It had to happen. After 6 or so weeks of wall to wall sunshine and record temperatures, after constantly feeling like I’d been boiled in a bag by the end of the day and after watching the weather and seeing the map coloured in orange and reds I had to visit my In-laws in Wales. This could mean only one thing: it was about to get cold and wet… As we left on the Saturday the clouds gathered and driving through North Wiltshire the heavens opened and threw everything they could at us; hail, lightning and rain so heavy that I couldn’t really see through the windscreen. It passed but as we carried on towards the ‘H’ Bridge we could see a wall of thick grey cloud waiting for us on the other side. Again the heavens opened; “Welcome to Wales!” I thought.
Sunday was rain on and off pretty much all day and when the rain ceased it wasn’t for very long plus it was still dark and dingy and cool.
Monday the weather forecast was total crap! I don’t mean the weather forecasted was bad I mean the forecast was one of the most inaccurate that I’d seen. I looked out of the window at the blue sky and looked at the BBC App with its black cloud background and heavy rain “right now”. The rain carried on with the thick cloud and strong breeze so we stayed in when we should have gone to Cei Bach. But then when the App said it should be raining still later it cleared up and we were able to take a stroll up the Lane and blow away a few of the cobwebs.
At the end of the cul-de-sac I spied my first butterfly, a UFW around the Buddleia of a neighbours’ garden and also here was a Large White. On the other side of the road there were a few florets of what looked like Knapweed pushing up through the smallest of gaps between a wall and the tarmac along with a Common Blue.
As we carried on up numerous Hedge Browns flew about and some stopped and posed for me. After most of the journey was made a few more Whites also put in an appearance. It started with a fly-by Large and two Smalls and then there was also a Green-veined as well. Up at the turn around point two Red Admirals appeared and one kept bumbling round and landing on even the smallest cluster of Nettles, possibly looking to lay?
So we made the return journey with the same species in view as well as an additional Specklie in amongst the many, many Hedge Browns. Back at the Buddleia there were no butterflies but 5 Silver Y on various florets. Nothing spectacular but it was nice to get out and see butterflies after two and half days away.
Sunday was rain on and off pretty much all day and when the rain ceased it wasn’t for very long plus it was still dark and dingy and cool.
Monday the weather forecast was total crap! I don’t mean the weather forecasted was bad I mean the forecast was one of the most inaccurate that I’d seen. I looked out of the window at the blue sky and looked at the BBC App with its black cloud background and heavy rain “right now”. The rain carried on with the thick cloud and strong breeze so we stayed in when we should have gone to Cei Bach. But then when the App said it should be raining still later it cleared up and we were able to take a stroll up the Lane and blow away a few of the cobwebs.
At the end of the cul-de-sac I spied my first butterfly, a UFW around the Buddleia of a neighbours’ garden and also here was a Large White. On the other side of the road there were a few florets of what looked like Knapweed pushing up through the smallest of gaps between a wall and the tarmac along with a Common Blue.
As we carried on up numerous Hedge Browns flew about and some stopped and posed for me. After most of the journey was made a few more Whites also put in an appearance. It started with a fly-by Large and two Smalls and then there was also a Green-veined as well. Up at the turn around point two Red Admirals appeared and one kept bumbling round and landing on even the smallest cluster of Nettles, possibly looking to lay?
So we made the return journey with the same species in view as well as an additional Specklie in amongst the many, many Hedge Browns. Back at the Buddleia there were no butterflies but 5 Silver Y on various florets. Nothing spectacular but it was nice to get out and see butterflies after two and half days away.
31st July
Today we didn’t even bother with the forecast and just took coats with us to Aberystwyth. We parked in Morrison’s (other supermarkets are an option) and started down the town path that runs alongside the river. As to be expected as we were in an area that looked great for butterflies the cloud covered the sun and there were a few drops of rain. Despite this I saw a Specklie bomb off over the Brambles that lined the path. Further along the path split into two and we would take the right hand fork into the town centre and urbanity and as junction was insight the cloud cleared and the sun started beating down. However I still managed to get a sneaky butterfly shot as in the previous drear a Holly Blue landed and opened up vainly (at the time) trying to warm itself up. I caught it just as it was deciding if it was warm enough, got my shots and then when it felt the sun on its wings it was off.
