​The Lost Posts...

Every year, for one reason or another, some of my posts get waylaid somewhere between the getting out there and seeing stuff and eventually posting about it on UKB. It could be that I’m feeling the pressure to ‘catch-up’ what with work seeming to take up even more and more of my time or possibly I get a little over excited and want to post about a particular trip and maybe sometimes I feel like ‘here we go ANOTHER post from work featuring the same butterflies as the last 8 posts about work’. But these posts don’t disappear they just sit in a folder, on the back burner, in various stages of completeness awaiting the time when my enthusiasm for certain species has been rekindled as unfamiliarity has buried contempt or when I actually have some time – generally once I’ve finished writing up all the other posts and I’m pretty close to catching up. Then is the time to look though and write what needs to be written or process the images that need to be processed and even occasionally in the case of the ‘similar sounding posts’ just to post the piece that I completed many months before.

Pumpkin Picking    15-10-2023

Last lost post (which in my mind sounds like the start of a word puzzle…what’s next?) came in mid-October during a family visit to the local Pumpkin Patch. It was surprisingly sunny and warm when we made our way over after lunch so I took my camera just in case. When we got there the shadows were already starting to lengthen and with them the odds of grabbing a butterfly. I needn’t have worried for almost soon as we were among the Pumpkins I had to park the wheelbarrow and swing my camera round from my neck as I’d spied the familiar silhouette of a Red Admiral; as autumnal a sign as yellowing leaves, mellow fruitfulness and Pumpkins! I grabbed a few shots and then got back to the Halloween prep with the rest of the family. The Red Admiral or another flashed by a few more times during our visit but it definitely felt like the wind down had begun…
Autumn marched onwards
With one last Red Admiral
At the season close

 Walk to the shops and on…    29-09-2023

When I’d woken the sky was clear and blue, it was nice and warm, but I couldn’t get out as the dreaded ‘W’ word was getting in the way so I spent the morning slaving away over a laptop and test papers single handedly keeping the red ink suppliers in business. Eventually, with eyes burning and fingers cramping I grabbed my ca era and made a break for it. Ostensibly I was heading to the shops but I took the decidedly scenic route…
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This meant wandering through the housing estate and following the road that runs parallel to the rail tracks which are located on the other side of a monstrous fence. The advantage of this is that the Buddleia and Ivy is left to run rampant and so there is nectar and cover in abundance which hopefully the butterflies take advantage of. This was certainly the case as three Red Admirals soared across the road in different spots during the start of my journey and a Small White flew weakly on the other side of the road preferring the much lower nectar sources of Lavender and Boules Mauve that lined the paths. I followed the Small White as it offered the best opportunity of getting some shots and later, whilst dreaming of Southern Small Whites I noticed the concave discal spot and the fact that there was the faintest black marking down the termen in line with this discal spot…it was a case of close but no cigar.

I carried on along the road, scanning the tall hedge on my right as I walked and the second half of the estate threw up 3 more Red Admirals scattered along its length. The butterflies would fly out from their lofty perch, examine me as they’d swoop past and realising that I was neither another Red Admiral nor a threat would return to perch close to their original position but always too high for my lens to reach sensibly. I had better luck at the end of the estate as a Red Admiral fed at about chest height from some Buddleia in the small play park. Luckily for me it was empty as I always feel a little uncomfortable taking shots with small children around. Having posed for a little bit this Red Admiral also exhibited similar behavior to the others and was soon tucked up high and out of sight. As I wandered down the final bit of sloping path at the end of the estate a brace of Whites fluttered along the line of the top of the bank.

I crossed over the road and followed the path under the underpass and out the other side onto the Town path proper and checked out the various bramble bushes that line the riverside like a boundary hedge. A Specklie flew past and and paused briefly. Well I say a Specklie, looking at it more closely while I clicked away I reasoned that it was more likely 2/3 of a Specklie…so a Speck would be a more accurate name for it. As I carried on to the Wooden Bridge I spied two Whites playing along the path. I managed to grab a few shots of one which was looking a little faded but had massive markings whilst the second was paler still with more elongate markings. I turned my attentions back to the first white only to realise that it had nipped off and a fresher individual had replaced it.

I really should have retraced my steps along the river and thence to Waitrose at this point but as I drew near to the Wooden Bridge an irresistible force dragged me over and down into the dappled shade of the riverside path and onto Five Rivers. It must have been my subconscious taking over my body so who was I to argue with it? A trio of Specklies bade me on my way and as I broached the overgrown and briar festooned Glades I was welcomed by a male Large White. A little mooch around the Glades saw me finding 3 more Specklies, two of which were arguing over one of the little alcoves and still bashing seven shades out of each other this late in the season.

Leaving them to their pugilism I cut up towards Comma Corner and followed the track to the back of the Copse. The remaining thistle heads were surprisingly empty albeit for a Meadow Brown which looked gorgeous in the afternoon sun. Once around the back I had a quick look in the Nettle Bed-cum-compost bay and a blindingly ginger Comma stood out like a sore thumb against the greenery. It was so ginger at first I wondered if it was a late, late H.Comma but the various other colours blending in form the margins dispelled that though immediately. I didn’t things would get much better than this and so I decided to leave on a high and retraced my footsteps threading my way through the Glades and back to the Wooden Bridge, Several Whites fluttered about on the riverside plants and the original Specklie waved me off from its sentry point from whence it still stood sentinel.  

Finally I made it into Waitrose and I spent the whole time wondering if I should have gone south for Cloudies – but luckily when I got back home and checked various sources none had been reported so I decided to maybe give it another week…
Off to the shops but…
…waylaid on route to Waitrose
By a nice Comma

​Martin Down    28-08-2023

Each year I set myself targets for the season and with some lucky timing I’d managed to get two species that I often miss out on (Blackstreak and Wood White) so I was sitting on 49 species for the year. I’ve reached this total several times before but each time I’ve missed out on Clouded Yellow hence began my quest to track one down and make a ‘nifty fifty’. There had been a dearth of reports and sightings had often been of single individuals, add to this the fact that there are often scarcer the year following on from a sizeable influx and 2022 had been pretty good and the omens weren’t looking too good. So I earmarked several sites where I’d seen them before in the hope that they’d frequent the same spots once more and having missed one at Shipton Bellinger and drawn a blank at both Perham and The Devenish I headed off to Martin Down.
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I started at the Main Car Park and from there strolled along the stony track that bisects the large area of shrub and turned right working along the track which is a hotspot for Adders in the spring. There were Meadow Browns all over the place and the layer of sky from the tops of the grasses to about a metre up seemed to be alive with them. In amongst the flappy brown ones I could occasionally make out some smaller brown or ghostly blue Chalkhills. I settled into the ‘seek and photograph’ but it proved hard work as I couldn’t work out which individual to watch and wait until it settled. I changed tactics and instead worked from one clump of flowers to the next keeping my eye out just in case while I wandered between photo opps. My scanning proved fruitless for anything mustard yellow in colour so instead I settled down with a nice looking female Chalkhill with a white spot on all of her four wings. But alas just I was starting to click away it clouded over and the grassland suddenly took a quieter turn.

