Wurzel

[millerd]

A rather nice set of Blues, There, Wurzel. I especially like the female Adonis. Fresh examples like that can't be beaten.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave I totally agree with you they have a certain lustre about them Soon be seeing the second brood hopefully by the my posts won't still be featuring the 1st brood

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[essexbuzzard]

Second brood should start in a couple of weeks on the warmest sites, it will be interesting to see if the dry weather has had any negative impact. Like the Grizzled Skippers Wurzel, it already seems such a long time ago...

[Wurzel]

Cheers Essex I know what you mean this season seemed to take an age to start and us now flying by with all species emerged already

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Great shots again Wurzel, you captured just what I'm looking for Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie They're still from the first brood, mind you the way things are going with this crazy year you might get onto the early second brood, fingers crossed

Work 08-06-2018

Just a quick lunchtime check round to see how things were progressing and they were going well despite the dull conditions. I didn’t see many butterflies, only 5 in total, but a couple of them that I did see were pretty special…

I started off checking out the pits but only got as far as the large Bramble bush before I was stopped. I noticed a Large Skipper sitting there on a leaf not doing an awful lot. I was just about to take a photo and shifted my position to see if could get a bit closer and a better angle and there right in front of me were a mating pair of Large Skipper. I was dead chuffed as this was the first pair of Larges that I’d seen and a welcome addition to the ‘Butterflies in Cop’ book that is slowing getting completed. All the while that these two were joined the third wheel, the original male that had caught my attention looked on.

After this I took a quick stroll along the main hedge finding a Specklie just through the trees and an unknown White further along the hedge. Giving it up I made my way back and the couple were still locked together and in the same spot though the other male had finally realised that he was too late.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[ernie f]

Mating Large Skippers. I must have seen hundreds of Large Skips over the years but I have never seen this. You are very lucky.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel that goes for me too, never seen them mating but certainly seen loads of others butterflies mating since being down here in the South Goldie

[bugboy]

for the mating large skips. Still need to add that species to my in cop collection.

[trevor]

Great mating Large Skippers, Wurzel. But I'm afraid there are no mrgreens,
as I found a pair when the Sussex Black Hairstreaks were about.

Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Ernie These were my first ever pair in cop - I just need Lulworth and then I've completed my Skipper in cop collections (I'm not counting Chequered as they're far to far away )
Cheers Goldie I did say there was something in the water down here
Cheers Bugboy They're trickier to find than in cop than I thought, when I started 'collecting' in cop I thought Silver-spotted would be the tough species, but no it was the larger, more obvious and slower Large Skipper
Cheers Trevor No worries though I might have another 'in cop' that should be worthy of a Mind you you'll probably need to wait until October before I post about it

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

A very nice pair of Large Skippers, Wurzel - beautifully golden underneath, which none of the others can match!

Dave

[Lee Hurrell]

A thoroughly cracking day, it was great catching up with Philzoid and Dave and meeting Lee for the first time as well being surrounded but butterflies and getting 5 FFY to boot!

It was wonderful to meet you Wurzel and to catch up with Dave and Phil.
Some lovely photos there! You'll see mine in a year or so

Best wishes,
Lee

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave They really are the 'Golden Skipper'
Cheers Lee Those images will be all the sweeter to see after a bit of a wait

Laverstock 11-06-2018

My younger daughter and I both like Monday afternoons. She because she gets to visit her tutors house and me because I get to wander Laverstock Down for an hour immersing myself in the current species. Today a Painted Lady flew out of a drive way as we pulled up and I wondered what sort of omen this was? Did it portend to surprises and different species or was it to be that everything I saw would fly away before I could get a photo?
Still musing on this conundrum I started up the Down and on the first stretch of path proper on the reserve a Large Skipper greeted me and then a couple of blues. The both fell into the ‘fly away subset’ and were joined slightly further down were a few Meadow Browns and a couple of other blues as well as a Large White and Speckled up near the wood. Nothing seemed to be stopping that was until I spied a tiny grey blob on a drying cow pat – a worn and tired Grizzlie but one I was glad to see here taking salts from poo as it was a welcome addition to my ‘butterflies on poo’ collection.

After this I decided to give up counting and just concentrate on the butterflies and trying to get shots of the Browns. Each year I write about how I must spend more time on this species or that etc. and the Browns are often well represented in my good intentions. However now I remembered why I don’t; they can be damn frustrating! They erupt from nowhere, take off just as you focus, and land deep in foliage when they eventually do settle! They can be a nightmare!

