Cheers Trevor
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
, Yes, the DGFs would normally emerge later at Arnside than down south. The season in general usually runs later the further north you go; in fact in the midlands I am often a week or so behind the south east.
Thanks Goldie
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
, when I met Rob Petley-Jones at Gait Barrows as described in my report on the previous page, he was very concerned about the lack of Fritillaries there.
The clearing at Arnside can be found by either,
- Walk back to the cattle grid and go over the stile on the left and down the slope. There is a gate near the bottom through the woods to your left and into the clearing.
or
- Go through the small gate at the end of the car park and walk straight on then bear right and go downhill into an open area. Half way down there is a path that branches off to the right, follow this until you get to the trees where there is a small gate in a stone wall. Go through the gate and follow the path down through the trees until it opens out into the clearing.
Right then, time for a bit of a catch up from last weekend…
Friday 31st July
We returned home late on Thursday (30th July) and then on Friday morning we had to get a bit of shopping in and do a bit of ‘stuff’ around the house. I also spent a bit of time pottering about in the garden and was pleased to be greeted back by a new Speckled Wood.
![Coverdale 31.07.2015 003 resize.JPG (637.2 KiB) Viewed 821 times Speckled Wood - Coverdale 31.07.2015](./files/thumb_10101_e96073cd056ac7801f0768e33ccd8bc7)
- Speckled Wood - Coverdale 31.07.2015
It soon became apparent that numbers of whites had increased during the week with all three common species chasing each other about through the garden. Female Holly Blues had also joined the males in their wanderings.
![Coverdale 31.07.2015 013 resize.JPG (567.29 KiB) Viewed 821 times Holly Blue female - Coverdale 31.07.2015](./files/thumb_10101_1448726f344b5995008d2712d3dab708)
- Holly Blue female - Coverdale 31.07.2015
![Coverdale 31.07.2015 014 resize.JPG (504.69 KiB) Viewed 821 times Holly Blue male - Coverdale 31.07.2015](./files/thumb_10101_ce6909dfd13eee892c5ec509c3d8d50c)
- Holly Blue male - Coverdale 31.07.2015
Later in the afternoon we went round for our usual Friday visit to my Mom and I took the opportunity, whilst the women were chatting, to have a look around the park down the road from her house.
Again, all three whites were plentiful as were Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns by the areas of long Grass. There were also a few Ringlets hanging in there but these were now very tired and raggedy specimens.
![Langley Hall 31.07.2015 012 resize.JPG (671.31 KiB) Viewed 821 times Green-veined white - Langley Hall 31.07.2015](./files/thumb_10101_881b6d9c8db47da36587a7d8d4fecd1c)
- Green-veined white - Langley Hall 31.07.2015
![Langley Hall 31.07.2015 030 resize.JPG (644.83 KiB) Viewed 821 times Gatekeeper female - Langley Hall 31.07.2015](./files/thumb_10101_9c468fb959f4b6c3df256df1ba544c8b)
- Gatekeeper female - Langley Hall 31.07.2015
Small and Essex skippers were buzzing about in good numbers with the former now looking to be on the way out and the latter still going strong, no doubt due to the fact that the Essex normally have a slightly later flight period.
![Langley Hall 31.07.2015 027 resize.JPG (616.85 KiB) Viewed 821 times Small Skipper - Langley Hall 31.07.2015](./files/thumb_10101_bad19229e530683d33a3b599f53640a8)
- Small Skipper - Langley Hall 31.07.2015
![Langley Hall 31.07.2015 035 resize.JPG (653.04 KiB) Viewed 821 times Essex Skipper - Langley Hall 31.07.2015](./files/thumb_10101_d92ff6c72702f2b0679688ba0ba59792)
- Essex Skipper - Langley Hall 31.07.2015
![Langley Hall 31.07.2015 039 resize.JPG (512.84 KiB) Viewed 821 times Essex Skipper - Langley Hall 31.07.2015](./files/thumb_10101_c2cafe3e26bec7a7872f0d42688a6934)
- Essex Skipper - Langley Hall 31.07.2015
I was also pleased to find a fresh looking male Small Copper in one spot defending his territory. Second brood Small Coppers had been thin on the ground locally so far and I was hoping that they were just late rather than having a particularly bad year...I have since seen more but that would be getting ahead of myself and they will have to wait their turn.
