ernie f

[ernie f]

Binswood - 16th July 2018

Day three of my Purplestreak count at Binswood. I took the last of the tracks that would enable me to stand back and see oaks in sunshine. There are other tracks but those are through the depths of the woods and limit the ability to see canopy butterflies.

Todays walk

This time, in a two-hour stroll, I was rewarded with views of a further 31, bringing my grand total for this location to 124 in the last few days. It is by far the best location for numbers of Purplestreaks that I have visited. I know Browndown can get more but when I visited last year I did not see that amount or anything near it.

And yet again one or two came down, these in an open glade along a wooded path. They would sit on the bracken and low oak boughs fleetingly and then off they went again. Not once did any of them open their wings while at rest so again today my pics were of them with wings firmly closed.

There was a time when I would have been over the moon to get any pic of a Purple Hairstreak. It just goes to show how once you have got one pic, you strive for more and better.

All the other butterflies I saw were the same species as yesterday. However, while I was waiting for the Purplestreaks to come down in a brackeny glade, a stonking great butterfly zoomed down at me out of nowhere, passed me at waist height and then flew fast away and up into the canopy. I got a fine view of the underside as it passed me, and an even better view of the upperside as it turned in front of me. It was, to my utter amazement, a Purple Emperor. I have never seen one in this woodland before. The encounter was all over in a few seconds, so no pics of course but – wow! I was not even looking for them. This brings my annual tally of Purple Emperors this year to 21, all the others were at Alice Holt Forest. Binswood is closer to where I live than Alice Holt being almost exactly three miles by car, so this was the closest Purple Emperor I have seen to where I live.

I was also able to get close to a reasonably fresh Silver-washed Frit for a pic – here it is.

Non-butterfly Snapshots of the day

I disturbed a few grasshoppers today as I walked through the grass but I didn’t stop to try and identify them. On past visits here I have come across what I think is the following:

Meadow Grasshopper

Common Field Grasshopper

Speckled Bush Cricket

As usual, please correct me if I have any of the ID’s wrong. I am not absolutely convinced I have any of them right.

[Andrew555]

Nice Purple Hairstreaks Ernie, and other selections.

[Wurzel]

More great stuff Ernie I've only been into this butterfly lark for a while as well but I recall reading that they'll come down when there isn't enough honeydew higher up the tree. So they're often encountered down low on sunny days after its rained recently. I suppose with the prolonged heat their source of fuel could have totally evaporated?
On matters wing rolling - I saw a male Chalkhill doing so this afternoon.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Everyone is filling their boots with Purple Hairstreaks....except me!!

Time I got out and looked for a few.

[ernie f]

Thanks, Guys. The Purple Hairstreaks seem to be having a bumper year. Either that or as Wurzel says, the evaporation of honeydew from the canopy leaves is bringing them down more so we get to see them better.

Cheers

[ernie f]

Binswood (yes again) - 17th July 2018

You just can’t keep me away from this place at the moment. I had finished my Purple Hairstreak count for this location yesterday but thought I would get here early today to see if I could get any more open-wing pics because later in the day the little blighters kept them tightly closed yesterday.

I had some reasonable success. Not the full, open-wing, brilliant purple pictures I wanted, but nevertheless some interesting angles. One came down onto brambles a few inches from the ground. Others stayed on the low boughs of oaks. At one point I had four Purplestreaks on one low oak bough all at once. Another came down to a “baby” oak and opened its wings for quite a while but never fully.

I thought I would try and copy Steve L’s closed wing-edge shot that he did for the White-letter Hairstreak to see what the “tails” looked like from a similar angle on the Purple Hairstreak. Just as I suspected, because they are stubbier than the WLH’s, they do not appear to splay out. Of course – my shot is nowhere near as good as his and it is not really from above either as my subject was just above the level of my head.

There were also three times as many Small Copper here today than there was yesterday. Sounds a lot, but there was only one here yesterday.

One had a very odd mutation to one fore-wing.

But this one was OK.