I looked up and did a little cloud watching, noting a few patches of blue approaching from the south and so I decided to make my way to some of the other ‘Cloudy hotspots’ on the reserve hopefully arriving with the sun. It didn’t quite work out that way as the cloud took its sweet time in dispersing and so when I reached the small field behind the Butts it was that weird light which is seemingly bright but yet still dull at the same time? I tried to make the most of it, hoping that the butterflies would still be active enough to appear every now an again. There again were Meadow Browns and Chalkhills, less of the former and more of the latter, as well as Small White, Brown Argus and Small Heath. On the other side of Butts despite the dullness there were plenty more Chalkhills flying around like spectral projections of long passed blue butterflies. There was also an Adonis looking much brighter and therefore a little unreal. As I carried on towards the half way point there was more of the same and then where the Dyke ends as the other track bisects it at the half way point there were a couple more Adonis in the hollow and a Specklie along the line of trees and shrubs.

Ever onwards I moved and I started seeing more and more Adonis amidst the other butterflies as the sun started to come out for increasing periods. There were a few Common Blues about as well as some Small Heaths and a lovely looking Meadow Brown which would have made a cracking shot had a twig not gotten in the way. By the time I’d reached the Terraces I reckon there was a 1:10 ratio of Adonis to Chalkhills although what with the Chalkhills coming to the end of their flight whilst the Adonis were building up a head of steam I was sure that this was soon to change. The breeze which rattled down the Down made photography slightly trickier than usual but I enjoyed my time bimbling along the Terraces and clicking away at this and that. This was all very pleasant but really I was procrastinating as there was final spot to check which had held Cloudies in the past and that was the grazing meadow right at the top of the Down. Steeling myself I set off scanning left and right but mainly right so as to check the Dyke. Alas there were no mustard yellow butterflies just the occasional white, blue or brown. When I eventually reached the top I spent a while scanning about, willing a Cloudy to appear but my time was running out and so reckoning that today was not going to be the day I wearily retraced my steps all the way back to car. Maybe the next visit would produce the all-important Cloudy?

Mission: ‘Martin Down’
With plenty of cloud cover
Alas no Cloudy

Mum and Dads    26-08-2023

This was one of shortest Lost Posts and hence why it became one…
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My sister and niece were getting ready to move back to the UK from Australia and while they settled and rebuilt their life they were going to be staying with my parents. Hence I found myself at their house helping them to clear out the loft ready to store my sisters’ things. In between trips up and down the ladder and to in and out to the skip on the driveway I found myself occasionally starring out of the window and luckily whilst it was still dry it wasn’t remarkably sunny so my sense of FOMO disappeared. It was during a quick break for a cuppa that my dad and I popped out into the back garden for some respite from the lifting and to get the dust from our lungs. As we came back from inspecting the cob wall I spotted something out of place on the pale yellow/cream paving slabs. From the end of the garden it looked like a black triangle but as I got closer I could make out the twin red epaulets and so I headed inside, grabbed my camera and clicked away at the Red Admiral that just sat there soaking up what little sun there was.

We were only outside for a couple of moments so it was no wonder that it was still there when I looked out of the conservatory window before once more heading up into to gloom and dust of the loft…

Stapleford    29-07-2023

We’d not taken too much advantage of our membership to the Wiltshire Walks App so we decided that today would be the day to remedy that. The weather had been a little bit ‘off’ but I didn’t mind too much as I was sitting on 49 species for the year and I’d had a good run previously.

So under slightly cloudy skies and with a slight cool nip in the air we parked up and set off back through the village and then out along a path across the fields making for the Pelican pub. I would have loved to have nipped in and settled in the snug but the app turned us right up the hill rather than over the road. A few whites had accompanied us as we’d wandered the first part but now as we wandered upwards there was a decidedly autumnal feel in the air and things went quiet until we reached almost to the top of the hill where the gradient became much gentler. This leveling out seemed to act as a catalyst for the butterflies and all of sudden where there had been none now there were plenty – mainly Hedgies and Meadow Browns but with the occasional Green-veined White. Further on where the path leveled almost completely a Red Admiral cut a dash as it passed by and a few more Whites flashed past. A Brimstone, usually quiet a hardy butterfly sat out the grey spell that we were experiencing but a Peacock went for it hell for leather. Slightly further along a Brown Argus sat patiently in the foliage and seemed eager to have its photo taken so I duly obliged feeling it would have been rude not to.

As we’d been walking along the top the hedges on either side had dwindled and thinned from tall, almost copse like to low, sparse affairs looking a little like a selection of bushes planted in a row but with strands of wire keeping them all in line. The wind whipped across the track here and even a large Dragonfly struggled to keep on course but luckily we’d reached a junction in the path and so turned right onto a winding path that led back downwards and into the shelter of the valley. As we followed it I noticed the opposite happening to the hedges – they became thicker and less ‘gappy’ and as we carried on down and down more and more shrubs and small trees started to infiltrate. About half way down there was a little ‘oasis’ in the hedge with three Brown Argus, a Red Admiral, Painted Lady and several Smessex all hanging around along a 4 metre stretch of the hedge. The Brown Argus were a joy to watch as they boisterously bimbled about the tops of the Knapweed whilst the Smessex were much more lethargic and looked very tired and worn. To be fair they much have been around as imagos to have reached the equivalent human age of about 70 so it was no wonder that were slightly slower than usual. The Painted Lady was also faded from age and had slightly tatty fringes but was still a welcome sight.

At the bottom the path bent to the right and ran along the edge of a wood planted on downward side of the slope. It meant that I had to look up hill and into the sun to spot any butterflies as the wood was very densely planted and formed almost a wall of green. Peering in didn’t produce any butterflies either as the leaf cover was so profuse that little to no light managed to penetrate to even the lower canopy and at eye level it was inky black. Luckily there were a few dog roses along the very edge of the treeline and there was also a metalled turning point and a set of double gates into the fields spot so while the girls had a drink and a snack I scanned around with my camera. First up I spotted something sitting about 8ft up on the tree-lined side. From afar it looked like a grey sycamore seed, the little ‘helicopters’ that rotor down in October, but as I got closer I could see that it was actually a moth. As I peered through my viewfinder it resolved further into not just a moth but a Hummingbird Hawk Moth, actually sitting still and without it wings a blur. After a few shots I turned round chuffed and spotted a brace of Red Admirals down on the deck in the turning point. A few clicks and then we were off once again. It always surprises me how sometimes butterflies just seem to turn up almost when you’d expect them to.

