path a Small Copper waited to greet me but didn’t hang around and at the end were both a Holly Blue and a Greenstreak on the last Bramble bush.
It had been pretty good so far but I was slightly concerned that in the favourable conditions there was a distinct lack of Common Blue and Brown Argus? Normally I can tick those off either before or at the same time as Marshies yet here I was today still missing the more common of the triumvirate. To try and remedy this I decided the best thing to do was head towards the Butts and once the sun returned have a mooch around so once more I strode down into the Dyke and worked my way along only this time in reverse. There were more Dingies and a Small Copper (possibly the same as at the halfway point) and also a lovely dark Marshie which had both a fine dusting of white scales and small patches of wear in equal measure – it was more of a nearly new than a fresh out of the box job.
The cloud that had joined me at the Half-way Point persisted all the way along the Dyke keeping everything else that I’d hoped to have seen in the Dyke hidden and so eventually I climbed to the top of the Butts and looked longingly for the sun from the summit. I looked back towards the car park spotted a Holly Blue below me. When I looked the other way I could see the sun creeping across the reserve and heading towards me so I climbed down and clung to the steep side of the Butt and awaited the Sun. When it arrived the Holly Blue started to open up and I clicked away.
Chuffed I climbed back up and walked a little way along the top of the Butts and looked back down the way the sun had come. There was an orange flash which screamed out Small Copper and so having already risked life and limb for a Holly Blue I thought nothing off descending the Butts on the tiniest of steps cut into the steepest part of the bank. As I got near to where the Small Copper had was a sivler bullet hot out from nowhere and buzzed the Small Copper. My first Brown Argus of the year instantly reminding me of its belligerent nature. After a few shots it was off again to attack something bigger than itself but more successfully than the Bad Tempered Ladybird. In its wake was a Common Blue which I could only manage a few grab shots of before it fell onto the BA’s radar. As I stood and watched first this butterfly and then that appeared but all were singletons, not a brace did I see. After the BA and Common Blue came a Marshie – it too fell victim to the ire of the BA. It seemed that the BA was working up the scale as next a Brimstone took its turn to be pummelled by the chocolate orange ball of rage. Other singletons kept a low profile included a Dingy, a Grizzlie and hiding on the end a Small Heath.
After this I rounded the corner of the Butts and made for the car park. In the first little scallop at the foot of the Butts I counted 3 Dingies and a Grizzlie before a massive block of cloud crept up on us unawares and stopped play as it hid the sun from view. Not too bad for an unexpected trip out of only 1 and ½ hours duration – 4 firsts for the year including some great Marshies!
Boisterous Marshies
‘Ere, look out here comes the Fuzz
And a singles club?
Bentley Wood and on...07-05-2022
As my recce the week before had shown the Pearls were out and so it was time for the first meet up of 2022 for Philzoid and myself. Expectations were high but the weather was playing silly bu££ers with only intermittent breaks in the cloud cover but we pressed on anyway…
Once we’d done the meet and greet and caught up in the car park we set off down to the Eastern Clearing. It was chilly under the cloud and it felt odd to be out looking for butterflies in May whilst wearing my thick jumper but at least the shower was over and there was some blue-sky lurking on the edge of the horizon which would hopefully make its way towards us. We forewent the main Clearing and made directly for the Back Track where the Pearls had been the week before. After much staring at the ground as we shambled along a Pearl flew up from the grass but proved difficult to follow. At the end another brace of Pearls flew amid the stooks of dead Bracken. They also pulled the annoying trick of bombing past and getting you to follow only to then nip over the fence at the very last moment. Still they were enjoyable to watch even if photography was tricky. A Brimstone joined at one point but it was upstaged by the most nondescript bird of all time, ultimate L.B.J, the Garden Warbler. Instead of skulking around and pronouncing its love from deep within cover it sat there out in the open positively encouraging us to take its photo. It was so extrovert for a moment I doubted that it even was a Garden Warbler!
