MikeOxon

[ernie f]

What a fantastic garden centre you have there, Mike. Amazing how close you were able to get to the grounded purplestreak.

I have never seen mud-puddling. Thank you for introducing me to this. I wonder if it has anything to do with the long spell of dry weather we are having. Perhaps the butterflies are forced to congregate in this way when moisture is scarce. Do you know why?

[Goldie M]

Hi! Mike, love the mud puddling White's, if they were around here they'd have there work cut out, no rain here just fire!!Goldie

[Andrew555]

Very interesting Mike, and well captured.

[MikeOxon]

Thank you for the comments. I assume that this is due to the hot weather and that British butterflies are not as used to such conditions as their European cousins, which are, therefore, more adapted to the behaviour.

It was interesting to watch how each burst of activity started with one or two and then others arrived to join in, until a passing shopper made them scatter and re-form somewhere else. As the following (none too sharp) photos show, they often arrived with the proboscis already unfurling.

Nuneham Garden Centre, Oxon - 2nd July 2018
Olympus E-M1-ii with 40-150mm lens - 1/2000s@f/8 ISO640

Nuneham Garden Centre, Oxon - 2nd July 2018
Olympus E-M1-ii with 40-150mm lens - 1/2500s@f/9 ISO640

I was lying full length on the ground to photograph the PH, with my wife standing by, in case anyone thought I was in trouble - but no-one paid any attention at all. Just a normal day at the garden centre

[MikeOxon]

................... no rain here just fire!!Goldie

I have been saddened by the news of the fires, especially since arson is suspected. I used to enjoy playing in the Lever Gardens at Rivington, as a child, with all their fascinating fantasy structures. One could even climb the 'Pigeon Tower' in those days, despite there being no internal floors!

I re-visited last year to see all the ongoing restoration work and hope very much that this work will not now be destroyed.

Mike

[Pauline]

Some great shots there Mike of typical butterfly behaviour in these conditions. I would have liked to have seen one of you taking those shots in the middle of the garden centre as your description made me chuckle

[MikeOxon]

After my visit to the garden centre on Monday, to observe 'mud puddling', I remembered the visit I made, last year, to Bucknell Wood, where I had been delighted to find the valesina form of the female Silver-washed Fritillary.

Bucknell Wood, Northants - 3rd July 2018
iPhone 5s - 1/760s@f/2.2 ISO32

I had left my visit a little late in the season, last year, so decided to try to avoid making the same mistake again. When I arrived, a little before 10 am on 3rd July, it was already rather warm, with brilliant sunshine. I immediately made my way to the open clearing, quite near to the 'old' car-park, where I was greeted with a display of butterfly activity that I have rarely experienced in recent years. The bramble flowers around the clearing can only be described as a 'seething mass' of butterflies and it was a delight to be surrounded by airborne companions wherever one walked. An unusual sighting was of a Silver-washed Fritillary taking up moisture from moss around the base of one of the trees.

Bucknell Wood, Northants - 3rd July 2018
Olympus E-M1-ii with 100-400mm lens - 1/800s@f/6.3 ISO640

The vast majority of the butterflies were Ringlets, of which many were smaller than usual - more Hairstreak-sized than typical 'browns'. Amongst them, however, were several larger species, including White Admirals and Silver-washed Fritillaries. It did not take long for me to spot my first valesina, busy nectaring at some brambles within an a area of long grasses. These obstructions made a close approach difficult, and also created difficulties for longer-range photography, but I simply kept shooting, whenever a fleeting opportunity presented itself. Lighting was very variable, from bright sun to deep shade so, all in all, there was a lot of luck involved in getting good results. I tended to fire the camera in short bursts, hoping to find some shots where the vegetation was not obscuring the subject.

Bucknell Wood, Northants - 3rd July 2018
Olympus E-M1-ii with 100-400mm lens - 1/640s@f/8 ISO640

It was startling to see the extraordinary iridescent colours of the wings of these butterflies, ranging through cyans and greens, depending on the angle of the light - so different from the normal 'fulvous' colour of 'regular' Fritillaries. A few males were also dashing around, playing 'court' to the females and, although I didn't realise it at the time, I found afterwards that some of my shots included these 'fly-bys'. The following photo brings out the profound difference between the 'normal' male colour and the valesina female.