We kept going down the track, past agricultural machinery and various barns and silos and eventually the path terminated at the road through a little village. While we walked along the short stretch of tarmac before veering off once more through the vegetated trackways a small shower passed over giving us a gentle dowsing and knocked any butterfly activity on the head while it passed and then the sky sorted itself out again. The path followed a small stream for a while and then cut across then arable field and at the top of the rise we paused, sitting backs against the hedge so that we could have lunch. As we ate the sly continued to clean itself up and the grey was replaced by white fluffy clouds which in turn were replaced by wisps of white amongst blue sky. As the sun gathered its strength the Whites came out and as I ate I perused the field and hedges below where I counted 14 Whites flying in different places. There were also three Brown Argus just along the bank from us and a Hedge Brown which seemed to have the entire length of hedge to itself.

After lunch the track kept taking us downhill where a Painted Lady flew past the large factory/barn along with lots of other Whites until finally the sun disappeared once more under the coming of cloud cover. This meant the final butterfly sighting was of a distant Brimstone and then we concentrated on getting back to the car. The last interesting sighting is of a family of Pheasant crossing the road and nipping into the field in front of us at the edge of the car park.

Autumn in July?
Strange but that is how it felt
On a Wiltshire walk

School Pick-up    19-07-2023

As the day progressed I watched a Holly Blue fly across the new and improved Quad. So improved that the hedges and borders are gone, the Buddleia had been broken and removed and were once there was a smattering of weeds and bushes amid a collection of uneven concrete slabs we now have pristine tarmac and block paving. Needless to say the Holly Blue didn’t hang about but flew away as quickly as possible. I didn’t mind too much as the end was in sight and at the end of the day I made for Five Rivers for the final visit there this Academic Year.

I didn’t have long so I stuck to the parking spots and worked my along the path behind the football pitches so that I arrived at Comma Corner directly. A few Whites took advantage of the nectar from the multitude of Bramble flowers that were in blossom as I manoeuvred along the bank parallel to the football pitches. A Holly Blue drifted past over the tops of the Creeping Thistles and I took this as my cue to slow down and start seeing what else was about. There were a few Meadow Browns but at this time of the year I was more interested in the Hedgies and in this little patch I counted 14 of them. One in particular stood out – it was a cracking looking ab.excessa. Of course as it was an aberrant and as it was in such a good state of repair it played very hard to get but I managed to get a few record shots with the occasional break to try for the Red Admiral that was also frequenting the Thistles.

I left it alone and set off to check out the rest of the site. I followed the bank and walked up the rise to the back spot behind the copse. There were a few more Hedgies hanging about here, but fewer in one group as they were pretty widely distributed. One caught my eye as it was much paler than the others and one of the three spots on the underline was more of a streak than a nice round dot, a little like the paint had run. I kept on round and walked up the bank to the other side of the copse and Bank 1, then onto Bank 2 and Bank 3 before returning with only the odd Meadow Brown and a Ringlet at Bank 2 to show for my troubles.

As it was so quiet I made my way back to the Thistle patch where the Hedgies were still hanging in   large group and I managed to relocate the ab.excessa. It was a bit easier to photograph this time, showing off the spots on the forewing very nicely. Unfortunately my time was running away and so I made a hasty retreat back to the car noting a Specklie and a Comma along the way.  I don’t know when I’ll be able to make it back, possibly not until September which is a shame and I’ll miss my 20 minutes of butterflying at the end of the day.
Abundant Hedgies
Including an ab.excessa
A great school pick-up

 Work    17-07-2023

​I was on Duty in the Quad and in between keeping an eye and catching up with a Colleague something caught my eye as it flew by. In the past it would have had a choice of both nectar sources and perching posts. However the old concrete spaces, hedges and borders have all been cleared and replaced with sterile mix of block paving and inky Tarmac. The butterfly flew round a few times, possibly looking unsuccessfully for an appropriate landing place before realising that the only suitable site was the sun kissed brickwork. It flew down vertically along the far of the wall and then stopped, wings open wide to have a bit of a breather and a quick bask. Whilst it sorted itself out I nipped back into the Lab, grabbed my camera, and clicked away.

With nothing in the way of nectar it didn’t stop for long and soon was off, hopefully keeping mum to the other butterflies about the poor offering available in the refurbished Quad…

​Work    07-07-2023

Having found my first Essex’s a few days before I reasoned that there should be a few more showing themselves now and so they were my main target when I left the block just as the bell rang for lunch. Over at the Pits the usual butterflies were flying but they were exceedingly active so much so I had some difficulty in pinning them down. A few Marbled Whites flew past in a more direct fashion than the flappy Meadow Browns and there were Smessex everywhere, buzzing around my feet. Instead of trying to check every one I was happy to leave most as Smessex and so I looked out for those that looked fresher but also a less vibrant orange and sandier coloured. This approach worked first time of asking I found myself looking down the viewfinder at an Essex, confirmed when he angled his wings slightly and I could see the short, thin and straight sex brand. Brilliant and I’d saved myself a crook in the neck!

I carried on past the large Bramble patch and waded into the bed of Thistles. There were a few Ringlets here as well as more Marbled Whites than I’d seen in any other year. The former just kept on flying, enjoying the vim and vigour of youth whilst the longer emerged/older Marbled Whites paused for a drink, enjoying the proverbial ‘quick cuppa and put my feet up’. A Small Tortoiseshell also dropped in to imbibe looking stunning when it deigned to open up but still looking smart when it closed up shop.

I carried on along the Hedge and today went out into the Meadow to check out the stands of Ragwort which act like a magnet for butterflies in the absence of swathes of flowers or a Buddleia. When I waded into the little clearing which the Ragwort had created by outcompeting the grasses it was a bit bewildering as there was so much activity and it took me a moment or two to tune into what was going on. There were arguing Meadow Browns and Marbled Whites with singles of Hedgie and Small White occasionally joining the fray. Flying in and around all of this chaos were Smessex Skippers, too numerous and agile to count. I settled down to wait and see what would turn up at a clump of Ragwort and after the initial ‘spooking’ when everything disappeared the butterflies started to return. They were mainly Small Skippers but one stood out as again it looked a sandier colour I peered down at it and found it to be an Essex. Another caught my eye but from one side it was tricky to ID it as instead of a drumstick shaped end of the antenna with a black ink dab there was nothing, the tip was missing. Luckily I was able to get views of the antenna on the other side as well as the sex brand to confirm it as an Essex. Jo done I just stood back and watched with the occasional lean in for some shots. A most pleasant way to spend a lunch break.