We carried on into Aber and during our walk about I noted a couple of Whites and a Silver Y which seemed determined to get into Costa Coffee? And then we made the return journey laden with kilos of Organic Muesli. On the way a few Whites fluttered a long in front of us for most of the way. A Specklie put in a brief appearance and then when were almost back I saw a massive Buddleia which I’d not seen on the way into town; I must have been staring intently into the bushes and so looking the other way. There was some movement and the cream tangerine colour suggested that at least one of the butterflies was a Painted Lady. I told the rest of the family that I’d catch them up and left the path fumbling for my camera as I did so. As I approached I could see that I was right there was a Painted Lady but it was very flighty. There was another which stayed up high along with a couple of Red Admirals and a Peacock. At one time all three took off and chased each other about before deciding to gang up on a hapless Large White. I then had to leg it back and catch up with everyone else.
Once back home I grabbed the camera and went to check out the Lane reasoning that if the weather app actually did prove (by some major miracle) correct then I might not get many more chances. I stopped first of all at the Buddleia in the Neighbours garden. This smaller bush was even better than the one on the walk back. At first glance I counted 2 Painted Ladies, 2 Peacocks, 4 Red Admirals and a Large White. A few moments later a Small and Green-veined White had also been added. What was strange was how autumnal this made me feel. There was a strong breeze, the sun wasn’t boiling hot and kept going in behind the clouds and I was observing some of the ‘last species’ of the season. It felt more like October than the last day of July.
I then worked my way back down the road and round the corner onto Rhu Goch. Once here I carried on scanning the hedge in front of me. I was really disappointed to find only 2 Hedge Browns and even more so because they were ‘typical’. On the plus side I also found a cracking blue female Common Blue. She kept settling a few paces away from me and then allowed me to get in closer and get some shots before she fluttered a few paces away again etc. I also noticed some earth spilling down the bank. At first I thought this was a tiny bit of subsidence as the bank had recently been shaped. But there were similar ‘spills’ along the length of the bank and as I got closer it happened again and this time I could see that the dirt was being pushed up and out from underneath. It was strange to think that I was within 15 cm of a Mole. Back at the Buddleia there was now only one a piece of the Peacock and Painted Lady and only 2 Red Admirals but the number of Large Whites had doubled.
Upon my return I grabbed a coffee and went and sat in the summer house with everyone else. Eventually they all drifted indoors and I was left on my own with the collapsed curtain and my camera. I put said curtain to good use, wrapping it over my head and round my arms as I sat on a chair facing out of the door and directly opposite the bird feeders. I’d made my own little Hide and it paid off as the birds carried on feeding oblivious to my presence. If the weather does get as bad as forecast then I’ll have to give this another go.
We carried on into Aber and during our walk about I noted a couple of Whites and a Silver Y which seemed determined to get into Costa Coffee? And then we made the return journey laden with kilos of Organic Muesli. On the way a few Whites fluttered a long in front of us for most of the way. A Specklie put in a brief appearance and then when were almost back I saw a massive Buddleia which I’d not seen on the way into town; I must have been staring intently into the bushes and so looking the other way. There was some movement and the cream tangerine colour suggested that at least one of the butterflies was a Painted Lady. I told the rest of the family that I’d catch them up and left the path fumbling for my camera as I did so. As I approached I could see that I was right there was a Painted Lady but it was very flighty. There was another which stayed up high along with a couple of Red Admirals and a Peacock. At one time all three took off and chased each other about before deciding to gang up on a hapless Large White. I then had to leg it back and catch up with everyone else.