None of them were doing Stem Dances, Turkey Trots or Wing-Rolls. I have never seen one do a wing-roll although I remember someone on this forum saying he saw one do it. I shall keep looking.

Non-butterfly Snapshot of the Day

I saw a Scorpion Fly today on the same oak bough as the four Purplestreaks mentioned earlier. I have seen them here before too. I did not get its pic so the one below is from a past encounter.

[David M]

Fill your boots with these Purple Hairstreaks while you can, ernie. It's a difficult species normally but this year it seems to be as accommodating as is possible.

[ernie f]

David - I shall heed your sage advice. I was wondering if I should go somewhere else for my next sojourn but I think I might stay put at Binswood today. My boots are full with them by now - so I shall have to buy another pair.

[ernie f]

Binswood - 18th July 2018

Heeding David's advice I visited Binswood again this morning during a two-hour period when the sun came out. More pics of Purplestreaks low down on the oaks and brambles. Yet again, none opened their wings flat but a few set their wings ajar. Many are getting a bit faded and jaded by now. Some have bites out of their wings and abrasions to the wing surfaces. Because there was more cloud at times this morning it seemed there were no hairstreaks there at all when the sun didn’t shine because they were all perching. I saw one land low down and observed its activity for around 30 minutes before it flew off. It landed on an oak leaf that was at an angle to the horizontal. It walked down the leaf and stopped awhile. It opened its wings ajar for a minute or so then closed them, turned around and walked up the leaf to its tip and turned around. It sat there wings closed awhile then opened them ajar again for a minute or so. Then it closed them and walked down the leaf again. It repeated this a few times, up and down, open and closed. Always when it opened its wings it was facing down the leaf as thought in a semi-roosting position, never facing up it with wings open.

Licking honeydew in the shade

Shining silver when the sun came out

A little bit of purple

Walking up the leaf

When the sun came out for some time the tree I was under “erupted” with six Purplestreaks all flying at once as if to make up for lost time. Two came down to the bramble patch next to the trees I stood by at the same time. I was able to get backlit shots of them. On one occasion I could swear I could discern the purple of the upper wing penetrate through so it was partially visible underneath.

Is there a tinge of purple coming through underneath?

The Small Coppers were still there of course. Still no wing-roll for me though.

Kingsley Common

Since Binswood had so many Purplestreaks I thought I would try and make a comparison with the nearly adjacent Kingsley Common. As I observed the oaks there the clouds started to cover the sky and nothing moved in the trees except for a robin. I could not tell if there were any hairstreaks there at all. As I walked back to the car of course I kept looking and then I saw one. It was sitting low on a small oak tree and did not move one bit for the five minutes I watched. I was quite pleased with myself though. I usually only see them at rest when I see them fly to the perch in the first place. But by now I was getting so used to what to look for, I was seeing them as they sat. It helped of course that this one was so low down.

Non-butterfly Snapshot of the day

Today beside the car-park at Kingsley Common an army of Wood Ants had decided to start a nest beside one of the wooden boundary markers.

[Old Wolf]

Ernie, it looks like the PH jackpot. Loads of great pictures.

Hopefully the open wing shot will be arriving for you shortly

[ernie f]

It certainly is a jackpot, Old Wolf. I went again today and got some nearly decent open-wing shots just as you predicted.

Cheers,

[ernie f]

Binswood - 19th July 2018

I am thinking of buying a tent and camping out here, I visit so often at the moment. Today was overcast early but as the sun started to peek through the clouds I immediately descended on my local Purplestreak haven. To my delight a whole bundle of Purplestreaks were willing to come down low and open their wings for me in the hour I was there between 8 am and 9 am. OK, so they were mostly a bit faded and jaded by now but they came down to bramble and low oak boughs so often I was actually getting used to it!

Todays pics...