Hurrah for Ragwort
Pit stop for Browns and some Whites…
…And Essex Skippers

Work    05-07-2023

Would today be the day? Would an Essex come my way? Who could say? Would one be standing there amid the hay?
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I made my way slightly earlier as despite National Strikes today I was expecting a cacophony of Year 6 pupils to turn up in my Lab with a single desire “to blow stuff up!”. Before the onslaught of the Year 6 Transition event I sought some much needed peace so I was away to the Pits and beyond. I also was hoping to finally peer at a Smessex and catch a glimpse of ink dabs instead of indicators that would mean I’d found an Essex. As I made my way across the small fields I looked ahead and saw the wind whipping in the trees – it was a bit breezy and so I forewent the usual check of the long grasses at the edge of the Pits and just noted down the Smessex (probably all Smalls) and odd Meadow Brown. I paused when I reached the large Bramble bush as the thistles that the Smessex like to frequent were on the lea wardside and so had a modicum of shelter. They were alive with, what at first were Smessex but on closer examination proved to be Smalls. I counted 9 before another couple flew in from further round the Bramble and put them all up. Rather than flying off directly and then veering suddenly they all seemed to favour dizzying runs, twisting and turning between the taller blades of grass. This technique was certainly successful as I was unable to keep my eye on any of them and so I repaired to the other collection of thistles on the other side of the Bramble bush. 

As I started to wade into the thistles a couple of Marbled Whites showed themselves on the edge so I grabbed a few shots and continued picking my way into the forest of thorns. There were plenty of Skippers about but all the ones I was able to get a close look at proved again to be Smalls. I managed a few shots and also a few more of the Marbled Whites before a pristine Small White dropped in. Next up to fall under my lens’s glare was a gorgeous mocha coloured Meadow Brown and then I reverted to peering at Skippers (which like the OT sprint and the neck crunching looking for Hairstreaks is becoming a bit of a seasonal tradition). I was just wondering if I would ever find an Essex when one of the skippers caught my eye. Something about it looked different to the others I’d seen, it looked less orange-orange and more sandy-orange. As I leant in I could make out ink dabs, the perp was an Essex. Brilliant and so I leant in further but only managed a few shots before it was off. Still, job done, I’d actually found an Essex and luckily one of the shots also showed the shorter, thinner and straighter sex brand. I also managed to find a Hedgie and a sunbathing Meadow Brown lurking in amongst the grasses before I moved on.

At the corner there were two different Hedgies. As I clicked away I realised that all three that I’d seen had spotting on the fore wings, ab.excessa, which is quite unusual. Normally I find the occasional one yet here I had a 100% success rate for ab.excessa. I wondered about the reason for this (the very hot weather at the end of June possibly?) as I carried on along the hedge. My musings were cut short however as a Skipper darted out from the long grasses in the hedge ahead of me and set off across the recently mown turf. It nose-dived a few times and also did the occasional belly flop, landing with both sets of wings stretched out wide before quickly pulling them in and up in usual Skipper pose. It looked exceedingly fresh so I wondered if its difficulty with flight came about as it was recently emerged and the wings hadn’t fully hardened. I offered it my finger and after getting a few shots for my ‘in the hand collection I placed it back on a grass stem with strict instructions that it needed to learn to walk before it could run, or in this case, let its’ wings harden before it could fly.

Pleased to have found some Essex (there will be more now I’m sure) I made my way back in to face the over excited, 10 year old, pyromaniacs!
Peering time is done
Finally got my Essex
Only 5 to go!

​Work    28-06-2023

Back at work and another day looking for Essex Skippers, another lunchtime spent try to peer upwards at butterflies from beneath which would mean another evening nursing an aching upper back and wondering if it was indeed possible to get repetitive strain of the neck? Still I often find my first Essex at work and so it was away and off to the Pits… 

Once there I was greeted by the usual flurry of activity. With Meadow Browns erupting form the grasses in their flappy fashion a little like they were filmed in slow motion. The Marbled Whites, fewer in number, made up for this by flying much more obviously along the tops of the grasses or along the tracks and pathways. The Ringlets, possibly so as not to overheat favoured the shade at the base of the turf or bushes or hung out under overhanging branches. Finally the Skippers; the remaining Large plodding along whilst the fresher Smessex/Smalls zipped about all over the place flush with the vigour of youth.

Down the Main Hedge there was more of the same but as it was shaded due to its aspect the Ringlets started to show more. Also the Hedgies started to show up, sitting on leaves imperiously or battling it out with incomers to maintain their territory. This was all good fun to watch and then I found the star of the show. It was a definite Small Skipper clinging to the seed head of some grass. However it wasn’t adopting any of the usual poses; X-wing, wings closed overhead, three quarters or the rarest, flat and moth like. Instead the wings were pointing down from the body looking like I’d captured it in mid-flight. It would then bring them up, level with the thorax before lowering them again. To my mind it looked like it was flexing its muscles a la Arnie.  

I paused occasionally on the walk back in adding a Small White and a Small Tort to the list, neither of which were stopping but instead I finally pinned a Marbled White down – they seem to be extra flighty here?

Usual fare at lunch
But a flexing Small Stands out
A Schwarza-skipper?

Work    26-06-2023

It had been a while…or had it? At this time of year some days blur into one due to a combination of work fatigue and species coming onto the scene in quick succession. As I was still trapped at work I tried to make the most of it by getting out at lunchtime. I did the usual summer walk, walking past first the relative calm of the Nursery followed by the noisy Primary kids screeching and wailing like Banshees next door. Then it was time to wade through the long grasses and wishing at time that I had a Machete to hack a pathway through. As I toiled away a few Marbled Whites danced effortlessly across the tops of the grasses mercilessly mocking me for being tied to the ground whilst a few Small Skippers did that thing that they do; zipping here and there at record breaking speeds. As I broke free of the tangled, waist high jungle into the closely cropped section there were more Small Skippers, flying along the margins as well as the odd Meadow Brown braving a diagonal crossing.  On the other side of the large Bramble there were a few more Marbled Whites sitting atop various flowers whilst the Small Skippers frequented the Thistle patch. An aged Large Skipper, possibly the ‘usual’ one sat in the sun at the very back of all this.

