Sunday
21st August. The weather forecast was not very clear cut, so having resolved that today would be a Brown Hairstreak day, I had to decide where to go. I took the nearest option, on the basis that if it turned out cloudy or wet, not much effort would have been expended. I therefore headed for Bookham Common, arriving around 11.
The sun was just showing signs of appearing, and the strongish wind looked set to assist in blowing away the cloud cover. The first thing I saw was a surprise - a male Large Skipper, nearly three months after I'd seen the first one this year.
I wandered slowly up and down the path running west from the Hundred Pound Bridge, disturbing lots of Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers, a few Speckled Woods and a Comma.
As the sun came out properly, I ventured into the field adjacent to this path, and was pleased to see the Small Copper colony here was doing fine.
There were a reasonable number of Common Blues as well.
On my second circuit, around one o'clock, I spotted a small dull-looking butterfly down on the brambles by the path. As I approached, I identified it as a male Brown Hairstreak, but before I could even wave the camera at it, it set off for the treetops. However, this disappointment was immediately countered when a female Brown Hairstreak appeared, meandering along the hedgerow, stopping frequently and opening up a little too. It has large cuts in its hindwings, showing the value of those tails when thwarting bird attacks.
Eventually, it disappeared over the hedge into the field. On my next walk in this meadow, I encountered the same butterfly again, where it was spending time in the hedge seeking out blackthorn on which to lay.
A short while later I found another female sitting in the hedge, but it took off as I came near and was swept off by the wind. I returned to the main path, and was having a final look round when there in front of me was another female Hairstreak, basking with wings fully open.
It stayed like that a while, before hopping along the hedge as the other one had done, stopping enough to give some underside views. It was in better condition, with one tail at least partially intact.
Dave