Wurzel

[Maximus]

Great shots of the Heath Fritillaries Wurzel really glad you finally got to see them, cos they're worth it

Mike

[trevor]

HI, again, Wurzel,
A brilliant report and images from East Blean, it's always satisfying when a long journey is rewarded.
Heaths used to fly in the car park, in good numbers but that area has become overgrown.

All the best,
TREVOR.

[bugboy]

Sorry for going a bit Heath mad but these were my first and I tried to get shots of almost every single one I saw...so the shots here and in part 2 are just a small selection ...

Thats exactly what I was doing a day or two later at that same spot , they really are fabulous, charismatic little butterflies aren't they.

Oh and congratulations on getting to page 100 on your PD

[Hoggers]

Hi Wurzel I don't have far to go to see the Heaths but I know what it's like to travel a long way to see a butterfly I've dreamed about for ages and every time I make these long journeys I always bump into that guy who says he's been looking for hours and not seen a thing . It's either him or his mate, the one who greets you with the news that it was there a minute ago but just flew off strongly into the distance. So I'm glad you did see the Heaths!

Best wishes

Hoggers

[Goldie M]

Lovely shots Wurzel, I'm so glad you got to see the Heaths, their really some thing aren't they! I see you got your glassy shot Goldie

[Neil Freeman]

Congratulations on your Heath Fritillaries Wurzel, great report and photos , you can feel the happiness building through your report when you started to see them after your meeting with the prophet of doom.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Mike Indeed they are, just as David Ginola once said
Cheers Trevor Thta's what 'the Prophet' was telling us, but this year they've moved onto a small area almost directly behind the car park
Cheers Bugboy They're great little butterflies almost as if the great characteristics of the other Fritillaries have been rolled into one
Cheers Hoggers That phrase 'you should have been here..." should be banned from all nature watching activities
Cheers Goldie It wouldn't be a Wurzel report without at least one attempt at a 'stained glass'
Cheers Neil The prophet himself cheered up quickly enough too once we got into bucket loads of Heaths

East Blean Part 2

After returning to the car park for lunch we headed back to the clearing the cloud had returned and it had cooled slightly and so all the Heaths we were finding were roosting – often communally and we also found some more mating pairs.

We headed back into the clearing and ambled back and forth checking the Brambles, the grasses, the Cow Wheat and also the leaves up to about head height for any Heaths. A Hummingbird Hawk moth did a few fly-bys and we were both surprised how fast it was going despite the cooler temperatures. For the briefest of seconds it landed on the deck and I managed a total of two shots before it was off again doing whatever it needed to do and zipping by us a few more times before we left. There was the briefest of brightness and some Heaths gave up roosting to fly quite feebly or to bask in the little sun there was but mainly it was getting dimmer and cooler so eventually all the Heaths that we found were roosting. Whilst investigating a patch of Brambles along the path something larger and darker flitted by and proved to be my first Meadow Brown of 2015.

We finished up with more roosting Heaths and then headed back to the car park and home – to muse and discuss our observations from the day. It seemed ironic that we only saw three species all day and the most numerous (probably into triple figures) was the rarest. Also despite there seeming to be large areas of perfectly acceptable coppice the Heaths were mainly restricted to the one clearing where the coppice was just mature enough but not too mature, the Goldilocks clearing. It seems that we’d timed it perfectly as 3 minutes into the journey home the rain started which I didn’t mind as I’d seen mine Heaths!

Heath madness over, normal service will resume for a couple of posts and then there are some Large Blues

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Willrow]

Super shots of those fantastic Heath Fritillary Wurz...one small point though, regarding that last image - I'm glad there is a leaf between your finger and a species you need a license to handle otherwise you could have been in some real trouble...cos' we would have snitched on you...

BW's

Bill

"When in doubt - venture out"

[Katrina]

Great photos Wurzel. The three on one leaf shot is brilliant!

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, I love the three on a leaf as well, also the one showing your finger, don't know how you managed that

It's great to know the Heath's are still doing well, when I was there last year I saw only an odd one or two, that was about the 12th of July, they could have been early though because the weather was better last year and every thing was early.

I'm surprised you didn't see any White Admiral's their usually about at this time of year and in the car park the Oak Tree's there are supposed to have Purple Hair Streaks ( that's according to the Ranger I met there) not that I've seen them I'm going there in August, the Ranger said tea time was the best time to see them so fingers crossed

Looking at your dates it was probably too early any way. Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Willrow It was more a case of them handling me than the other way round
Cheers Katrina for your kind comment
Cheers Goldie The Heaths were certainly worth waiting for - only problem is that now I want to see them next season too

Larkhill WB 15-06-2015

15-06-2015

I couldn’t stop here today as I had to get to work early to invite a new member of staff but as I drove past I saw a familiar White van with black stars painted on it as well as a proper Romany caravan and horses grazing. I’ll have to have a proper look tomorrow and possibly catch up with my Traveller mate, him with the Tats and ears bedecked with piercings.