From here I worked my way down the hedge, stopping now and again for this and that. I tried to keep a running tally in my head but it got very confusing very quickly as there was so much activity. The Hedge literally was crawling with butterflies. As I watched I started to notice a pattern of resource partitioning. The Marbled Whites would fly in from the field and briefly land on the top most flowers until they were displaced by one of the many Meadow Browns which held the territory here. The Small Skippers occupied the lower reaches, flirting along the margins between hedge and grass verge whereas the Small Heath invariably stuck to the path. The only point of difference was a single Small Tortoiseshell which shone out like a jewel amid the Browns and beiges. This ‘pattern’ was obvious to me but as the majority of butterflies were either Meadow Browns or Small Skippers then I can’t be sure how statistically accurate this was. Also I’m quite good at seeing stuff that isn’t there ;-)

Lunch time walk again
With Resource Partitioning
Ummm…or maybe not?

Mottisfont    25-06-2023

Normally I can rely on Mottisfont to produce the goods – in previous years it’s had Dingy Skipper, Brown Argus, Marsh Fritillary and even a Cloudy along the Lavender but just recently it’s been struggling to produce the goods. So today I was hoping that it would rectify this and get back on track as a useful compromise; quality family trip with some good butterflying.
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We arrived early to avoid the ‘rush’ as people clamoured to see the roses in full bloom but as we strode along the gravel lined path a White flew across the main lawn. We called in at the stable yard for a toilet stop and so I took the opportunity to have a little look and see what there was about. Along one side of the block are two parallel rows of trees. Up through the middle there is a path but on either side around the feet of the trees had been left untouched and so was now a tumble of wildflowers peeking up through waist high grasses. I paused here as a Ringlet and Meadow Brown sat atop a Queens Lace flower. As I positioned myself for a few photos I became aware that the butterflies were all up from their slumbers and raring to go for the day as there were more Browns flying along these unkempt verges along with a few Smessex. A quick look along he bank of the Ha-Ha showed a similar mix in greater numbers.

My wife called out and so I re-joined the girls and we continued on up and into the Walled Gardens. The first section had still been given over to vegetables and various Whites fluttered about but never stopping for long enough for me to get any photos. On into the second section with its fur lawns – the hardest part to work as the butterfly always seems to land on in an adjacent section so you end up walking all the way round and arrive just in time to see it take off and fly to the section you’d just departed from. Luckily there was only a Small Tort here and it was just passing through. The final section is also divided up into various beds but there are many more paths meaning that with a bit of leaning over or nipping along one of the said paths you can usually get onto something so long as it stays down low. So proved to be the case…eventually. At first there were several Whites fluttering about and the odd Meadow Brown but again nothing was sitting. The White in particular proved problematic as they would drop down, grab a sip of nectar and then fly upwards and over the wall. In the end it was a Smessex that played nicely and whilst it enjoyed some Lavender enthused nectar I manged to get close enough to both identify it as a Small as well as get a few shots.

After this we made our way out and found a shady spot to have lunch. Once everything was consumed and cleared away I left the girls to let their dinner go down and made my way towards the Ha-Ha. I approached it from the field side, rather than jumping down from the lawn and on the way there were all manner of Browns – Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns and Ringlets as well as plenty of Smessex Skippers and even the odd Silver-Y moth. When I reached the bank the number of Browns petered out slightly and instead the Smessex took over, oh and a single Common Blue.  All were exceedingly flighty and fast moving in the growing heat. The butterflies seldom sat still but if they did it was deep down in the shade of the grass right near the soil. It was proving hard and frustrating and I seemed to spend all of my time watching golden blurs. One would look like landing and then another would appear coming in the opposite direction an then both of them would change gear and disappear off at an incredible rate of knots. However eventually my persistence and what little patience I had remaining paid off. One of the Small Skippers landed just long enough for the autofocus to find it. A few minutes later a second started taking nectar from a Bindweed flower. This was great to watch as the butterfly clung on gingerly to the side of the massive petal, teetering on the edge, and sent out its proboscis full stretch to reach the nectar below without falling head first into the flower.

After I’d re-joined the girls we set out across the fields, the tall grasses on either side swayed and whispered in the breeze. When we reached the next field the girls went directly to the Fisherman’s Hut whilst I went the long way round, following the field margins. Again there where the masses of Browns and small golden blurs of Skippers and gain none would sit still. In fact if it hadn’t have been for a pair of Common Blues I mightn’t have photographed anything. Mind you as is often the way one was in a much better state of repair than the other and you can guess which one fed nicely whilst the other zoomed about causing mayhem but never falling under the light of my lens?

I caught up with the girls and then we finished off the walk in the cool shade of the river side. A Comma flew past on the other side and the odd Specklie played in the dappled light but it was all still surprisingly quiet. As I drove home I was left wondering when Mottisfont would become more productive which to be fair was a little harsh – there had been plenty of butterflies there, they just hadn’t played ball.  

Off to Mottisfont
It proved hard work once again
Now nothing would stop!

Work    23-06-2023

As the bell rang I was already on my way out of the building and once the fence was negotiated I concentrated on getting to the Pits. As I drew near to the easily defined boundary of the Pits a White shot past me. I say easily defined as on one side the grass is mown to within an inch of its life and on the other it is a beautiful and unruly mess of grasses of various heights, some up to your armpits! As I travailed through the narrow paths between giant tufts of grass a few Meadow Browns broke cover and in the cleared section a few Small Skippers zipped across the shortened sward as swiftly as possible seeking shelter.

The Bramble also offered shelter and sustenance too boot and so it was no surprise to see various species clinging in various parts of the foliage. There were a few each of Smessex Skippers and Meadow Browns as well as singletons of Marbled White and Large Skipper. I picked my way past carefully as the tendrils of this Triffid-esque plant did their best to snag my work trousers and the grass heads dusted me in black pollen which smudged into the fabric. I didn’t mind as the Thistle bed beyond was starting to look good, the little greenish triangles had started to split and some already had the lilac strands of the flower showing. In here there were Mr and Mrs Large Skipper awaiting the arrival of their smaller kin it seemed.

After this I made for the break in the trees so that I could start working down the main hedge. A Specklie was in residence in the corner and as I waited patiently for it so sit still a Small Tort dropped in to add a little colour (until it closed up) as the other butterflies were all a bit brown and blobish. After a trying for a few shots I carried on down the hedge finding plenty of Meadow Browns and Smessex Skippers along the way. The Large Skippers here were on the wane and the Marbled Whites seemed to be fewer in number than in some years with the Small Heaths even less so. Soon my internal clock rang out the alarm and so I returned the way I’d come, seeing more of the same and even relocating the Small Tort – which once again closed up shop the minute it heard the motor of my autofocus. Still it was nice to get out.