As I wandered round the Down I did my best to ignore the Blues flying and focused and persevered on the Browns. Slowly I started to build up the number of shots I had, the chances started coming, the grab shots paid off and I managed to start getting into the right places at the right times. So I got some Meadow Brown and Small Heath shots. The Small Heath were acting slightly unusually in that that weren’t all resting wings tightly shut but with one wing slightly leading the other so I could get a glimpse of the forewings ground colour. This was even more pronounced in one individual whose forewings curved out from each other.

I started to enjoy myself and then that’s when I realised that it was time to start back. But I didn’t mind as I’d spent some time with and out effort into the Small Heath, I’d kept a promise that I’d made to myself.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Larkhill and onto Work 12-06-2018

The blocking off of the car park come lay-by at Larkhill has proved to be a bit a pain for me as now I can’t stop as easily. Also I can’t complete the route that I’m used to and it feels like I miss out some of the best habitat? Anyway I risked getting a car in my boot today making a quick stop-off before work.

I walked back up the hill heading West noting how the grass was growing across the path and was almost above my knees. There were a few Small Heath flying here and there and every now and again a blue gem would take off from where it had been hanging as a flag a flutter just out of reach. At least 2 of these gems were the shocking electric blue of the Adonis. There were also good numbers of Large Skipper and as I almost completed the walk ‘there’ before starting the ‘back again’ section, they were the second most numerous species.

As I turned to make my way back a small brown butterfly flew from one side of the path and alighted almost before on the other. It was a Brown Argus looking slightly tired with its margins worn but still sporting some huge lunules on the wings. I still reckon the combination of bright orange and chocolate brown can’t be beaten.

The quick saunter back to the car didn’t throw up anything new and with the highest totals noted down I got back in the car and headed on to work…
At work the day passed me by as I got my head down and got on with it and then lunchtime arrived and offered some respite which I gleefully took. So with camera in hand I was off to the Pits. I was accosted on the way to the Bramble bush by a Meadow Brown looking ever so dark in the gloom though it did give me a flash of colour from its forewing.

At the Bramble a Large Skipper put in an appearance but before I could latch onto it properly a flash of Scarlet distracted me. It was a Cinnabar Moth but as usual it didn’t hang around long enough for a photo. My distracted wandering in the vain attempt of getting a shot had brought me to the large nettle bed and as consolation a Specklie was nicely posed on the pile dried grass cuttings.

As I turned the warning bell sounded and so it was back to the Chalkface.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Andrew555]

Great reports Wurzel, I like your Skipper pairing and that flashing Meadow Brown.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Andrew The Large Skipper pair was a first for me, but I've seen a few more since then, always the way

Way Home 13-06-2018

The very shortest of stop-offs on the way home merely because I felt cheated as I had been unable to stop in the morning because I had to run a breakfast Booster session for the Chemistry exam. Then it was blue skies and sun. Now it was grey and sticky with a gusty breeze. I pulled up at the half way point and scurried across the road entering the relative calm of the Larkhill paths. As I started up the slight incline heading west a Small Heath was my first butterfly of the stop. It was quickly joined by a second and as I paused for an attempt at a shot a whistled “wet-my-lips” call rang out from the brush, a Quail, and my first British one to boot, though it didn’t show itself.

I carried on adding butterflies to the tally; a Common Blue, Large Skipper, a few more Small Heath, Adonis Blue, Meadow Brown etc etc. A few steps and another butterfly would erupt from its hiding place within the longer grasses, Again “wet my lips” rang out even closer this time. Again it remained hidden but I didn’t mind. Just knowing it was there was a pleasure, something finally after many years to tick off my British Life list. I almost converted back to birding…well almost

If I can't see you then you can't see me!

I was in danger of my stop-off breaking my 10 minute limit so back I headed seeing different individuals of the same species and then it was the mad dash across the road and homeward bound.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Old Wolf]

Great shots Wurzel especially the upside down Adonis.

Why are the Blues always upside down?

[Wurzel]

Cheers Old Wolf I reckon it’s so they can do. Quick getaway, they just drop, open their wings and they’re out of there

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, looks like I'm going home tomorrow without my Adonis can't grumble i've got loads of shots this time of lots of Butterflies, maybe next year fingers crossed Goldie