millerd

[trevor]

What a difference a few days can make.
I was at ' the hill ' on the 15th, for several hours, no sign of a Marshie.
Going back ASAP.
Really looking forward to your results.

Brilliant stuff, Dave.
Trevor.

[bugboy]

Oooòoooh Marshies can't wait for the next post!

[Goldie M]

Hi! Dave , Wow! I'm catching up on the Butterflies you've posted , lovely shots, keep them coming, Goldie

[Wurzel]

Glad the Hill paid up Dave Sorry we got there a bit late, we're still playing catch-up having only just gotten our first Pearls It was great catching up and meeting Lee out in the field - looking forward to the next posting

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Thanks all, sorry about the wait for the next installment of The Day on the Hill...

After seeing the first Marsh Fritillary soon after ten, more and more appeared, along with others of the many species the site has to offer. There were lots of Small Heaths, constantly tangling with the Marshies which they resembled somewhat in size and colour - at least from a distance.

I spotted a handful of Small Blues here and there, quite different to Pitstone where they were everywhere.

I also found a female Adonis, slightly deformed and of a fairly subdued mostly brown colour.

At around this point, I bumped into Lee Hurrell - someone I see every year at least once somewhere or other in Southern England. As we caught up and generally chewed the fat, I spied two more figures approaching in the distance. Applying maximum zoom and then enlarging the image it was possible to recognise Wurzel and Phizoid wielding cameras as they made their way along the path.

Then followed a great deal more chat, as the Fritillaries danced around us. We did collectively find a male Adonis, which kept coming back to our general area, but rarely stopped for long.

We also noted the largest Orange Tip any of us had ever seen, and several Walls glided past, a deeper orange than the Marshies in flight, and somewhat larger too.

Eventually, it was time to leave this wonderful place (I was running out of water for one thing), and I walked slowly back to the car. Naturally enough I was distracted several times, not least of all by a couple of Grizzlies...

...and then a very fresh Wall that sat in the shade on the path in front of me.

It had been a glorious and memorable day, with many lovely butterflies and excellent company as well. It was great to see you all!

The Marsh Fritillaries deserve their own separate post... Coming right up!

Dave

[millerd]

The final installment of the serial... Marshies!

What a wonderfully colourful and variable butterfly!

Dave

[bugboy]

lovely Marshies, although I'm getting withdrawal symptoms, its been 3 years since I've had a Marshie fix!

[essexbuzzard]

Wow! Nuff said.

[Goldie M]

I'm like Bugboy, I've not seen Marshies for years, lovely shots Dave Goldie

[Wurzel]

A fantastic array of Marshies Dave Getting there early certainly was the way to go as by the time we arrived they were acting pretty manic

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Lee Hurrell]

Lovely to see you again, Dave! It's uncanny how we always bump into each other. This site can now be added to (by my reckoning): Fairmile Common, Denbies, Chiddingfold Forest, Aston Rowant... are there any more?

Cracking set of photos too.

Best wishes,

Lee

[Andrew555]

Beautiful stuff from the Hill Dave.

[millerd]

Thank you all - a most enjoyable way to spend a summer's day. Strange that - this month now feels completely like summer, even though we aren't into June yet and the Orange Tips are still flying (just!). Let's hope autumn doesn't arrive on the 1st July...

How to follow a day like that? Well, you can't really, so Sunday 20th May was a bit of a mark-time sort of day. First off was a trip down to Denbies to see how the Adonis were doing, after only one seen there last week. After negotiating endless cyclists, and re-routing because of the long queue of folk who like to spend their sunny Sundays dumping stuff at the local tip, I finally arrived at the car park only to find that the whole of Steers Field had been taken over by a couple of dozen assorted large vehicles and their occupants. National Trust officials seemed to be taking a keen interest, but as of today (Tuesday), I believe the situation remains unchanged. I made my way to the main hillside and back later via the woodland along to the west.

Adonis Blues were now out in good numbers, but the sun was strong and it was breezy (as usual) so photo opportunities were hard to come by.

There were also lots of Dingy Skippers and quite a few Brown Argus, plus Common Blues and even some elderly Green Hairstreaks.

For the second part of the day I decided to investigate Juniper Bottom, a small piece of downland which is part of the large Box Hill complex of woods and open hillsides.

I found the slope (at left of the picture) home to perhaps half a dozen freshly-emerged Common Blues, a handful of Dingy Skippers and at least one Grizzled Skipper.

Brimstones wandered through at intervals, and sure enough, buzzing around the scrubby dogwood was a Holly Blue.

The Common Blues were quite lovely - when brand new like this they nearly give the Adonis a run for their money.

A different kind of day, but the Blues at the end made it worthwhile.

Dave

[Lee Hurrell]

I found the slope (at left of the picture)

Give it a month and that slope will be good for Dark Green Fritillary too

Best wishes,

Lee

[Goldie M]

Lovely Butterflies Dave, I think when Common Blues are fresh there colour is a gorgeous Blue, I haven't seen Adonis for ages, another species I'd really like to see again Goldie

[millerd]

It will, Lee, and there'll probably be Silver-washed as well. I've seen both fly there confusingly at the same time.

Thank you Goldie, and I quite agree. Some of the Common Blues I've been seeing have been beautiful creatures.

Monday 21st May - more sunshine and a different destination: Aston Rowant. Breaking with habit, I had a look on the south side of the M40 to start with, but drew a complete blank here. Maybe I just go down the wrong path... Anyway, it took little time to get back to the more familiar north side of the reserve. Walking along the bottom path, I soon saw Green Hairstreaks (including one with a full set of white spots), Dingy Skippers and Brown Argus, but it wasn't until I reached the Beacon Hill area that Common Blues appeared - dozens of them - plus more of the other species too.

The sunshine kept them very active and photos were at something of a premium. Never mind, it was quite a spectacle to see so many Common Blues and Brown Argus flying all around me.

On the way back, I also came across a belligerent Small Copper, chasing anything and everything including a small bird that flew low and unexpectedly out of the scrub.

A scattering of Brimstones completed the picture. I saw no Adonis, but this site is always behind those further south, so in a day or two...

Dave

[Wurzel]

Great set of shots Dave clearly showing the changing of the guard - out with the spring Skippers in with the Blues

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Very much so, Wurzel - there has been a bit of a blue explosion over the last week. At the rate they are going they'll all be over in a fortnight!

Towards the end of the afternoon on 21st, I had a look at the larger open grassy area near me between the motorway and the M25. This is Heathrow's land, and earmarked for some kind of "development" regardless of which expansion option the airport elects to go for. Ominously, there were a lot of heavy vehicles churning up the ground over the winter, and they made a right mess. I fully expect certain species to be affected, possibly badly. However, I saw several Small Heaths this evening, and in one small area with a variety of flowers amongst the grass, I found first a Brown Argus and then a Common Blue. They were preparing to roost, but both opened up a bit and posed nicely even though the sun was a bit hazy.

When I reached home, I could see impressive thunderclouds building to the south west.

Nothing came my way, however.

Dave

[trevor]

You're doing a great job of ticking off the species as they emerge.
Great images from the hill. including the dodgy character in the hat !.
Also that storm cloud is well captured, fortunately I had two fine days in Wilts.

Trevor.

[Wurzel]

The colours on that open wing Common Blue Dave - gurt lush I reckon that the Common Blue suffers a bit from the same syndrome as Small Torts and Peacocks - because it's common we don't give it enough credit in the 'wow' stakes Cracking looking butterfly

Have a goodun

Wurzel

p.s. Trevor - that's no way to speak about Philzoid