millerd

[millerd]

It's interesting seeing how the Holly Blue choice of food plant changes as the year progresses, Buggy. Certainly right at the start of their season they lay on holly, but holly flower buds opened weeks ago, and they progressed to dogwood. These buds have largely opened now, and the butterflies have moved on to various legumes, including BFT, vetches and goat's rue. Once these have all flowered, the first brood will have finally disappeared; by the time their descendants are on the scene, the first ivy flower buds will be available.

Thanks, Trevor - there was a fair bit of grovelling on the ground to get those BA shots, but the butterfly was undisturbable so great was the concentration on the task in hand.

Cheers, Andrew - I have some more attractive female Common Blues to come from yesterday, once I get through all the photos... Yes, brand new Large Skippers are a very attractive butterfly, truly golden underneath. Given some hot sunshine and they are unbelieveably quick through the air as well!

Friday 1st June: the prospect of horrendous traffic on the M25 kept me local again today, and I popped over to Bedfont Lakes CP again. I only found a handful of Common Blues today, one of which was a standard largely brown female.

There were a couple each of Small Heath, Brown Argus and Speckled Wood...

...and the obligatory egg-laying female Holly Blue.

One sunny bit of path was the territory of the only Large Skipper I saw on the visit.

Later on, I paid a short visit to my local patch. I turned up another couple of Orange Tip caterpillars, and it was only when I looked at the photos later that noticed something puzzling. The first one appeared green on top and white underneath, but the second one seemed to be white on top and green underneath.

A couple of Small Heaths posed nicely, and the second of the two had (in common with others posted on the forum) a very clear series of white/silver ocelli on the under hindwing.

Finally, just before reaching home, I spotted a flash of orange in the grass - a rather battered Small Copper in the area where I had seen the last few in 2017. I still don't know the location of the sorrel where this colony must be based.

Dave

[ernie f]

It's interesting seeing how the Holly Blue choice of food plant changes as the year progresses, Buggy. Certainly right at the start of their season they lay on holly, but holly flower buds opened weeks ago, and they progressed to dogwood. These buds have largely opened now, and the butterflies have moved on to various legumes, including BFT, vetches and goat's rue. Once these have all flowered, the first brood will have finally disappeared; by the time their descendants are on the scene, the first ivy flower buds will be available.
Dave

Thanks for this information. I have five books on butterflies, one of which is specific to Holly Blues and none of them mention anything other than Holly and Ivy as food plants.

[bugboy]

It's interesting seeing how the Holly Blue choice of food plant changes as the year progresses, Buggy. Certainly right at the start of their season they lay on holly, but holly flower buds opened weeks ago, and they progressed to dogwood. These buds have largely opened now, and the butterflies have moved on to various legumes, including BFT, vetches and goat's rue. Once these have all flowered, the first brood will have finally disappeared; by the time their descendants are on the scene, the first ivy flower buds will be available.
Dave

Thanks for this information. I have five books on butterflies, one of which is specific to Holly Blues and none of them mention anything other than Holly and Ivy as food plants.

You can add to that list Buckthorns, Heather, Bramble as well as many alien garden plants like Pyrocantha and Cotoneaster Ernie. Amongst our butterflies I think only the Green Hairstreak rivals it in the range of larval foodplants chosen.

[kevling]

Dave,

A couple of cracking shots of the Small Heath. I find these particularly hard to capture close up. They are either quite nervy or I'm just clumsy I did manage one last week that was the exception to the norm though. I like the detail and composition of your photos.

Kind Regards
Kev

[Wurzel]

That 'standard largely brown' female Common Blue is starting to become the rarity with the 'blue' Blues becoming the standard Dave I agree with Kev, great shots of the Small Heaths with great ocelli

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Buggy is quite right, Ernie - Holly Blues lay on an amazing variety of plants at this time of year. The ones local to me seemed to have gradually changed their choices as the season has progressed. Certainly the idea that Holly is the main option at this time of year appears far from accurate these days.

Cheers, Kev - Small Heaths are more cooperative (like many others, truth be told) first thing in the morning when they nectar and late in the afternoon when they think about settling down for the night. If you adopt a suitable grovelling posture it is possible to crawl quite close to them.

Thanks, Wurzel - there seems to be a crop of well-spotted Small Heaths this year, and as for the female Common Blues, I promise a few more in forthcoming posts!

Saturday 2nd June: Another sunny day - well, the afternoon certainly. I set off down to Bentley Wood hoping that there would still be some cloud as well as sunshine so that anything I saw wouldn't just fly madly around. I was partly successful, but if anything the skies were much clearer than they were at home. As with my previous visit a couple of weeks ago, the first butterfly to cross my path was a Marsh Fritillary. This was one of three seen altogether, and I think both the two I photographed are female.

After twenty minutes or so, I started seeing other Fritillaries, with a couple of well-worn PBF amongst half a dozen or so SPBF. One PBF was still laying eggs in last year's bracken leaf litter.

The SPBF proved difficult to approach - there are very few flowers out to tempt them down to nectar and those flowers that are there are hidden low in the vegetation, leading to shots like this.

Eventually I found a more docile individual which briefly climbed onto a finger and then opened up.

This butterfly appeared small, even by SPBF standards - no more than 3cm wingtip to wingtip.

Also seen in the Eastern Clearing today were two elderly Commas, an even more battered looking Grizzled Skipper, and a new Large Skipper.

The last of these had adopted a piece of the clearing as its territory and persistently chased any Fritillaries that strayed anywhere near.

