ernie f

[David M]

So good to see the Coppers flourishing, ernie, not to mention the robust heather, which doesn't appear to have suffered too much as a result of the hot, dry spell in June & July.

[Andrew555]

Nice shots of those Coppers Ernie.

[ernie f]

Thanks, Guys. I'm really happy that the Coppers are coming along now around here. I was fearing the worst until now.

[ernie f]

Old Winchester Hill - 30th August 2018

The last time I came here I met someone who suggested there was a good Adonis Blue location the other side of the hillfort. I was in two-minds whether to look but this morning was sunny so I gave it a try. WOW. How could I have missed this? I have been visiting Old Winchester Hill for many years now. I counted 27 Adonis Blues altogether and I am sure there must have been others (my count is conservative to try and avoid double-counting). If I add these to the ones I have seen on the other side of the reserve this year I get a total of 57. That for me is a location and annual record.

I came across a female Adonis with a blue wash – very pretty. And a male Adonis showing signs of wear but still scintillating to look at.

Also 4 SSSkips, Common Blue, Chalkhill Blue (but only two), Brown Argus, Small Copper, S,L&GV White, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood and loads and loads of Small Heath.

Non-butterfly Snapshot of the day

On the side of the hillfort bank today, a small cap mushroom – most likely the Pleated Inkcap.

[ernie f]

I just had a pleasant surprise. I said my total Adonis Blue count this year at Old Winch Hill is 57 but I forgot the spring brooders. The total this year for me is therefore actually 63!

[Wurzel]

That is a lush looking female Adonis Ernie I've become a bit temporally confused recently what with the heatwave breaking, then going to France where it is high summer and then coming back to a cooler, damper UK so to see those Silver-spots was a bit of a shock. Then I remembered that we're still in August!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Nice work, ernie. Always good to see a personal best eclipsed.

There's still time to push the total upwards too!

[ernie f]

David - Yes - The Adonis population at this reserve has been wonderful so far this year. I am now waiting to bump into someone who will tell me another Adonis location on this reserve that I don't know about!

Wurzel - Hope you had a great holiday. I'm confused too and I have stayed here! But then, I am always a little bit confused.

[ernie f]

Broxhead - 31st August 2018

Lovely. The Small Copper community here is growing nicely. The hot spell does not seem to have affected them too much. I counted 22 here today. Only two days ago I counted 11. Double the number over just two days. In 2017 there was only 2 along this transect around this time and the year before that, 2016, there was 6. Now 2016 was the year of the long “Indian” summer and the numbers of Small Copper at Broxhead/Sleaford/Kingsley/Shortheath – a set of almost connected heathlands was eventually to become a bumper year in September. My annual record to date in fact. So far it appears to be almost 4 times better than that year – of course we need the weather to stay fine for the numbers to continue to climb.

Also, 3 faded Brown Argus, 3 Speckled Wood and a Clouded Buff.

Non-butterfly Snapshots of the day

Soon it will be autumn and the fungi which has already begun here will come to the fore. For example this marvellous one, the Golden Scalycap.

[millerd]

I particularly like that first Copper shot, Ernie!

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

That is a cracking stain glass shot of the Copper Ernie Also that Brown Argus practically jumps out of the screen it's s sharp I like the fungi too but not as much as the Pleated Inkcap - that looks like an upside down fungus

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[ernie f]

Thanks, Guys. The Coppers sure are coming along now. I have a feeling its going to get really good soon.

[ernie f]

Sleaford/Broxhead/Kingsley/Shortheath - 1st Sep 2018

Rainbow in a dewy morning web at Sleaford heath

A bit of a marathon this morning. Because this appears to be getting to be a good 3rd brood for Small Coppers I decided to do a spot survey of the best locations of these almost connected heathlands near me.

The Results were:

Sleaford 16
Broxhead 44 (a daily record for me)
Broxhead Extn 04
Kingsley 03
Shortheath 06

Total 73

This is at a time when my book shows we are in what is supposed to be a low population gap between the 2nd and 3rd broods.

