It is horrendous those fires. But nature gets its way eventually. Some years ago some crazy person purposefully set fire to Thursley Heath a few miles from where I live. It ripped though the reserve - you could see the smoke miles away. It appeared devastated. But slowly, year by year, the heath reg...

There's been a lot going on in your recent reports, Janet. Great underside shots of the Frits, I like the group of whites, of course the Purple Es and H's, looking up the snout of a Comma, the ab Gatekeeper was quite a find but perhaps my favourite of all was your last pic of a gatekeeper.

Alice Holt Forest: The Arboretum Enclosure - 3rd July 2018 Last year I saw a couple of PE’s here, not so this year so my annual count has not increased. However I did see 6 Purple Hairstreaks, mostly low but none staying still. Also 5 White Ads, 2 Red Ads, 2 Comma, some Large Skippers but starting t...

It's the Pixie's eye view, Wurzel.

Alice Holt Forest – The Straits Enclosure - 2nd July 2018 Another purpling day but this time the Purple Hairstreaks far outnumbered the Purple Emperors. Saw two fresh PE’s at the end of the enclosure walk. One low down on a tree for over 30 minutes while another circled above it from time to time. A...

Wurzel - Great Marsh Frits. And there it is - the orchid mentioned about a month ago - the Burnt Tip Orchid. Fantastic.

Thanks Callum - the more the merrier I say.

I have never seen a Northern Brown Argus (or a hybrid) and won't get the opportunity to either for some time I would guess so its great when people post their own wing-roll sightings here.

Cheers,

Wurzel - Thanks. The Purple Hairstreaks are really "taking off" now (forgive the pun). There are loads of them around. Goldie - Yep, I have not had one open its wings while at a standstill for ages now. The only reason I know the one on the ground yesterday was male is because it flew arou...

Bugboy. I checked again with my book and I do believe you are right. It certainly is a Keeled Skimmer after all. Its pesky when these things get old and a bit faded isn't it?

Now I wonder what the one I saw at Alice Holt was the same day. (No pic of that unfortunately).

Best Regards,

Broxhead Common - 1st July 2018 My final non-lek count of Silver Studded Blues in a part of the reserve I had not visited for them this year yielded only 7 more individuals so my overall annual total for this reserve now stands at 557. However one fresh female was doing a very elaborate wing-roll wi...

Thanks, Goldie. The PEs are still flying around so you might get lucky with them.

Neil - What can I say that has not already been said. A mating pair of PE's ON THE GROUND!!!!

And then, almost as an afterthought - one of the most brilliant pics I have ever seen of a male PE with all four wings purple.

Crumbs.

Thanks Wurzel and Janet. Its an ambition of mine to try and get a much closer shot of the Dartford Warbler but they don't stay still for long and mostly they hide away in the heather and gorse. I used to live in the New Forest (for about 5 years), a prime location for them and was never able to get ...

Great Purple Hairstreak pics, Katrina, especially the close-up with wings open. I, too keep seeing them close to the ground (I presumed newly emerged) but for me they would not stay still long enough for pics so far this year.

Alice Holt Forest - 30th June 2018 Seeing as I had attained by own personal annual record count for Purple Emperors yesterday, I thought I would try other parts of the forest today to try and push the number up further. This time I explored the area known as the Willows Green Enclosure and there I f...

Dave - Great shots of all those Purple Emperors. Also I looked back though your recent posts and found that wonderful moment you captured a Small Heath with its wings open. Now that really is a rarity!

Amazing White Admiral ab, Trevor. Maybe you should call it a Black Admiral?

The Purple Hairstreak upper wing shots are very fine too.

Wurzel - I love it. Now you are reporting on Spring brood Coppers just as the Summer ones are getting going! At this rate you will be reporting your sightings of Brown Hairstreaks when everyone else is doing Orange Tips!

Janet, Neil and Wurzel - Thanks. It seems to be a good year for Purple Emperors. I wish you all well on your purpling forays. Also, Wurzel. Sorry but we are fully booked at the Purple Towers Hotel at the moment; but we do have vacancies from the second week of August right through until late June ne...

Alice Holt Forest - 29th June 2018 More purpling toady. I started off at the northern end of the Abbots Wood Enclosure with the idea I would increase my annual count of Purple Emperors by going to a place I had not yet been this year and sure enough I found two there. My total this year is now 15, b...