Lunch time walk at work
With all things progressing well
Soon be Essex time…

School Pick-up    21-06-2023

Hopefully today things would take off a bit more on this version of the School Pick-up. They’d been quite subdued previously, more of slightly damp with rather than awash with Browns and Skippers? Perhaps the heat was working against me and the butterflies were lower down in the shade and having spent a while in the Glades I’d not looked hard enough hence I’d only clocked the obvious or free flying butterflies? With that in mind I took to the back path which runs from the car park, alongside the ends of the football pitches and straight up to the Bank at Comma Corner. Along the way the Meadow Browns and the odd White did their thing as if trapped in their own version of Groundhog Day but along the bank that runs parallel to the side-lines of the football pitches the Marbled Whites and Golden Skippers started showing themselves more. I made a point of checking as many of the Skippers just in case there was a finger printed perp amongst those with indicators flashing but I couldn’t find an Essex.

Around the corner and up the slight slope I headed and the Marbled Whites actually started sitting still and some were even in slightly more accessible spots. So I took advantage of this, following one as it looked a little lost flying along the open track way rather than in between the tall stems of the grasses. The path split in two before merging with another which ran across the larger expanse of the site forming a small triangle of vegetation. This meant that I could easily angle the camera so as to get shots without having to wade in to reach the butterfly and so not trampling everything along the way. There were several Marbled Whites here and a few Smessex Skippers – three grouping together and so I was able to check that they were all Smalls. Once I’d got a few photos I was amazed to find that my time was almost up and as I set off a female Brimstone drifted by wish me adieu.

However like yesterday the H.Comma had other ideas about letting me go and I’d made it all the way back to the edge of the car park when one flashed its wings at me enticing me over. I’m glad that it did as it was a stunning looking butterfly. However it did mean that once again I received the “where are you?” call from L.

School Pick-up    20-06-2023

Another day and another day experiencing the delight of the school pick-up, or was it enjoying some bonus butterflying? Either way, the car was abandoned in the car park and as numerous meadow Browns erupted from the grasses I strode towards the Glades. I worked through the back part where a Specklie stood on guard at the entrance and as I rounded the corner of the huger Bramble bush that bisects this section of the Glades a vivid orange Comma (the hutchinsoni form) flashed by. As I stared across the length of the briar I managed to pick out three Commas in total. Even more Meadow Browns adorned themselves along the lower reaches of the bramble whippings and overflowed into the longer grasses around the foot/feet of the Briar. Whilst I waited or one of the Commas to settle a Brimstone also went past. Of course it was at this moment, while I was distracted, that two of the Commas landed. I managed a quick record shot (that didn’t turn but too bad) of the first but the second was brilliantly behaved, sitting out in the clear within easy striking distance of my lens and even tilting slightly bringing itself into relief. After a quick fly around to check its territory it settled again and this time it was even closer in and so even easier to photograph.

I then ventured forth towards the Banks hoping to find it awash with Browns and Golden Skippers. There were a few fly-by Whites and the odd Meadow Brown but Bank 1 and 3 were actually pretty quiet. At Bank 2 I managed to find 2 Small Skippers which were having a bit of an argument and there was also a Marbled White. I cut down the Banks and worked around the back of the Copse at Comma Corner where again I found a Marbled White and a Small Skipper. As the Skipper wasn’t involved in a territorial dispute it actually sat still, nicely perched on tippy-toes on an arched blade of grass in a manner that reminded me of the tale of the Billy Goats Gruff.

In the Compost heap a Small White fed on the Creeping Thistles while Meadow Browns did their best to distract me but all too soon my phone rang and L was enquiring where the car was and so I had to beat a hasty retreat. However, as is often the way, this was when I spotted a Comma sunning itself on a Bramble leaf, wings held open wide, its extreme ginger colour clashing delightfully horribly with the bright green of the foliage. Whispering ‘L won’t mind’ to myself I nipped in and grabbed a few shots before the butterfly even realised that I was there and then off swiftly to the car.

​School Pick-up    07-06-2023

I had plenty of time on this school pick-up, a whole 18 minutes in fact! I walked along the back of the Leisure Centre and through the back way into the Glades. I had hoped that things here would be busier than at Work after a completely butterfly-less lunch time walk but alas all was quiet. As I broached the miniature clearing behind the main part of the Glades a brace of Specklies were busy battling each other. The victor, once his combatant was suitably battered, return to his perch at the entrance to the Glades. Bearing in mind that I was wearing my work trousers I cautiously lowered myself to try and get to roughly the same level as the butterfly and clicked away.

Cheered I pressed on with a seemingly endless stream of Banded-demoiselles launching themselves vertically from the vegetation in front of me. I looked on in wonder as the light would occasionally catch their wings in just the right way so as to blaze out like liquid silver. A Holly Blue did a brief fly past and was gone in the blink of an eye and as I left the increasingly claustrophobic (the Bramble had been growing at a considerable pace) confines of the Glades I heard a strange croaking/grunting noise. Following the direction of the sound I saw a mass of duck. I looked again as something about their profile hadn’t sat right in my mind, they were too sleek, too long in the body to be plain old Mallards. I got a little closer using the thick trunk of a tree as cover and then peering through the ‘V’ of the trunk as it split into two. Sure enough they weren’t Mallards but were a family of Goosanders – hence the torpedo like bodies; “…all the better to swim after you little fishy”.

I pressed on up to Comma Corner, round the back and then up to Bank 1. No butterflies. I walked along the top path past Bank 2. Still no butterflies. I was starting to worry that this trip would turn out like my lunchtime walk when something caught my eye not in Bank 3 but on the other side of the Bank Path. It was a Meadow Brown and I followed it down the slope and across into the vegetation in the main body of the field. As I did I was reminded at how duplicitous this species is. If you watch it fly it looks quite ungainly, a bit ‘flappy’ in fact. But its goofy looking flight is surprisingly fast and at times difficult to follow. They also have a little trick where they’ll suddenly just drop down into cover and completely disappear as they crawl into the shade-come-shelter of a tussock of grass or the base of a shrub. Luckily this one was still acquiring the skills of deception but even so it made me work for my photos.

With time almost up I worked back up to the Bank Path and made for the car stopping for a newly bloomed Pyramidal Orchid and also a few more portraits of the Goosander Family. I was almost back at the car when a Small White overtook me and tempted me to follow it down to the River Path. Alas I could just make out L in the distance and so not wanting to keep her waiting I deigned to follow it and instead did the honourable thing and competed the School Pick-up.