After this we wandered back down the track and made our way to the bottom corner of the Eastern Clearing and as we walked the sun crept out finally emerging proper as we rounded the final corner. With the sun came the butterflies and we enjoyed a little Purple Patch with the usual Spring Suspects all putting in an appearance. A Large White flew past at about head height whereas the Green-veined White and aged Peacock hugged the ground as they flew looking for nectar. A Specklie had taken up territory in the bottom most corner where it sat in the shade and an orange-tip patrolled past. A Pearl was also hanging around in this section which reminded us what were really here for and so we retraced our footsteps to check out the main section of the Clearing more thoroughly. A further 2 Pearls were darting about along the narrow paths and another Brimstone sailed by and we arrested our progress for a little something Anuran – a medium sized Common Toad which was no doubt wondering where all the damp places had gone?
We carried on our progress up though the Marshie field with only a Peacock showing and then up around the top to the back track where we’d initially seen the Pearls earlier that morning. There were at least three Pearls flying about here now (probably the same three from earlier) as well as a few other enthusiasts. I stop and chatted to one (Jeremy) and get the gen on the Dukes at Battlesbury as that species was still on my hitlist and then catch up with Philzoid further on along the track where there are three more Pearls again flying in and amongst the stacks of old Bracken. After a few photos I follow one in particular – a female – as they’re often more likely to settle for reasonable periods of time. She duly did and I got ready so that I was side on, kneeling down with lens level to the butterfly and she was starting to close up. I waited as the seconds ticked by and her wings got ever closer to each other. I was just about to start clicking away when a male dropped in next to her and in her anxiety to drive him off she moved and opened up again. So now I was not only at the wrong angle but she wasn’t going to close up again either!
We carried on checking the small pathways photographing this and that and eventually our wanderings took us back to the car park. So what to do next was the question at the fore front of our minds? Philzoid had already seen Dukes so wanted to try for Marshies and Walls at Sidbury whereas I was all for Fovant as the Dukes would surely be flying by now? In the end we decided to split up and go to our respective sites. So wishing each other well he turned left and I turned right and away we went…
When I arrived I headed straight to the Bowl and as I climbed up the rise and over the lip I spotted a small dark brown and orange butterfly – job done I’d got my Duke. I walked around the edge of the bowl counter clockwise and a Dingy went up which spooked the Duke I was aiming for. However I didn’t mind as just ahead of where the first Duke had been was a second and this one was a corker. The ground colour was a slightly mellower ash brown and the orange markings ranged from a creamy white to light lemon depending on the light. I’ve seen worn and tired Dukes before that lighten as they age but this one still had all of the chequered fringes intact and the cream scales along the costa which are often the first scales that wear so I was fairly confident that this was a named variation (now confirmed as ab.leucodes). I was so chuffed with it that I almost forgot to get some shots…almost.
Still chuffed I started scanning about and I didn’t mind the cloud which had swept over the sun inducing a slight chill in the air as I spotted a Wall Brown clinging to the near vertical side of the old quarry/bowl. I climbed up carefully using the thin terraces of ‘creep’ a bit like a ladder until I was able to get some shots as the coolness had grounded it. So two firsts for the year and I carefully climbed back down into the bottom of the bowl and managed to relocate the ab.Duke.
Finally sated I left it in peace and made my way back to the car and crossed the road to check out the terraces and the other ‘Bowl’. As I hopped over the gate and landed with a crunch on the dry soil an Orange-tip chose the exact moment to land on a Dandelion almost right next to me so I was able to land and slides straight into a few shots of it. There was an annoying blade of grass across the wings and not for the first time I wondered about constructed a pair of scissors with small sharp blades and extremely long handles – a bit like nail scissors with knitting needles for handles, but alas as these haven’t been invented yet (patent pending) I settled for trying for some real close up shots. As I left the OT still slurping away a Peacock flew head of me almost the whole way along the track to the Bowl and the series of ‘steps’ up the side of the hill.
At the Bowl had a look about and as I watched a Brimstone and Dingy interact I spotted the third Duke of the day. This one displayed the habit of choosing wildly inappropriate perches so it would be flailed around madly even if the breeze was barely a whisper. As I watched it the sun goes in and it seemed to ‘bed down’ among the long grass to sit out the cool spell so I was able to get a couple of closed wing shots of a more ‘normal’ looking Duke for comparison with the ab.leucodes. I carried on climbing up all the terrace steps with only the odd Dingy to show for my efforts on the way up and so I worked back down adding Small Heath to the Tally. Back at the Bowl I couldn’t relocate the Duke but I did find a Small Blue sitting in the gloom. This could have been the exact one that I’d seen the week before as it was displaying even more signs of wear and so must have been out for quite some time.