Yesterday I compared Binswood and neighbouring Kingsley Common where I only found one Purple Hairstreak but I put that down to being overcast when I got to Kingsley. Today I checked two other neighbouring sites to Binswood, namely Broxhead Common and Alice Holt Willows Green Enclosure, both in sunshine. I only found one at the former location and two at the latter. It really does appear that Binswood is a special place for them to be in such great numbers there when all about there are far fewer.

While at Willows Green there were many other species, including White Ad, half a dozen SW Frits, a female Common Blue, a male Holly Blue and the usual MB&R&G&SW, S&L White.

Non-butterfly Snapshot of the day

Another Orchid has come on-line. The Broad-leaved Helleborine. They can be found on the Abbot’s Wood side of the road but the few I found there were not yet in bloom. However one was in bloom on the Willows Green side.

[Wurzel]

You really are having a purple patch Ernie Getting a tent is a good idea, something I've considered when planning ahead for my retirement (in 26 year times )

Have a goodun

Wurzel

ps - Wing rolling - Long-tailed Blue, Lang's and Geranium Bronze all seen wing rolling in Lisbon and Sooty Copper and Dusky Large Blue in Czech Republic to add to the list.

[ernie f]

Wurzel. Re retirement. Don't forget to add on six weeks.

Thanks for the update on the wing rolling. Hope you don't mind if I copy your text onto the wing-rolling thread under "General" so it doesn't get lost.

Cheers,

[trevor]

It's the early bird that catches the Hairsreak, Ernie.
As you say they are becoming a bit worn now, but still a great sight.
Now I know the ropes I will hope to catch them dew fresh next year.

All the best,
Trevor.

[David M]

I don't blame you for continuing to pursue the Purple Hairstreaks, ernie. We may not get another opportunity like this for a few years so carry on until they're on their last legs!

Nice helleborine, by the way!

[ernie f]

Trevor - Yes, now I know how good this location is for them I shall be up near dawn for them next year.
David - Glad you liked the Broad-leaved Helleborine. Its getting quite late in the year now, so hereabouts there are only a couple of more Orchid species to go.

[ernie f]

St Catherine’s Hill - 20th July 2018

I wrenched myself away from Purple Hairstreaks today. It was very cloudy and I guessed I would not see that many anyway so I changed tack and focussed on Chalkhill Blues instead. There are a lot of chalk hills near me and most of them have this species but today I chose St Catherine’s Hill. I concentrated my efforts at one end of the reserve and as usual at this time of year there were loads.

Even though it was overcast they were remarkably skittish and most of them did not allow me to get too close. They could usually sense me coming from a couple of metres away but I did get one or two OK shots.

They are not yet at peak but it can’t be far off. Last year at peak Chalkhill flying time I took a video of their antics and this sequence of video stills depicts an unfolding story worthy of a TV Soap.

chalkhill blues fight over a female part I.docx

(4.28 MiB) Downloaded 5 times

chalkhill blues fight over a female part II.docx

(2.12 MiB) Downloaded 6 times

Non-butterfly Snapshot of the day

There were lots of flowers about today including this thistle. I don’t know what made me take its picture because at the time I thought – I have got pics of the Cotton Thistle already. However when I got the picture onto my computer and looked more closely I became suspicious of my ID. It turned out, after looking at one of my plant books, to resemble a Woolly Thistle instead.

And a fine specimen it was too.

[Neil Freeman]

Just trying to catch up on a few diaries, great series of reports on the Purple Hairstreaks Ernie. I have seen a few this year but all up high and not a single photo so far, unfortunately work and other commitments mean I cannot get out early to catch them down low.

I love that shot of the Wood Ants by the wooden post...it reminds me of one of those old sci fi films where an army of mutant ants erupts from the ground and goes on the rampage

Cheers,

Neil

[Wurzel]

By all means feel free to copy and paste any of my ramblings Ernie I hadn't factored in the 6 weeks though at work I'm either bang n time or early - which partly explains why my PD is so tardy, while it's a lot more enjoyable it doesn't pay the bills I reckon your underside Chalkhill could be an ab as the spotting is very faint, possibly ab. obscura?

Have a goodun

Wurzel