School pick-up again
With Goosander family
And a Meadow Brown

Dyrham Park    03-06-2023

This was a family meet up; three sisters together and us the respective partners tagging along to make up the numbers. I consoled myself that on our last visit here things had actually been pretty good butterfly wise and this time we were visiting earlier in the year so things should be even better…
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So we walked and talked along the upper parts of the site following the winding grassed paths out along to the various viewpoints from whence we could look down towards the Severn and Bristol away in the distance. All was quiet and I wondered if this was the dreaded ‘June Gap’? Finally after much walking a Specklie appeared and broke the duck but it was only a passing view and came right at the end of our initial descent along the main path before making our way down the rise to the main house along the drive. Once we’d continued on into the gardens I spotted another butterfly –a distant White but despite a veritable banquet of nectar from the formal beds that was it. The last time this had been the best spot with 3 species of Vanessids (Red Admiral, Small Tort and Painted Lady), three whites and a Brown Argus. Today nowt. I girded my loins to the disappointment and set off the steep paths of the Lost Terraces to catch the others up.

Finally THE butterflies started appearing and also more importantly sitting still for their photographs. As we wandered the meandering trackways I would stray into a Specklie territory and then the next and so on. Eventually by the time we’d made it round the ‘loop’ I’d encountered 6 or 7 different individuals and a further couple drifted along the steep bank in the graveyard of the small church at the bottom of the hill as well. 

Whilst this was nice to see a single species was a little disappointing for the trip. So we repaired for lunch and whilst munching away a Small White flew through, mocking me slightly as I was half way through my sandwich and a conversation. In the past I have dropped everything and given chase. However a Small White wasn’t worth the admonishment or strife and so I glared at it and added further to discourse. We continued walking again after lunch, all uphill now and once more through Parkland. The odd Specklie hung around various of the trees dotted here and there along the path. Then, almost as a reward for my patience and continued vigilance a Common Blue dropped down a few paces ahead of me. Luckily this was during a lull in the conversation and so I could stride forward from the group, kneel down and fire off a few shots before standing up and continuing once more in-step with the group. It was a very slick manoeuvre, almost seamless.

As we drove home I couldn’t help but think that this is the way sometimes; a trip looks set to be so promising, often more so than on previous occasions only for things to not pan out that way at all. And when this happens it’s a good idea to let the usually mundane take on extra significance so you can enjoy them all the more. 

Promising visit
Dryham Park was all Specklies
And Uncommon Blue

The Devenish    31-05-2023

After a busy few days this was a chance to just have a walk and enjoy some family time, but I took my camera with me just in case. We set off through the Orchid Meadow which was certainly living up to its name with Common Spotted Orchid popping up all over the small field that is Orchid Meadow. Scanning around I only found a single Brown Argus and so I turned my attention with the limited time that I had to the Orchids themselves. One of them didn’t seem like the others – a darker almost violet pink and instead of garish spots and three lobes the markings were much more subtle. It was one of the Marsh Orchids – more probably Southern.

From here we set about climbing the Down. My recent forays and butterflying escapades had seen me striding up Downs and clinging with the sides of my feet to vertiginous slopes so I made short work of the Down itself and whilst the others huffed and puffed up I nipped out sideways from the path to capture errant butterflies on my memory card. First there was a Common Blue and the next was a Brown Argus. There were also a couple of Dingies, looking a little more worn than some I’d seen and so actually looking like a piece of old carpet and so living up to their name as well.

Once we reached the top we dove into the shade of the Beech hanger and wove our way along the various trackways all along the top and then over through the mixed woodland to the parallel path along the back of the reserve. On our way we were accompanied by various Specklies which would fly up and at us as we entered each of their respective territories. A single white flew along the back track in the distance (too distant to positively ID) and a Red Admiral went up from the deck at the far end as the girls approached. By the time we were walking down the hill towards the avenue of trees and fields beyond all I had to show on my memory card was a Beetle that had been clambering laboriously over a log deep in the wood. Normally a Beetle would have been a poor level of compensation for the lack of butterfly shots but this was a monster, well a lesser monster really as it was a Lesser Stag Beetle.

From here the walk opened up and we wandered along a dusty and level avenue. An Orange-tip flew parallel to us but on the other side of the line of trees and a brace of Specklies battled it out at the far end as the trees thinned and the light intensity increased. After the avenue we broke out into the sun and followed both the path which bisected the Oil Seed Rape field and a brace of Large Whites which disappeared from view once we got to the other side of the bright yellow field. We turned left and followed the boundary path sandwiched in tightly between overgrown hedges. I racked up a grand total of four different Specklies dispersed at almost regular intervals along its length and as we took a turn across the final field a Green-veined White cut across the path in front of us heading in the same direction as the Large Whites from earlier. By now the girls had grown weary and so rather than racing off ahead they’d fallen back and so I switched my butterfly senses off and concentrated on the conversation.

To The Devenish
Recently it’s been busy
Now time to relax

School Pick-up    23-05-2023

I managed to arrive with 15 minutes or so to spare before I needed to do the school pick-up. So I grabbed the camera and set off across the green and waded through the unmown grasses which in short time will hold Ringlets, Marbled Whites and Smessex Skippers. As I reached the start of the Glades a Red Admiral buzzed me and Banded Demoiselles took off looking like slow motion helicopters. A Specklie shot off and another sat looking down imperiously at me from its lofty vantage point as I entered the Glades proper through an imperceptibly narrow gap between the Nettles. At the other end one of the Demoiselles floated up and as it perched it wings glowed a gorgeous copper colour as they caught the light. But still there was nothing on my memory card.
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I pressed on up to the top of the Bank path but apart from a brace of Brimstones all was quiet. I checked the time and realised that I’d have to head back to I did an about turn and retraced my steps. Banded Demoiselles again took off as I worked through the Glades and once I’d negotiated the narrow gap with only a few stings I the phone rang. As I answered the Red Admiral and the Specklie from earlier showed themselves, sitting on Bramble leaves only 60 cm away from each other. I managed a few hurried shots of both before legging back to the car and getting the girls home.

Do the school pick-up
But they’re playing hard to get
Show up at the end

School Pick-up    24-05-2023

It was another day and another school pick up…Once again I abandoned the car at Five Rivers and then strode quickly round the back of the leisure centre and then down into the other side of the Glades. A Specklie and Red Admiral were in what I’d come to think off as their usual places at the rear of the Glades near to the little cut through. From there I wandered on along and through the Glades where a brace of Specklies battled it out with each other for the prime basking spot in the late afternoon sun.

When I reached ‘Specklie Intersection’ I arrested my progress and scanned down the length of the Banks. As on previous visits various things flew along and as one previous visits things didn’t stop. I only hung around long enough to clock an Orange-tip, Green-veined White and a Comma before I turned round and started back hopefully to find more pliable butterflies back at the Glades. This turned out to be partially true. Indeed the butterflies that were present were very pliable, it was just that they were the same ones as before, namely the Specklies and Red Admirals. All too soon it was time to start back to and collect the girls.