Once back home I grabbed the camera and went to check out the Lane reasoning that if the weather app actually did prove (by some major miracle) correct then I might not get many more chances. I stopped first of all at the Buddleia in the Neighbours garden. This smaller bush was even better than the one on the walk back. At first glance I counted 2 Painted Ladies, 2 Peacocks, 4 Red Admirals and a Large White. A few moments later a Small and Green-veined White had also been added. What was strange was how autumnal this made me feel. There was a strong breeze, the sun wasn’t boiling hot and kept going in behind the clouds and I was observing some of the ‘last species’ of the season. It felt more like October than the last day of July.
I then worked my way back down the road and round the corner onto Rhu Goch. Once here I carried on scanning the hedge in front of me. I was really disappointed to find only 2 Hedge Browns and even more so because they were ‘typical’. On the plus side I also found a cracking blue female Common Blue. She kept settling a few paces away from me and then allowed me to get in closer and get some shots before she fluttered a few paces away again etc. I also noticed some earth spilling down the bank. At first I thought this was a tiny bit of subsidence as the bank had recently been shaped. But there were similar ‘spills’ along the length of the bank and as I got closer it happened again and this time I could see that the dirt was being pushed up and out from underneath. It was strange to think that I was within 15 cm of a Mole. Back at the Buddleia there was now only one a piece of the Peacock and Painted Lady and only 2 Red Admirals but the number of Large Whites had doubled.
Upon my return I grabbed a coffee and went and sat in the summer house with everyone else. Eventually they all drifted indoors and I was left on my own with the collapsed curtain and my camera. I put said curtain to good use, wrapping it over my head and round my arms as I sat on a chair facing out of the door and directly opposite the bird feeders. I’d made my own little Hide and it paid off as the birds carried on feeding oblivious to my presence. If the weather does get as bad as forecast then I’ll have to give this another go.
1st August - Llanachaeron
We’ve given up checking the weather app this week and so we found ourselves, picnic lunch packed, heading off to Llanerchaeron. Upon our arrival the cloud was covering the sun and so we headed off into the woods to walk along the river a way and wait for the house and gardens to open. I didn’t see any moths or butterflies while we wandered but when a group of young Mallard fly down river they were accompanied by a much smaller, darker looking bird which to my mind was a Dipper. I walked down onto the exposed river bed and scanned downstream but couldn’t relocate it at this time but on the return journey there it was sitting atop a rock on the other side of the river. It was too far away for my lens and there was nowhere near enough light to get any decent images so I stored them away in my memory rather than my memory card.
After this we made our way in the house and gardens. There were a couple of Green-veined Whites waiting for us at the entrance but after that it got a bit quiet. There was an interesting looking micro moth but not much else. Even the one half of the walled garden was exceedingly quiet with only a single Green-veined White. But as I stepped through the gate from one half to the other things seemed to improve dramatically. I noticed it as I was fussing the cats in the greenhouses, the temperature noticeably increased and I almost needed to put my sunglasses on. As I stepped out with one of the two cats following me a female Large White landed right next to me and as I looked down the path there were suddenly whites all over the place. The small Lavender boxes were bathed in whites of all three species. I did a quick count and reached 27 but there possibly a few more fluttering round the back. Also present were 4 Common Blues, one was definitely a female and I’m guessing that another was as well by the more brown background colour to the underwings.
I got called away for lunch and so made my way back but between munchings I notched up another couple of Green-veined Whites and a Specklie. The girls also brought me a moth that I’d not seen before. They thought that it was dead but after a few photos of it in K’s hand it started to quiver and it became apparent that it was playing dead. There were more moths in the courtyard of the main house but that was it from Llanerchaeron for another year.
