Following on from the theme of things I missed out during the year this takes me back to the end of May:
Saturday 30.5.2015 Thundry Meadows, Surrey
I do nearly all of my butterfly watching within Hampshire. This was one of my rare excursions outside of my home county. My wife had taken me away for the weekend as a surprise
. It was such a surprise I did not get to do any forward planning. On the Saturday I was told I had the day to go and find some butterflies so I drove off
blind without a map and stopped at the first likely looking spot
- Male Brimstone
- female Orange Tip
That likely spot was Thundry Meadow, a small SSSI managed by Surrey wildlife trust containing a variety of different habitats beside the river Wey. One interesting fact that I learnt here was that mature Alder trees are something of a rarity in Surrey. This is such a contrast to my home turf where Alder is one of the commonest trees. The site is also specifically managed for Adders amongst other things, But I did not see one.
- Ragged Small Tortoiseshell
- One of many Mayflies
- The Peacocks all looked a bit tired
The weather was just about ok, a bit windy but mostly sunny with a chance of rain. Things were a bit slow to start. A few whites, orange tips, Brimstone, Peacock and a single Red Admiral but everything seemed to be looking a bit tired and worn out, the last throws of spring perhaps. One poor Small Tortoiseshell looked particularly ragged, but still had bundles of energy. Being a wet site there was plenty of Cuckoo Flower and Orange tips around, adults as well as a few larvae. Whilst taking some photos of Orange Tip larvae I managed to capture a micromoth of some sort which appeared to be egglaying on the same Cuckoo Flower. There were also plenty of Mayflies around
- Orange Tip larvae large and small
- This micromoth appears to be egglaying on the same Cuckoo Flower plant as the Orange Tips
I thought I had exhausted the whole site and was on the point of leaving until I realised there was more to see. Through a gate and small wooded area I emerged into habitat which reminded me of the New Forest. By now it was a bit more sunny and the wind had died away somewhat. Peacocks, Orange Tips and Brimstones were all enjoying this more sheltered area. I then spotted a something silvery Grey. I was surprised to find a pristine Brown Argus, my first of the year. Another Brown Argus flying together with a single fresh male Common Blue completed my species list for the day.
- My first Brown Argus of the year
- A pristine male Common Blue to round off the day
This was a pleasantly relaxing few hours in unfamiliar territory. I met several people here, some of which had come from quite distance. One lady had come all the way from Switzerland! Looks like I happened upon a nice little spot
as I kept moving my head to get a better view. Luckily I did not end up with any bald patches 
Embarrassingly, none of this years pics were backed up 