Bucknell Wood, Northants - 3rd July 2018
Olympus E-M1-ii with 100-400mm lens - 1/640s@f/8 ISO640

There were at least two valesina females present in the same area, one with some wing damage that provided identification, but there may have been more.

Bucknell Wood, Northants - 3rd July 2018
Olympus E-M1-ii with 100-400mm lens - composite image

After collecting a good stock of images, I continued to explore the rest of the wood. As the day was now getting hotter, many of the butterflies seemed to have sought shelter away from the sunny rides, although these were patrolled by several Dragonflies, including brilliant blue Emperor Dragonflies. Most of the butterflies along the rides were Small and Green-veined Whites, together with many more Ringlets. I was probably between broods of Wood Whites and failed to see any, although the wood is noted for them.

I did, however, spot a newly-emerged looking Red Admiral on the surface of one of the rides.

Bucknell Wood, Northants - 3rd July 2018
Olympus E-M1-ii with 100-400mm lens - 1/800s@f/8 ISO640

There were also plenty of White Admirals, gliding gracefully in their characteristic manner and only making brief stops for nectaring, when I managed to take a few photos.

Bucknell Wood, Northants - 3rd July 2018
Olympus E-M1-ii with 100-400mm lens - 1/640s@f/8 ISO640

Bucknell Wood, Northants - 3rd July 2018
Olympus E-M1-ii with 100-400mm lens - 1/1600s@f/8 ISO640

The valesinas were a very remarkable sight and I have tried to show something of the extra-ordinary colours that they displayed in the bright sunshine. Bucknell is a beautiful wood and hosts an excellent variety of butterflies and other insects.

Mike

[Pauline]

Tried to respond last night Mike but was unable due to website. Those Valesina shots are amazing especially the first one - a butterfly in gorgeous condition and you have certainly done it justice Only ever seen one so certainly deserves a couple of You're on a roll!!

[MikeOxon]

Thank you Pauline. I spent much of yesterday afternoon sorting through the 156 photos I took, to find those which I though best illustrated the characteristics of this beautiful form. Then I found the website was too unresponsive to post them until quite late in the evening! I suppose it's a good sign that this site is attracting a high level of interest

Beware of visiting the Silverstone area this weekend, since it is the British Grand Prix and traffic will be heavy, with some road closures.

[Art Frames]

sorry duplicate...website issues

[Art Frames]

Hi Mike

I have made a number of visits to Bucknell this year, as it is close enough and is still a favourite for me. There seem to be fewer valensina than last year but it is still just the start of the season and the number of Silver-washed in other parts of the wood are very impressive so I hope to see a lot more in a few days. In common with other sites in Northants there are really good numbers of Emperors and I had one grounding earlier in the week (we may have been there the same day!) and several very low passes as well as a dozen battling around the tops of tall trees. But I have had my share of Emperors and have hundreds of pictures to wade through from several good days in Fermyn and Cotgrave Woods...so I will resist trying to get more....unless I weaken...

Thanks for the reminder about the weekend. The number of times I have got caught up in the road closures, diversions and jams should have taught me to mark the calendar, but it had escaped me and I was planning to go at some stage....

There were Wood Whites on June 20th but I haven't seen any since then, however it has been a really good year with high numbers.

best wishes

Peter

[kevling]

Mike,

Enjoyed your report about Bucknell Wood and loved the Valezina photographs. I had a similar day this week in a local wood to me in Suffolk, with Butterflies everywhere. Saw a Valezina but it never settled, unlike the other 49 SWF that did

Kind Regards
Kev

[MikeOxon]

Hi Peter, I half-expected to see you at Bucknell. Strangely, although PE seem to be doing well this year, I haven't managed to see any. I was, however' very pleased to see the valesina SWF again.

Hi Kev, I agree that it's delightful to be surrounded by active butterflies. Pleased to know you saw a valesina - they are very striking, especially when seen in bright sunshine.

[David M]

The bramble flowers around the clearing can only be described as a 'seething mass' of butterflies...

Sounds wonderful, Mike, and well done with the valezinas, which are always a joy to encounter.

[MikeOxon]

The hot weather does seem to be affecting behaviour now (both of the butterflies and mine!). I visited Bernwood last Friday, where it was already hot at 9:30am. Walking along the main ride was somewhat like walking through a desert - from both the lack of visible wildlife and the searing heat! The small pool near the main 'cross-roads' was almost dry, with no Dragonflies present. In compensation, there were plenty of Purple Hairstreaks in the oaks nearby although none presented an open-wing view.

