![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Yes Indeed Wurzel, Chequered Skippers to come
June 3rd -10th A trip up North part 1.
We have just returned from a fabulous week during which we stayed at Silverdale in the Arnside & Silverdale AONB for a couple of nights before carrying on to Scotland for four nights at Fort William. We then returned to Silverdale for another couple of nights before heading home this morning (Saturday 11th).
The weather during the whole trip was absolutely fabulous with temperatures on most days, including those spent in Scotland, reaching the mid-twenties. The only rain we saw was last Tuesday night in Fort William, when we had a few hours of proper heavy straight down stuff, and yesterday morning in Silverdale when it drizzled a bit until late morning and then brightened up again. It was also drizzly this morning when we left for home but in a way that was probably for the best as otherwise I would have been tempted to hang around the area for a bit and I had already given the brownie points a major hit over the previous week.
No doubt as a result of the good weather that the North-West seems to have had recently the season around Silverdale/Arnside seemed a little early. So much so that I was surprised to find Northern Brown Argus (salmacis) already out when we stopped off at Warton Crag on the Friday afternoon (June 3rd). I had hoped to find early NBA on our way back the following weekend but did not expect to see them on the way up.
The season was even further ahead in the area around Fort William but more of that to come when I have had time to sort my notes and photos out into some sort of order.
My main target for the trip was Chequered Skipper which would be a first for me and would be the last species I needed to see for the UK mainland list, with just Cryptic Wood White in Ireland now remaining for completeness. I ended up seeing 20 species, including plenty of CSK, which far outweighed my expectations for the trip and included some pleasant surprises
In no particular order;
Northern Brown Argus (salmacis) – seen at Warton Crag, Arnside Knott, Gait Barrows, Latterbarrow.
Speckled Wood – Warton Crag, Arnside Knott, Gait Barrows, Meathop Moss
Common Blue – Warton Crag, Arnside Knott, Glen Loy.
Small Copper – One worn individual seen at Glasdrum Wood.
Green Hairstreak – Warton Crag, Glen Loy.
Dingy Skipper – Warton Crag, Arnside Knott.
Large Skipper – one at Warton Crag (June 3rd), one at Latterbarrow June 10th).
Chequered Skipper – Glasdrum Wood, Glen Loy, Alt Mhuic.
Orange-tip – Warton Crag, Arnside Knott, Glen Nevis, Loch Arkaig.
Green-veined White – Warton Crag, Glasdrum Wood, Glen Nevis.
Brimstone – one at Arnside Knott.
Peacock – one at Gait Barrows (June 4th) and one very worn individual at Meathop Moss (June 10th).
Painted Lady – one at Cuil Bay (June 7th), one at Latterbarrow (June 10th).
Small Tortoiseshell – one very fresh summer brood at Latterbarrow (June 10th).
Large Heath – ssp.scotica at Glen Loy (June 7th & 8th) and ssp.davus at Meathop Moss (June 10th)
Small Heath – appeared almost everywhere.
Marsh Fritillary – two worn examples at Cuil Bay (June 7th).
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary – all sites in Silverdale/Arnside plus loads at Glasdrum Wood and Glen Loy
Dark Green Fritillary – two fresh examples at Arnside Knott (June 10th)
Mountain Ringlet – Irton Fell (June 9th)
As well as the butterflies there were also plenty of moths seen during the day including;
Chimney Sweeper – loads at Warton Crag, also at Glen Loy.
Clouded Buff – Cuil Bay, Glen Loy, Irton Fell.
Silver Hook – Glen Loy.
Northern Eggar - Alt Mhuic, Glen Loy, Loads of males flying about at high speed.
Argent & Sable – one seen at Glen Loy.
Small Argent & Sable – A few identified at Glen Loy
White-spotted Sable – Glasdrum Wood.
Plus loads of various day flying moths that wouldn’t stop still to be identified.
The areas that we went to have some stunning scenery but unfortunately the impact and grand scale of this doesn’t really come across in photos but here are a few shots, book-ended with the first and last butterflies that I photographed on the trip.
![ArnsideSilverdale 06.16 003 resize.JPG (525.09 KiB) Viewed 608 times The first - Northern Brown Argus(salmacis) at Warton Crag 03.06.2016](./files/thumb_10101_512cf65ac1773036467e3156044abcd5)
- The first - Northern Brown Argus(salmacis) at Warton Crag 03.06.2016
![ArnsideSilverdale 06.16 061 resize.JPG (840.67 KiB) Viewed 608 times The view from our first B&B just up the road from RSPB Leighton Moss.](./files/thumb_10101_557988088f77f19cc87874389aa11e69)
- The view from our first B&B just up the road from RSPB Leighton Moss.
![Scotland 06.16 104 resize.JPG (771.8 KiB) Viewed 608 times A stop off at Glasdrum Wood on the way to Fort William.](./files/thumb_10101_c6308b812608e86a1e9c9edd14f77155)
- A stop off at Glasdrum Wood on the way to Fort William.
![Scotland 06.16 128 resize.JPG (882.98 KiB) Viewed 608 times The view over Loch Linnhe that greeted us each morning from our bedroom in Fort William...and the sky was like that most days.](./files/thumb_10101_5fd3f62f3041e2f8ae685f59dc2d9138)
- The view over Loch Linnhe that greeted us each morning from our bedroom in Fort William...and the sky was like that most days.
![Scotland 06.16 567 resize.JPG (527.45 KiB) Viewed 608 times The same view as above but just before 10.00pm at night...it stays light for ages up there.](./files/thumb_10101_d263dc15f853bc649c6368f9e806c201)
- The same view as above but just before 10.00pm at night...it stays light for ages up there.
![Scotland 06.16 170 resize.JPG (795.82 KiB) Viewed 608 times The track into Glen Loy...fabulous country.](./files/thumb_10101_02bcdc2cf1a16c198ae7e4592b1cd8e4)
- The track into Glen Loy...fabulous country.
![Scotland 06.16 875 resize.JPG (686.13 KiB) Viewed 608 times Clouds building over Ben Nevis. A few patches of snow lingering up there but twenty plus degrees in the glens.](./files/thumb_10101_758db583201950faa1de7cb87255d6a7)
- Clouds building over Ben Nevis. A few patches of snow lingering up there but twenty plus degrees in the glens.
![ArnsideSilverdale 06.16 353 resize.JPG (805.62 KiB) Viewed 608 times Wildflowers at Latterbarrow in South Cumbria.](./files/thumb_10101_b5089c9ab6383f0fa496bc6c38521198)
- Wildflowers at Latterbarrow in South Cumbria.
![ArnsideSilverdale 06.16 491 resize.JPG (674.33 KiB) Viewed 608 times The last butterfly seen late on Friday afternoon, a female Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary at Arnside Knott.](./files/thumb_10101_ec48b693fd2f96ce11aca1b00fa6d206)
- The last butterfly seen late on Friday afternoon, a female Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary at Arnside Knott.
The rest of the butterfly photos will follow over the next few days when I get time to sort through them all and put some reports together.
Bye for now,
Neil.