The Devenish    21-05-2023

After a magnificent day yesterday this trip out was going to be case of meagre rations. We were off to The Devenish which does have quite a good selection of butterflies but I wouldn’t be able to stop long as it was a family walk out. Luckily I was still sated from the tally busting day before (21 species with 7 firsts for the year amongst them) so I could just enjoy the walk and the company and maybe dart off for a minute or two to try and capture some butterfly shots…
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We followed the familiar route from the car park through the boundary line of trees and through the gate into the Orchid Meadow. I was quite surprised that I couldn’t see any noticeable Orchids but it may be a little early for the Heath/Narrow Bordered that bloom here. What did catch my eye was a little butterfly which alternated rapidly from silver to dark and back again as it flew. It was a Brown Argus and when it eventually paused on a flower head I was able to take a few steps towards it and get in a little closer.

We then set off up the steps cut into the side of the Down; I swear this gets steeper each time! In between deep breaths and brief pauses to allow the others to catch up I spotted both Grizzlie and Dingy Skippers and saw a Specklie keeping a low profile along the edge of the beech wood. All three were out of reach as we continued seemingly ever upwards to the top of the Down. We then walked along the top through the Beech Hanger and round to the other side of the hill. I was able to pause once again in a little dappled clearing where a Holly Blue was fluttering up high and a Specklie sat nicely on a leaf for me. The butterflies along the back track weren’t as predisposed to posing so I wasn’t able add a second Specklie or Green-veined White to the Tally and this trend continued as we left the woods behind and set off along the Avenue between the fields. A Small White, male Orange-tip and another Specklie all flew just a little too far for my lens to make anything of them. At the end of the Avenue finally the curse was lifted and a Specklie sat so calmly for me that I was able to get plenty of shots whilst not missing a sentence from my conversation.

We stuck rigidly to the usual route and so next was out across the fields, now a blinding yellow in colour as the Oil Seed Rape was fully out. The walk up the tree-lined track on the far side of the field was quiet excepting a passing UFW and it wasn’t until the final stretch that I encountered another butterfly. This one was a little gem, and seeing as how we were in the middle of a monoculture field, a little unexpected. It was a Small Copper but with pale patches on one side and a nice array of blue badges to boot. This was the last butterfly that I got to photograph during the visit although there was a Holly Blue (possibly the same as earlier) at the top of the wooden steps down to the car. Not really groundbreaking or earth shattering but a pleasant walk punctuated with little pockets of photography.

A family walk
With not many butterflies
But some tiny jewels

 Work    18-04-2023

As the Spring had been so dismal I’d seldom been out to do my ‘lunchtime transect’. Yet on this day there was a break in the cloud and so I headed out. Normally by this time in the year the Small Torts would be well past their best and I’d be seeking Specklies or Holly Blues but this year has seemed ‘later’ than most (or is it that we’ve had earlier springs previously?) so for this reason as well as the fact that I’d not seen many Small Torts I was hoping to catch up with a few of them…

As I stepped foot onto the field I could see my Nemesis of 2023, a large block of cloud, away in the distance steadily working its way towards me. This meant that I was once more playing ‘Race the Clouds’ and I made it to the end of the school field before the first finger of cloud, the vanguard of a greater offensive, covered the sun. I was still without a butterfly and so it was with a mixture of relief and trepidation that I watched a Brimstone fluttering around some of the vegetation on the corner of the field. However, it landed on the wrong side of the fence (of course) but by poking my lens between the wires I was able to break the days Duck.

The vanguard of cloud moved on, scouting out the next territory to cloud was looking to conquer so to try to make the most the remaining sun I fairly flew along the footpath to the half-way spot. As O drew near a Brimstone flew across the path well ahead of me. I hoped that it would cease its wandering but it never did eventually flying back at me and then away across the fields. I carried on but all the usual little bays and inlets into the Brambles, all the basking sots were severely lacking in lepidoptera. I’d almost reached the turn-around point when I spotted a dark blob on the path. I slowed myself and my footsteps became more deliberate and delicate. It didn’t take off, possibly the only blessing of the cloud cover that had crept up on me while I’d been concentrating…

A few shots later it was gone and now that the cloud have covered the sky and conquered the sun embattled sun I cut my losses and headed back in.

Can I see the sun?
Actually get out at work 
Slim pickings though         

Work    17-03-2023

It was one of those frustrating days at the start of the season. The Aconites had been out for an age and were in danger of going over so the butterflies should have been flying. Added to this the temperature had climbed past double digits, the wind had dropped and the sun was shining. Almost perfect conditions for getting out and finding a Small Tort or Peacock in fact. The frustration started to build however as first break and then lunch time approached. From my vantage point in my lab I was able to watch the light intensity drop in infinitesimal increments and I could see the wind start to stir the trees on the other side of the Quad. When I was finally free to roam at lunch time I made it to the start of the fences and hedges along the football pitch before the sun disappeared. I managed a few shots of an Oil Beetle before I decided to retreat back to the lab, a decision that was compounded after yet another run in with the owner of the vicious black and white dog.

After work I called in at Waitrose to pick a few things up; free coffee, free paper, some Green tea oh and my not forgetting my daughters! With the shopping stowed I ambled over to a little square of grass in the far corner of the car park. On the other side of the boundary hedge the Town path and river run on into the city centre so butterflies often drop in for a pit-stop as they navigate along the water way. Something orange caught my eye and there was what I’d been hoping to find at work - a Small Tort. A few clicks and it was away but those few seconds were more than enough to totally alter my perception of the day!

Nowt doing at work
But spy a Small Tort pit-stop
Nicely lifts the day!

Aberaeron February 

So here are the Lost Posts of 2023…

The first comes from one of our trips to Wales way back in February. The day before I’d spied a Red Admiral and managed a few shots, first with the kind permission of one of my Outlaws neighbours as it was sitting basking on their wall and latterly by wandering out to the summer house and clicking away. The following day we’d been busy and while I was prepping the veg for tea the sun finally arrived and started shining over west Wales. I looked out of the window and there waving at me by flashing its wings open and closed was a Red Admiral, perched jauntily on the door of the summerhouse. I finished up what I was doing and then, hands still reeking of onions, I grabbed my camera and strode across the garden, clicking as I went in case I spooked it or the smell of onions sent it packing.
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When I was closer to it I settled down, and despite many months of butterfly free days the old habits came back to me (helped by the crash/refresher course the day before). Muscles relaxed, breathing slowed, focus and when ready ‘click’. After a few shots that I was happy with I left it sitting there absorbing the final rays of the day and made my way back inside. As I checked the images I could see that it was the same individual that I’d befriended the day before paying me another visit.