We turned Southwards at this point and then branched right, onto a much narrower path through the trees. This shady path felt much pleasanter and, wherever there was a small clearing with brambles, these were being visited by (mostly) Ringlets, Small Skippers, and Silver-washed Fritillaries. Further on, in a very quiet part of the wood we found another pool that was not dry and had several attendant dragonflies, including the fairly scarce Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens).

Bernwood, Oxon - 6th July 2018
Olympus E-M1-ii with 100-400mm lens - 1/1000s@f/8 ISO640

It was here that we saw our first mating pair of Silver-washed Fritillaries and this continued to be a theme for the rest of our walk. The day seemed to be "mating day" for this species and we had seen around six pairs in cop by the end of our walk.

Bernwood, Oxon - 6th July 2018
Olympus E-M1-ii with 100-400mm lens - 1/250s@f/13 ISO640

I found it interesting to observe how they regularly flew between different perches, while remaining coupled. I even noted one with its proboscis extended, presumably feeding or taking up moisture, while coupled.

Bernwood, Oxon - 6th July 2018
Olympus E-M1-ii with 100-400mm lens - 1/500s@f/8 ISO640

I'm afraid it was too hot for me to experiment with in-flight shots but I did aim take several examples of the great variety of different locations in which they settled, usually quite briefly.

Bernwood, Oxon - 6th July 2018
Olympus E-M1-ii with 100-400mm lens - 1/125s@f/8 ISO640

One photographic tip is to use 'fill in' flash to soften the contrasts between light and shade in these harsh sunlight conditions. The small pop-up flash on many cameras is sufficient for this or, in my own case, I used the small flash attachment that Olympus supplied with my camera.

Bernwood, Oxon - 6th July
with/without fill in flash

Although this is supposed to have been a very good year for Purple Emperor, I have so far failed to spot any. My son, who was at Bucknell Wood a couple of days after me, saw three there, including a female striking the sallows. Everwhere is just a bit too hot for me at present

[Pauline]

I even noted one with its proboscis extended, presumably feeding or taking up moisture, while coupled.

I expect that was the female Mike - we're good at multi-tasking Seriously, great finds and smashing shots!

[CallumMac]

That's a really striking demonstration of how the flash can be used even on the brightest of days, Mike! I shall have to experiment myself. What camera do you use? I imagine that it's a much less effective tactic with a DSLR + medium/long lens than with a compact/bridge, when the flashbulb is so much closer to the subject?

[MikeOxon]

Pauline, you may think so; I couldn't possibly comment! Thank you for your appreciation of my photos

CallumMac - flash is often extremely useful on sunny days, as portrait photographers know! See for example, this article by Ken Rockwell.

As with most things, it's best to practice a little to find the optimum settings - digital makes it very easy to review and correct mistakes.

I was using a long lens (400 mm) on my Olympus E-M1-ii, so was not that close to the butterfly (1.595 m according to EXIF data), but the small on-camera flash was sufficient. For the best results, I would recommend a larger flash unit with a diffuser - see this article on my website, but, if your camera has a built-in flashgun, then it's always there with you and well worth remembering in many situations

[Art Frames]

I wish I could take a quick trip to Bernwood. It is a great place and I have seen some lovely sights there too. And those are wonderful SWFs

However Bucknell has its own appeal and is 20 minutes away

I am trying to ignore the heat and get out as much as possible, this summer is a one-off and won't be here for ever.

You'll get an Emperor I'm sure. There are so many about

best wishes

[MikeOxon]

Thank you for looking in, Peter. I think that Bucknell Wood has great appeal and am very pleased that you drew the place to my attention.

When I first knew Bernwood in the 1980s it had lost most of its former glory but has been steadily recovering ever since. I usually tend to visit Oakley Wood but Waterperry Wood has a more intimate 'feel' and holds a good range of butterfly species. The 'BBOWT meadow' is another interesting area, which was looking very sunburnt on my recent visit.

Bernwood Meadow, Oxon - 6th July 2018
Olympus E-M1 with 12-50mm lens - 1/1600s@f/8 ISO640 (3 images 'stitched')

I expect that the hay will be cut soon but there were plenty of Large Whites visiting the flowers that are widely scattered amongst the grasses.

Bernwood Meadow, Oxon - 6th July 2018
Olympus E-M1 with 400mm lens - 1/1600s@f/8 ISO640

Mike