Dave

[Wurzel]

I have shots of a very similar Small Pearl Dave and I know exactly where that Large Skipper set up it's territory - missed you by a couple of hours again Great set of shots BTW especially the last Marshie

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

A good selection of both the old and the new, Dave. It's not easy to see both PBF and SPBF simultaneously, so extra points for that!

[millerd]

Cheers, David - yes, three Fritillaries at the same time is not to be sneezed at.

Cheers, Wurzel - that really was the Smallest of Small Pearls... Shame to have have missed you - not by all that much either.

Sunday 3rd June: Another warm and sunny one, so I ventured up to Aston Rowant again to see if the Adonis were out up here. They certainly were, and in good numbers, concentrated mainly at the far end of the hillside at the foot of the slope and in particular in the gullies that are all that's left of an old trackway across the hill. Many were still beautifully new.

There were also a couple of curiousities: a very shiny and mutilated individual that looked from a distance like a piece of blue foil blowing in the wind...

...and a deep blue one that a closer look showed to have an aberrant underside.

The were still plenty of Common Blues too, with some interesting females.

The last of these was fresh and a subtly marked smoky stunner.

The most numerous species today was the Brown Argus. Many were getting worn now, but there were one or two beautiful shining new females.

Also seen today: The first few Meadow Browns, plus Small Heaths, Small Coppers, Speckled Woods, and a very delapidated Green Hairstreak.

It appears I just missed Lee Hurrell, who arrived for the late afternoon/evening shift just after I left - sorry to have missed you, Lee.

Another very good day out with probably the best Adonis I've seen so far this year.

Dave

[Maximus]

Lovely shots of the Adonis Blues at Aston, Dave but those female Brown Argus are simply stunning

Mike

[Wurzel]

Great stuff Dave That smoky female is a lovely looking Blue Also one or two of the Brown Argus have the white makrs round the black spot on the fore wing, don;t know if it's enough to be a 'snelleni'?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Thanks, Mike - those Brown Argus are lovely, aren't they?

There are always quite a few BA with that feature up at Aston Rowant, Wurzel. It doesn't look quite enough to be an ab., but there's something in the gene pool on that hillside...

Late afternoon on 3rd, I had a quick look locally for roosting Common Blues. However, the first thing I came across was a very active Comma, still one of the old guard.

The Blues I found next were still active, and I found a series of females in varying shades of blue and brown.

Dave

[Pauline]

Just catching up Dave - your 'smokey stunner' is exactly that. Gorgeous - gotta be something a bit special surely?

[Goldie M]

Lovely Butterflies Dave , love the shots of the Brown Argus Goldie

[millerd]

Thank you, Pauline - she was a beauty, certainly. I think I shall put together a digest of CB females from this year, as there has certainly been some real variety.

Thank you too, Goldie - there are some great Brown Argus around at the moment.

After a rare "blank" day on Monday 4th, on Tuesday 5th June it came out sunny again in the afternoon, so I went out locally to see if there was anything new around, like a Meadow Brown or two. There wasn't, but the walk was topped and tailed by two different Red Admirals. The first was a well-worn individual, possibly an immigrant, but the second was much newer-looking and could perhaps have been home-grown.

Both were flying low over and amongst the nettles, so I think they were both females on egg-laying missions.
Once again, in the same general area as before, there were Common Blues and Brown Argus, with standout examples of females of both species.

On the walk back I encountered a Large Skipper from an unusual angle, and then another more conventionally posed.

There were quite a few Specklies around today too.

However, the butterfly of the day was probably this Brown Argus.

Dave

[Wurzel]

That really is a stand out Blue Dave Great shots, that Brown Argus is in mint condish (as the kids say ) and I love the head on Large Skipper, reminds me of an X-Wing

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

Great shots, Dave, Your Large Skipper looks like the head on view of a Biplane.
You've had particular success with the Brown Argus this year !.

All the best,
Trevor.

[Goldie M]

Again lovely shot of the Brown Argus Dave, I hope to get a shot of one when I visit Kent this year but I'll have to go a long way to be your last shot of one Goldie

[millerd]

Thank you all for the comments - I love the descriptions of the skipper, but I have to edge towards the X-wing, bearing in mind how the little golden rockets fly (I think Bugboy called them that ).

Wednesday 6th June started cloudy, but it soon dissipated and I set off on the longish trip to North Kent and Heath Fritillary territory in East Blean Wood. As I got past Maidstone, I caught up with the edge of the cloud sheet as it burnt back to the North Sea, and by Canterbury it was completely overcast. However, within half an hour or so, the sun was breaking through again, and I had had a chance to wander through the wood and discover where the butterflies were. I was standing still, surveying the scene when I looked down and suddenly could see two Heath Fritillaries right next to me. The first was a brand spanking new female, with a drop of meconium from the chrysalis clearly visible on the leaf below her.

A bright new male was nearby.

Interestingly, that initial drop of liquid was clear: when I looked a bit later, there was another, pinkish this time, alongside it.

They really don't come newer than that! As the sun came out more strongly, butterflies appeared all around and I counted between 25 and 30 altogether.

They were very friendly and amenable.

Almost all were very new, but there were a couple showing a little wear.

I managed one of Wurzel's favourite angles by dint of a bit of ungainly grovelling.

Dave

[trevor]

You timed your visit to East Blean just right, Dave.
Lovely fresh Heaths, and images. We left it too late last year.

Can I guess where one of your next destinations might be ?.

Trevor.