I know we are at the start of the third brood rather than its peak, because at peak I usually find some along the sandy path close to the lay-by at Broxhead and today there were none there.

Also, in 2016 – the recent bumper copper year on the heaths, Broxhead peaked with a daily count of 10 on Sep 9th and Kingsley peaked about a week later with 29 on Sep 15th (Note the annual counts in that year were Kingsley 36 and Broxhead 67). I have already seen 4 times as many at Broxhead on a single day as I did that year, 9 days earlier than then so I am hoping the same thing will happen in about a weeks time on Kingsley Heath.

At both Broxhead and the Broxhead Extension (a small area with a separate entrance path close to the road junction) I saw three males sparring at once. At the Broxhead Extension I also witnessed a female fending off an ardent male with a Turkey Strut routine which I managed to get a not-very-good picture of.

Male advancing

Female Turkey-strutting

At the bottom of the hill at Broxhead it is a sun-trap and there were many Small Coppers there mixing it up with at least 6 Brown Argus, one Common Blue, a Small White and a Comma.

Non-butterfly Snapshots of the day.

Its flowers!

Beside the road at Sleaford, a Common Hemp-Nettle (White form).

Growing wild, a garden escape, Montbretia (Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora), at Shortheath. Its so pretty but is an invasive plant which really has no place here.

At Home

This moth. I think it might be a Flounced Rustic. Can anyone positively ID it? Thanks.

[Goldie M]

Love your Copper's ernie, like you say," you never get tired of them," I'd never seen so many before when I went to fleetwood last week, I was so pleased Also liked your Tree of Fungus Goldie

[Wurzel]

Great set of Copper images Ernie and a great number seen and they haven't even peaked yet, 44 in one sitting

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Maximus]

Broxhead 44, and not yet peaked you've found a place to rival Dungeness, Ernie Lovely shots by the way

Mike

[ernie f]

Thank you, all

Of course even though there will be more Small Coppers at Broxhead to come it will never get close to Dungeness. For one thing, the first brood does not appear here.

But in good years we do get a late (fourth) brood which takes us into October.

[ernie f]

2nd Sep 2018 - Kingsley and Broxhead Heaths

Kingsley

I visited different parts of both of these heaths this morning to see if I could increase my Small Copper counts and I could (a bit). Kingsley only gave me one more bringing its total to 5 but Broxhead gave me another 5 bringing its total to 49. Not only that but I got a trifle lost and stumbled across another patch at Broxhead that I did not know about which seemed ideal for them - lots of Sheep’s Sorrel and mixed heather low on a sheltered incline facing south. There were none flying there at the moment but I would be very surprised if they did not soon.

But my quarry for pictures was not the Small Copper this time but the Brown Argus. I counted 8 at Broxhead today.

Now while I have seen hundreds of Small Copper over the years and none of them have done a wing-roll for me, one of the Brown Argus landed right in front of me and immediately started to wing-roll with its wings open. I managed to get a short burst of shots of which I attach two here.

Not brilliant but you get the idea.

And I came across this Garden Tiger caterpillar (aka Woolly Bear) clinging to a heather frond. Well I think that's what it must be. Can anyone let me know if its not? Thanks.

Non-butterfly Snapshots of the day

And so more fungi flourishes as autumn approaches. This one today was in a woodland verge at Broxhead. Its the Tawny Grisette. Apparently its edible and even tasty but being a member of the Amanitas I personally would not touch it with a bargepole. It's in the same family as the Death Cap and the Destroying Angel, both deadly – need I say more!

There was also a Brittlegill with a red cap but it was severely munched by slugs. It was most likely The Sickener, which likes heathland. Its poisonous to us but obviously it wasn’t to the slugs. Here is an archive picture of what it should have looked like.

[Old Wolf]

Hello Ernie,
You are seeing a real bumper load of Copper at the moment.

You also seem to be getting some great 'Oily' shots too. I see it in the Coppers and Argus from 1st and 2nd September. Oh, and of course on the web too

[Wurzel]

That looks like cracking habitat Ernie You've caught the butterfly in just the right light to get those great oily sheen shots

Have a goodun

Wurzel