16-06-2015 AM

I felt a bit bad about stopping off this morning as I didn’t want to disturb the Travellers but I made it as quietly as possible to the Westbound Path. A quick wander along was slightly derailed as I had to manouvre around one of the tethered horses. There wasn’t an awful lot around and so after grabbing a few shots of one of the three Large Skippers and memorising the tally of 3 Small Heath, 2 Common Blues and a Brown Argus I made to set off for work thinking that at least I hadn’t woken the Travellers – that was until their dogs spotted me. The big Alsatian stayed back giving hoarse barks whilst the tiny Jack Russell came over to investigate, a little scratch behind the ear and he toddled back to report to the main guard that I was ‘ok’.

PM

That afternoon I was hoping for my first Small Skipper so I set off down the West bund path – only one horse to get past here unlike the three blocking the Northbound path. A quick stroll down and back and I came up with the largest count of; 1 Small Tort, a male Brimstone, 4 Brown Argus, 2 Large Skipper, 3 Small Heath, 16 Common Blue (really are common this year) a possible Painted Lady and precisely zero Small Skippers – oh well they’ll appear!

17-06-2015 AM

As the exam period has drawn to a close at lunch I was able to head out and over to the small field on the edge of the housing estate. A 10 minute walk around led me to believe that we are really entering into the June hiatus as I managed to notch up only a single Common Blue and numerous skippers, all of which turned out to be Large. As I was heading back to the car a Small White, lovely and fresh stopped salving my despondency.

PM

A brief usual stop-off on the way home with very changeable weather – one minute grey, windy and cool the next absolutely roasting! I strolled down the Westbound at past the horse and the closely cropped grass. On the way down I counted 7 Common Blues, 8 Small Heaths and four Large Skippers there were also plenty of grass moths and Burnet Companions along with a couple at least of Silver-Y’s. On the way back I notched up a Specklie looking lovely and fresh as well a Cinnabar and Mother Shipton. Once back at the car park I caught up with my traveller friend and we discussed that he’d missed the Small Blues and various other aspects of emergence patterns and just as I was talking about gaps between broods a spied a very fresh Small Tort and a very worn Brown Argus as if to illustrate my point. I bade him ‘have a goodun’ and ‘see you Friday (course tomorrow) I put the pedal to the metal to get home before I was considered ‘late’.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Just caught up with your Heath Fritillaries, Wurzel. They are amazing. I think I shall miss out on them this year, sadly, but those wonderful shots of yours nearly compensate! Nearly...

Dave

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, I think we're a long way behind you up here, we've got the Large Skipper's no Small yet and the Meadow Brown's have only just shown up, it's raining again here and I'm confined to the house for this week (some thing I've eaton) are could be the Sun, it came as a shock to us last week Goldie

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Wurzel,

More great Heath Frit shots, my turn to be feeling

Looks like the Hedge Browns are starting to show up, time to start checking those spots

Cheers,

Neil

[kevling]

Wurzel,

Just catching up with your PD. Your Heath Fritillaries are fantastic. The three on a leaf shot is possibly my favourite photo of the year so far. I also like the female Common Blue too.

Regards Kev

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave Glad to be of service
Cheers Goldie The sun will shine soon, it has too
Cheers Neil I had my first the other day - no excessa yet but soon hopefully
Cheers Kev for your very kind comment

Laverstock/Tutor 15-06-2015

I left K in the room hard at work and I was away up the Down after a brief stop counting 13 Slow Worms under three mats all before 5pm. As I cut across to make my way onto the site proper from the track I headed right this time and worked my way along the Bramble bushes that line the edge of the reserve.
This proved to be a very productive spot and I soon started notching up the species count. First up was a Specklie that decided to play a quick game of hide-and –seek. Once I’d won the first round as a prize it posed nicely for me, wings stretched wide and catching the sun. Then a Small Tort stopped briefly and I started getting distracted by Meadow Browns and Large Skippers with a couple of pairs battling it out among the Bramble flowers. As I was making my way back a belligerent Peacock made a swooping dive at me before settling down in the evening sun on a small log. It was obviously vying for my attention so I took a few shots to keep it happy.

Eventually I made my way along to the path where I’d started out from and continued along the usual route to the main part of the Down. It felt cooler now, the wind had picked up and the sun was hiding behind the clouds so there wasn’t an awful lot about on the journey just the odd Meadow Brown or two at each Bramble bush it seemed. As I started to work my way up the side of the Down there were the usual Common Blues, Small Heaths and a Dingy with a few Adonis intermingled with them.