Once we got back I went for a quick stroll down the Lane. The Buddleia had only 3 Red Admirals and a single Peacock on it today, there was an approachable Large White near the post box but Rhu Goch could only rustle up a GVW, 2 Hedgies and a brown female Blue. The wind had picked up and the sun was hiding behind the clouds for longer and longer intervals. A quick walk up the Lane and there was only a single male Hedgie as well and as I took my first shot of it my camera ceased functioning. The memory card was full. I took this as the sign to cut my losses and head back to the house, trying to ignore the Painted Lady on the way!
After this we made our way in the house and gardens. There were a couple of Green-veined Whites waiting for us at the entrance but after that it got a bit quiet. There was an interesting looking micro moth but not much else. Even the one half of the walled garden was exceedingly quiet with only a single Green-veined White. But as I stepped through the gate from one half to the other things seemed to improve dramatically. I noticed it as I was fussing the cats in the greenhouses, the temperature noticeably increased and I almost needed to put my sunglasses on. As I stepped out with one of the two cats following me a female Large White landed right next to me and as I looked down the path there were suddenly whites all over the place. The small Lavender boxes were bathed in whites of all three species. I did a quick count and reached 27 but there possibly a few more fluttering round the back. Also present were 4 Common Blues, one was definitely a female and I’m guessing that another was as well by the more brown background colour to the underwings.
I got called away for lunch and so made my way back but between munchings I notched up another couple of Green-veined Whites and a Specklie. The girls also brought me a moth that I’d not seen before. They thought that it was dead but after a few photos of it in K’s hand it started to quiver and it became apparent that it was playing dead. There were more moths in the courtyard of the main house but that was it from Llanerchaeron for another year.
Once we got back I went for a quick stroll down the Lane. The Buddleia had only 3 Red Admirals and a single Peacock on it today, there was an approachable Large White near the post box but Rhu Goch could only rustle up a GVW, 2 Hedgies and a brown female Blue. The wind had picked up and the sun was hiding behind the clouds for longer and longer intervals. A quick walk up the Lane and there was only a single male Hedgie as well and as I took my first shot of it my camera ceased functioning. The memory card was full. I took this as the sign to cut my losses and head back to the house, trying to ignore the Painted Lady on the way!
2nd August
After the reasonable weather yesterday today it was back the Welsh best; thick black cloud with drizzle now and again. Despite this we took the girls for a run down to the park. After they’d sampled all the different play equipment we took a stroll along the river making our way to the seafront. The river was running really low, the lowest I’ve seen it with barely a trickle running over the various concrete weirs. A couple of GVWs flew by but along the other bank and I thought that would be it as we broke through from the trees in the sprawling urbanity of Aberaeron. But I was surprised to see, in the distance, a Painted Lady on a thin Buddleia. There can only have been four branches on this the spindliest of butterfly bushes. But it held not one but 2 Painted Ladies and a Peacock as well! This was the only whiff of purple amid the slate grey for as far as I could see so I guess that I shouldn’t have been surprised to have fund a butterfly here but three on such meagre rations was something of a shock.
After this we carried on down the seafront for a rootle at the low tide mark and the strandline. I didn’t see anymore butterflies but we did find some nice seaglass K was fascinated by the Bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus) likening it to bubble wrap whilst Little L was amazed by some Oarweed (Laminaria digitata) with its giant fingers.
3rd August
The drive home didn’t produce any butterflies but we went from comfortably wearing jeans and socks and shoes in the cool and damp drear to blazing sun and temperatures reaching the high 20’s. It was a slight shock to the system but also explains why I didn’t see anything flying along the hedges on the return home...
After this we carried on down the seafront for a rootle at the low tide mark and the strandline. I didn’t see anymore butterflies but we did find some nice seaglass K was fascinated by the Bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus) likening it to bubble wrap whilst Little L was amazed by some Oarweed (Laminaria digitata) with its giant fingers.
3rd August
The drive home didn’t produce any butterflies but we went from comfortably wearing jeans and socks and shoes in the cool and damp drear to blazing sun and temperatures reaching the high 20’s. It was a slight shock to the system but also explains why I didn’t see anything flying along the hedges on the return home...
