Thanks guys. Its nice to have a Grayling site no more than 10 miles from me. There are heaths closer to me but they don't seem to attract this species.

25th July 2019, 7.15-9.30am, Folly Hill, Full Sun, 20-27 degrees, slight breeze So on a day that was forecast to be the hottest July day on record with temperatures touching perhaps 38 or even 39 degrees in the south-east I thought I had better get out early and just as well I did because I was on s...

Wurzel - Yes, Grayling can be fun to watch and at times you seem to be in the centre of it all as they flit around you.

24th July 2019, 9.30-11am, Noar Hill, Full Sun 23-28 degrees 4 Brim, 4 Peacock, 3 L&S White, 1 L Skip, 9 S Skip (of which some prob Essex but didn’t check) 2 Red Ad, 6 M White, 1 GV White, 2 Sp Wd, 1 S Heath, 2 Cm Blue (M&F), G&R&MB 2 DG Frit - a male pursuing a female. Also a Shaded...

23rd July 2019, 8-10am, Folly Hill (Caesar's Camp), Full Sun, 18-23 degrees The other day I went to Magdalen Hill early, wanting to get close-up pics of Chalkhill Blues, and luckily I got one – but only one. Yet again, another species starting a bit later in the year than it normally does around her...

Wurzel, David, Dave - I am sure over the next few days we shall witness an eruption of Chalkhill Blues around here as we are getting proper summer weather now.

21st Jul 2019, 8-8.30am, Magdalen Hill, 15 degrees, Full Sun turning abruptly to Full Cloud at 8.30 Another day – a change of scene. Mag Hill can get Chalkhill Blues in the hundreds as can its neighbour, St Catherine’s Hill. Just a few miles away at Old Winchester Hill there can be thousands! Guess ...

20th July 2019, Straits Enclosure, 1.30-2.30pm, mostly sunny, 22 degrees, after a day and night of almost continuous rain Possibly my last visit to this site for this year - I felt like I was closing down a chapter. Change is in the air. I saw only one fading White Ad and one fading Pstreak and no P...

Wurzel, David - It's very strange. The fact that it was such a dramatic drop in SSB numbers at Broxhead this year and it affected the males far more than the females. Last year the numbers were good but the same as a previous year that I did a survey so I do not think it was just that last years fig...

I just looked it up - it's called "Oak Powdery Mildew". Luckily it does not kill the host tree (but unfortunately we do have Oak diseases that do!)

Trevor, Wurzel, David - I have been lucky with the Pstreaks these past two years. At my two local sites for them, Alice Holt and Binswood, they seem to have been coming down quite a lot. It's great for me but I wonder about how great it is for them. The Oaks around here seem to be suffering quite ba...

Report on the Silver-studded Blue colony at the Broxhead Lek – 2019 Last year I reported on both the Broxhead Lek site for the Silver-studded Blue and also a summary of the whole reserve for this species. This year I compare the 2019 numbers with those from 2018 at the Lek site only as last year I f...

16th July 2019, 8.15-9.30 am, Binswood, Sunny, 14-17 degrees Purpling today - majoring on Pstreaks. Lots of open-wing picture opportunities. Hurrah! Here are some. I am always fascinated by the variety in colour of this species dependent on age, condition and direction of sunlight. ph0.JPG ph1.JPG p...

July 15th 2019 I saw two blue butterflies today. One in my own garden and another near my house. Both were fleeting glimpses but seemed to behave like Holly Blues. 3.15-5pm, Binswood, sunny, 21 degrees A great time had with Pstreaks. One Oak had six on it and an adjacent one had another two I think....

David - The PE's and PH's were late starting around here so I think we may have hit peak now. Wurzel - It wasn't my cologne that attracted the PE. I borrowed Nick's finger for those shots. For Info - A finger dipped in shrimp paste does the trick so it seems. The downside is that it attracts dogs to...

Trevor - I've just been enthusing about Wurzel's in-cop shots on his PD and now I find your Wood Whites!!! Amazing.

Wurzel - I'm playing catch-up with your PD. Just "copped" your in-cop shots. What can I say? Fantastic - all of them. I have not seen Marshie's or Grizzlie's mating yet. It's about time I gave you a mister green. What the hell - here's one for each of the two species.

I liked the clean shots of the Frits but looking back on this page my favourite pic was the red admiral's new camouflage technique by "hiding" amongst bugboy's badges!

Dave - Well I've heard of Horse Whisperers but Butterfly Ticklers is a new one on me.

13th July 2019, 9-11am, Straits Enclosure, mostly sunny at first, clouding gradually later, 20-22 degrees, slight breeze This was a rather good morning. First I got a couple of close-up shots of a White Admiral on the ground. It was not in the best condition but was still pretty active. aa1.JPG aa2....