It was while I was trying to work out whether to pursue the Adonis or whether I should move on up the Down that a White flew from amongst the grass. Only it wasn’t a White, it seemed more grey and smaller than other Whites. I watched it from a far as it landed and then worked my way round and down so that I would be facing up hill at it and it wouldn’t take off. As soon as I clapped eyes on it my memory jolted and synapses that hadn’t been fired for almost a year kicked in. It was my first Marbled White of 2015 and hence the grey/off white colouration as it flew.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pauline]

Some stunning shots there Wurzel, especially that Peacock - I've never managed to get one as good as that, definitely a 'wish I'd taken it shot' .

[Goldie M]

Love the Marble Whites Wurzel, their stunning Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Pauline A lucky shot that was
Cheers Goldie

Collard Hill 2015

Last year I finally made the journey to Collard Hill to make acquaintance with the Large Blue. It was a poor year for them and so I only saw two females, both with wings closed. This year, fresh from Heath Fritillaries, I was hoping for a few more encounters with Big Blue!

Somehow I managed to wangle some time out from the chores and so set off bright and early for Somerset with the added bonus of an “open and closed wing” prediction from K. After shaving a number of minutes off of the SatNav time I pulled into the car park, booted up and was away. There were several Meadow Browns in amidst the longer grasses on the way as well as plenty of Spotted Orchids with the odd Butterfly Orchid thrown in. A blue bombed towards me and just for a fraction of a second I wondered if I could really be that jammy, of course I wasn’t it was just a Common.

Having eventually crossed the road – possibly the most dangerous part of the whole trip – I was on site and eyes peeled. Reports on the Blog suggested first that the Quarry would be good, then the Glades and then the scrub; so pretty much the whole site then. This led me to think that it would be a case bumbling along until I eventually stumbled onto one rather than actively stalking out one little part and with this plan in mind I set off first down the quarry, across the field and towards the Glades. On the way I spied a female Common Blue, looking all slate blue and trying to convince me that she was a Large but her orangey spots gave her away. There were also some more Meadow Browns, the odd Small Heath as well as a Large Skipper hanging out near the Brambles and in the Glade a Marbled White. No Large Blue though – and I started to criticise myself for not “genning” up before coming as I didn’t really know what I was looking for.

My meanderings meant that I was now back at the line of scrub in the middle of the Down and at the foot of the hill I saw a couple of people leaning over a patch of ground and as I got closer I could make out a little white flag. Two of us managed to stay with it as if fluttered weakly around the foot of the hill amongst the scrub. Luckily it opened up despite the sun and there was my first open winged shot of a Large Blue.

Not the best shot but check the colour!

After following it up the side of the slope and through one of the gaps in the scrub it started making as if to oviposit and so we watched it even more intently and as it landed again I spied a second one. The other couple of gents followed one and I stayed with the second which I also thought was a female. I was able to ascertain that it was because it moved and then laid an egg on a small patch of Thyme, right next to an ant burrow.

Things were going brilliantly; I’d equalled the two that I had seen last year as well as getting my first egg and open wing shots. I paused in the shade to check through my photos and saw two blue butterflies moving slowly up the hill, the smaller one was hassling the large one and the something about the shade of blue suggested they were both Large. They passed me by and I then watched their progress. I was hoping that they were going to mate and eyed the large Dragonfly that made a few passes cautiously – although what I would have done should it have struck I don’t know? Luckily neither was taken and they landed the bigger one seemed calm and just perched with wings closed whilst the smaller one buzzed around it in an agitated manner until eventually it backed up and locked on. Amazing a pair in cop! They seemed to have found an unsuitable place to mate as they constantly moved around the leaf changing their position as if trying to get comfortable. They couldn’t and so took a very short flight still locked together to a blade of grass which the larger one (female?) shimmied up to the top of dragging the smaller (male?) one behind.

I left them in relative peace having put someone else onto them and then checked out the very top of the field where there were two blues, a Common and a male Large Blue, fresh out of the box! It was simply stunning. While I was photographing it an ant crawled onto my jeans which if it is the correct species would make a great addition to the day.

I started to make my way homewards only to be waylaid by another two Large Blues – one sitting and waiting to be found, the other not stopping at all and actively seeking.

What a morning! Males, females, open wings, closed wings egg laying and egg, mating pair, freshly emerged and possibly the ant – almost the entire life cycle!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Well, Wurzel, that is an absolutely stunning set of Large Blues. They do seem to be having a good year, but to get so many beautiful fresh ones is brilliant - the colours are extraordinary. Add to that the egg and a likely-looking ant... It all deserves a full set of from me!

Dave