![Langley Hall 31.07.2015 061 resize.JPG (632.34 KiB) Viewed 821 times Small Copper - Langley Hall 31.07.2015](./files/thumb_10101_d80370d49618535cc15a3550533f36f2)
- Small Copper - Langley Hall 31.07.2015
![Langley Hall 31.07.2015 064 resize.JPG (680.37 KiB) Viewed 821 times Small Copper - Langley Hall 31.07.2015](./files/thumb_10101_3b7e0016a67200e881bd5d531431106f)
- Small Copper - Langley Hall 31.07.2015
There are a number of mature Oaks in this park and I have often spent a bit of time looking up at them in the hope of seeing a Purple Hairstreak flitting about. I was eventually rewarded this afternoon by a silvery shape fluttering about the higher branches in typical hairstreak fashion and when it settled I managed to get a couple of (very) long distance photos to confirm the ID. The shot below is a tight crop of one of these which just about shows the PH in the middle of the frame.
![Langley Hall 31.07.2015 051 resize.JPG (760.51 KiB) Viewed 821 times Purple Hairstreak just visible in the middle of the photo.](./files/thumb_10101_fe392abfba417f750e2d0bedbdf1ec07)
- Purple Hairstreak just visible in the middle of the photo.
I was well chuffed with this sighting as it confirmed my suspicion that Purple Hairstreaks were present in the park.
Sunday 3rd August
It was Jane’s birthday on Saturday (1st August) so disappearing off butterflying was out of the question if I wanted to retain any brownie points for the rest of the season
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
. On Sunday, after the usual weekend stuff, I had a couple of hours free so went for a walk along the footpaths at my local spot at Castle Hills in what has become typical conditions, that is, mixed cloud and sun with a blustery breeze and temperatures around the high teens.
The usual Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers were around in good numbers although not quite so many as the previous week. Loads of Small and Essex Skippers were in the grassy meadows with a lot of both species now looking worn and faded.
There were half a dozen or so fresh looking male Common Blues scattered about and I also found what looks to be the same male (only a bit more worn now) with the spots on his hind wings that I saw here the previous week. He had moved into a new territory centred a couple of hundred yards away from the first and a new fresh male had moved into his old spot. I wondered whether the new one had kicked him out or whether he had moved on of his own accord and the new chap had just move into the vacant spot.
![Castle Hills 02.08.2015 018 resize.JPG (587.6 KiB) Viewed 821 times Common Blue with spots from previous week - Castle Hills 02.08.2015](./files/thumb_10101_0c3e783514429f0719292045e13466ed)
- Common Blue with spots from previous week - Castle Hills 02.08.2015
![Castle Hills 02.08.2015 005 resize.JPG (609.67 KiB) Viewed 821 times The new occupant...](./files/thumb_10101_90f8331f7d45765b086ad61819d843fe)
- The new occupant...
![Castle Hills 02.08.2015 061 resize.JPG (548.98 KiB) Viewed 821 times Another Common Blue male - Castle Hills 02.08.2015](./files/thumb_10101_53c4a8a055cc858d8d20295ac198b596)
- Another Common Blue male - Castle Hills 02.08.2015
Marbled Whites were still about albeit in lower numbers and looking faded now,
![Castle Hills 02.08.2015 036 resize.JPG (634.04 KiB) Viewed 821 times Marbled White - Castle Hills 02.08.2015](./files/thumb_10101_74457088ab51c542be7116b964054bb2)
- Marbled White - Castle Hills 02.08.2015
All three common whites were flying in good numbers and a few each of summer brood Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells completed the tally for the afternoon.
![Castle Hills 02.08.2015 047 resize.JPG (566.79 KiB) Viewed 821 times Small White and Cinnabar Moth caterpillar on Ragwort - Castle Hills 02.08.2015](./files/thumb_10101_ecf848297ceda31a47efdda57a4a50fd)
- Small White and Cinnabar Moth caterpillar on Ragwort - Castle Hills 02.08.2015
![Castle Hills 02.08.2015 045 resize.JPG (624.6 KiB) Viewed 821 times Peacock - Castle Hills 02.08.2015](./files/thumb_10101_7c5379201a1e34f853354eaf09a3ac53)
- Peacock - Castle Hills 02.08.2015
![Castle Hills 02.08.2015 052 resize.JPG (541.81 KiB) Viewed 821 times Small Tortoiseshell - Castle Hills 02.08.2015](./files/thumb_10101_ef5ba91b7b00da87c586a403438ee782)
- Small Tortoiseshell - Castle Hills 02.08.2015
No Small Coppers at this site yet, in fact all second brood stuff seemed to be a bit slow appearing around here.
Bye for now,
Neil.