Time was starting to slip away and so I made my way back along the cattle track at the base of the hill noting a Specklie and a Peacock along the way. Having gotten back to the car I couldn’t resist another look at the Duke ab. and so once more I climbed the stile, climbed into the old quarry and scanned around. I don’t know whether colour helped make it more obvious than usual but I didn’t take long to find it again. It was a case of “where is it then?” Look right, look left, look rig…there it is! Just as the Duke was still hanging around so to was the Wall. Quite literally in fact as she was still clinging to the steep wall of the old quarry workings but this time sticking out like a sore thumb as the orange ground colour practically shone out against the white bare chalk patch. The hard part was getting close enough for shots at the same time as now slipping/sliding/falling down the wall and breaking a limb or even worse my camera. In the end I used one hand for my camera and the other to find purchase as I climbed up and then to hold on while I clicked away one-handed. As I slid back down to the bottom and made for home I hoped that Philzoid’s trip to Sidbury had been equally as productive?
Meet up with Philzoid
Garden Warbler and some Pearls
Then we separate
Breathe in and relax
The Dukes are out at Fovant
A surprise Wall too!
Once we’d done the meet and greet and caught up in the car park we set off down to the Eastern Clearing. It was chilly under the cloud and it felt odd to be out looking for butterflies in May whilst wearing my thick jumper but at least the shower was over and there was some blue-sky lurking on the edge of the horizon which would hopefully make its way towards us. We forewent the main Clearing and made directly for the Back Track where the Pearls had been the week before. After much staring at the ground as we shambled along a Pearl flew up from the grass but proved difficult to follow. At the end another brace of Pearls flew amid the stooks of dead Bracken. They also pulled the annoying trick of bombing past and getting you to follow only to then nip over the fence at the very last moment. Still they were enjoyable to watch even if photography was tricky. A Brimstone joined at one point but it was upstaged by the most nondescript bird of all time, ultimate L.B.J, the Garden Warbler. Instead of skulking around and pronouncing its love from deep within cover it sat there out in the open positively encouraging us to take its photo. It was so extrovert for a moment I doubted that it even was a Garden Warbler!
After this we wandered back down the track and made our way to the bottom corner of the Eastern Clearing and as we walked the sun crept out finally emerging proper as we rounded the final corner. With the sun came the butterflies and we enjoyed a little Purple Patch with the usual Spring Suspects all putting in an appearance. A Large White flew past at about head height whereas the Green-veined White and aged Peacock hugged the ground as they flew looking for nectar. A Specklie had taken up territory in the bottom most corner where it sat in the shade and an orange-tip patrolled past. A Pearl was also hanging around in this section which reminded us what were really here for and so we retraced our footsteps to check out the main section of the Clearing more thoroughly. A further 2 Pearls were darting about along the narrow paths and another Brimstone sailed by and we arrested our progress for a little something Anuran – a medium sized Common Toad which was no doubt wondering where all the damp places had gone?
We carried on our progress up though the Marshie field with only a Peacock showing and then up around the top to the back track where we’d initially seen the Pearls earlier that morning. There were at least three Pearls flying about here now (probably the same three from earlier) as well as a few other enthusiasts. I stop and chatted to one (Jeremy) and get the gen on the Dukes at Battlesbury as that species was still on my hitlist and then catch up with Philzoid further on along the track where there are three more Pearls again flying in and amongst the stacks of old Bracken. After a few photos I follow one in particular – a female – as they’re often more likely to settle for reasonable periods of time. She duly did and I got ready so that I was side on, kneeling down with lens level to the butterfly and she was starting to close up. I waited as the seconds ticked by and her wings got ever closer to each other. I was just about to start clicking away when a male dropped in next to her and in her anxiety to drive him off she moved and opened up again. So now I was not only at the wrong angle but she wasn’t going to close up again either!
We carried on checking the small pathways photographing this and that and eventually our wanderings took us back to the car park. So what to do next was the question at the fore front of our minds? Philzoid had already seen Dukes so wanted to try for Marshies and Walls at Sidbury whereas I was all for Fovant as the Dukes would surely be flying by now? In the end we decided to split up and go to our respective sites. So wishing each other well he turned left and I turned right and away we went…
When I arrived I headed straight to the Bowl and as I climbed up the rise and over the lip I spotted a small dark brown and orange butterfly – job done I’d got my Duke. I walked around the edge of the bowl counter clockwise and a Dingy went up which spooked the Duke I was aiming for. However I didn’t mind as just ahead of where the first Duke had been was a second and this one was a corker. The ground colour was a slightly mellower ash brown and the orange markings ranged from a creamy white to light lemon depending on the light. I’ve seen worn and tired Dukes before that lighten as they age but this one still had all of the chequered fringes intact and the cream scales along the costa which are often the first scales that wear so I was fairly confident that this was a named variation (now confirmed as ab.leucodes). I was so chuffed with it that I almost forgot to get some shots…almost.
Still chuffed I started scanning about and I didn’t mind the cloud which had swept over the sun inducing a slight chill in the air as I spotted a Wall Brown clinging to the near vertical side of the old quarry/bowl. I climbed up carefully using the thin terraces of ‘creep’ a bit like a ladder until I was able to get some shots as the coolness had grounded it. So two firsts for the year and I carefully climbed back down into the bottom of the bowl and managed to relocate the ab.Duke.
Finally sated I left it in peace and made my way back to the car and crossed the road to check out the terraces and the other ‘Bowl’. As I hopped over the gate and landed with a crunch on the dry soil an Orange-tip chose the exact moment to land on a Dandelion almost right next to me so I was able to land and slides straight into a few shots of it. There was an annoying blade of grass across the wings and not for the first time I wondered about constructed a pair of scissors with small sharp blades and extremely long handles – a bit like nail scissors with knitting needles for handles, but alas as these haven’t been invented yet (patent pending) I settled for trying for some real close up shots. As I left the OT still slurping away a Peacock flew head of me almost the whole way along the track to the Bowl and the series of ‘steps’ up the side of the hill.
At the Bowl had a look about and as I watched a Brimstone and Dingy interact I spotted the third Duke of the day. This one displayed the habit of choosing wildly inappropriate perches so it would be flailed around madly even if the breeze was barely a whisper. As I watched it the sun goes in and it seemed to ‘bed down’ among the long grass to sit out the cool spell so I was able to get a couple of closed wing shots of a more ‘normal’ looking Duke for comparison with the ab.leucodes. I carried on climbing up all the terrace steps with only the odd Dingy to show for my efforts on the way up and so I worked back down adding Small Heath to the Tally. Back at the Bowl I couldn’t relocate the Duke but I did find a Small Blue sitting in the gloom. This could have been the exact one that I’d seen the week before as it was displaying even more signs of wear and so must have been out for quite some time.
Time was starting to slip away and so I made my way back along the cattle track at the base of the hill noting a Specklie and a Peacock along the way. Having gotten back to the car I couldn’t resist another look at the Duke ab. and so once more I climbed the stile, climbed into the old quarry and scanned around. I don’t know whether colour helped make it more obvious than usual but I didn’t take long to find it again. It was a case of “where is it then?” Look right, look left, look rig…there it is! Just as the Duke was still hanging around so to was the Wall. Quite literally in fact as she was still clinging to the steep wall of the old quarry workings but this time sticking out like a sore thumb as the orange ground colour practically shone out against the white bare chalk patch. The hard part was getting close enough for shots at the same time as now slipping/sliding/falling down the wall and breaking a limb or even worse my camera. In the end I used one hand for my camera and the other to find purchase as I climbed up and then to hold on while I clicked away one-handed. As I slid back down to the bottom and made for home I hoped that Philzoid’s trip to Sidbury had been equally as productive?
Meet up with Philzoid
Garden Warbler and some Pearls
Then we separate
Breathe in and relax
The Dukes are out at Fovant
A surprise Wall too!
